Charlie Phil Rosenberg
Encyclopedia
Charley Phil Rosenberg was an American boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

. He was World Bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...

 Champion from 1925 to 1927.

Boxing career

Rosenberg turned professional as a bantamweight in 1921; he lost four of five fights that year (the other bout was a draw). The following year he lost his first two bouts, including a 12-round decision to future flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...

 champion Frankie Genaro
Frankie Genaro
Frank "Frankie" Genaro was a former Olympic gold medalist and boxing world flyweight champion...

 in May 1922.

Two months later, Rosenberg won his first professional fight. He showed a propensity for toughness (he was never knocked down during his career). By 1924, Rosenberg was turning into a good fighter, using his speed and punching ability. He won nine straight fights, including three knockouts, to set up a title bout.

The 5' 4" Rosenberg had to lose 39 pounds in 10 weeks to make the weight limit for the title fight. His trainer, Ray Arcel
Ray Arcel
Ray Arcel was a boxing trainer who was active from the 1920s through the 1980s. He trained eighteen world champions....

, who cajoled Rosenberg into losing the weight, recalled that Charley "hated me ... He used to scream at me: 'You copper!' But he made the weight and went fifteen tough rounds ..."

Rosenberg won his world bantamweight crown on March 20, 1925, in New York City, winning a decision over Eddie Martin in 15 rounds.

Rosenberg was described by Time Magazine as:
as wan as if he had spent his life loitering with La Belle Dame Sans Merci beside her autumnal lake, her birdless woods; his face was drawn, his body lean almost to emaciation. He was a young Jew, the challenger.... For 13 rounds, the sturdy champion took a dreadful drubbing.... At the end of the 15th round, the referee lifted the hand of the challenger, Charley ("Phil") Rosenberg, thus giving him the title of the champion.


He remained champion until February 4, 1927, when he was forced to relinquish his crown because he could not make the division’s legal weight in a title defense against contender Bushy Graham. The fight went on as scheduled, and Rosenberg won a 15-round decision.

Rosenberg fought only two more matches, winning both, including a victory over former Featherweight Champion Johnny Dundee
Johnny Dundee
Johnny Dundee was a featherweight and junior lightweight boxer who fought from 1910 until 1932. Dundee was born Giuseppe Curreri in Sciacca, Sicily, but was raised in the United States....

 in January 1929, before deciding to retire.

Rosenberg's professional record: 65 bouts: won 33 (7 KOs), drew 8, lost 17, 7 no-decisions.

Hall of Fame

Rosenberg, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around the world....

in 1990.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK