1951 Topps Ringside card contract from The Topps Vault. The Topps logo is a watermark.
Barney Ross [born Dov-Ber (or Beryl) Rasofsky] was born in New York City to Isidore "Itchik" Rasofsky and Sarah Epstein Rasofsky. His father was a Talmudic scholar who had emigrated to America from his native Brest-Litovsk after barely surviving a pogrom. The family then moved from New York to Chicago. Isidore became a rabbi and owner of a small vegetable shop in Chicago's Maxwell Street neighborhood, a vibrant Jewish ghetto akin to the New York's Lower East Side of the 1920s and '30s.
The young Rasofsky grew up on Chicago's mean streets, ultimately ignoring his father's admonition that Jews do not fight back.
"'Let the atheists be the fighters,'" Ross later recalled being told by his father. "'The trumbeniks, the murderers - we are the scholars.'" Ross's ambition in life was to become a Jewish teacher and a Talmudic scholar, but his life was changed forever when his father was shot dead resisting a robbery at his small grocery. Prostrate from grief, his mother Sarah suffered a nervous breakdown and his younger siblings—Ida, Sam and George—were placed in an orphanage or farmed out to other members of the extended family. Dov and his older brothers Ben and Morrie were left to their own devices.
In the wake of the tragedy, Dov became vindictive towards everything and turned his back on the orthodox religion of his father. He began running around with local toughs (including another wayward Jewish ghetto kid, the future Jack Ruby), developing into a street brawler, thief and money runner; he was even employed by Al Capone. Dov's goal was to earn enough money to buy a home so that he could reunite his family. He saw boxing as that vehicle and began training with his friend Ruby.
After winning amateur bouts, Dov would pawn the awards—like watches—and set the money aside for his family. There is speculation that Al Capone bought up tickets to his early fights, knowing some of that money would be funneled to Dov. Plagued by his father's death and feeling an obligation not to sully his name, Dov Rasofsky took the new name "Barney Ross." The name change was also part of a larger trend by Jews to assimilate in the U.S. by taking American-sounding names. Strong, fast and possessed of a powerful will, Ross was soon a Golden Gloves champion and went on to dominate the lighter divisions as a pro.
At a time—the late 1920s and '30s—when rising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was using propaganda to spread his virulently anti-Jewish philosophy, Ross was seen by American Jews as one of their greatest advocates. He represented the concept of Jews finally fighting back. Idolized and respected by all Americans, Ross showed that Jews could thrive in their new country. He made his stand against Hitler and Nazi Germany a public one. He knew that by winning boxing matches he was displaying a new kind of strength for Jews. He also understood that Americans loved their sports heroes, and if Jews wanted to be embraced in the U.S. they would have to assume such places in society. So even though Ross had lost faith in religion, he openly embraced his role as a leader of his oppressed people.
Ross occupies the rarifed place as one of boxing's few triple division champions—lightweight, junior welterweight and welterweight. He was never knocked out in 81 fights, and held his title against some of the best competition in the history of the divisions. Ross defeated great Hall of Fame champions like Jimmy McLarnin and Tony Canzoneri in epic battles that drew crowds of more than 50,000.
His first paid fight was on September 1, 1929, when he beat Ramon Lugo by a decision in six rounds. After ten wins in a row, he lost for the first time, to Carlos García, on a decision in ten.
Over the next 35 bouts, his record was 32–1–2, including a win over former world champion Battling Battalino, and one over a boxer named Babe Ruth (though not the baseball player). Another bout included former world champion Cameron Welter. Then, in March 26, 1933, Ross was given his first shot at a world title, when he faced world Lightweight and Jr. Welterweight champion and fellow three divisions world champions club member Tony Canzoneri in Chicago. In only one night, Ross became a two division world champion when he beat Canzoneri by a decision in ten rounds. It should be pointed out that Ross campaigned heavily in the city of Chicago. After two more wins, including a knockout in six over Johnny Farr, Ross and Canzoneri boxed again, and Ross won again by decision, but this time in 15.
Ross was known as a smart fighter with great stamina. He retained his title by decision against Sammy Fuller to finish 1933, and against Peter Nebo to begin 1934. Then he defended against former world champion Frankie Klick, against whom he drew in ten. Then came the first of three bouts versus Jimmy McLarnin. Ross vacated the Jr. Welter title to go after McLarnin's belt and won by a 15 round decision, joining the three division world champions club. However, in a rematch a few weeks later, McLarnin beat Ross by a decision recovering the title, and after that, Ross went back down to the Jr. Weterweights and reclaimed his title in a fight for the belt left vacant by himself, with a 12 round decision over Bobby Pacho. After beating Klick and Henry Woods by decision to retain that title, he went back up in weight for the last fight in his trilogy with McLarnin, and recovered the title by outpointing McLarnin again over 15 rounds. He won 16 bouts in a row after that, including three over future world Middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia, and one against Al Manfredo. His only two defenses, however, on that stretch were against Garcia and against Izzy Jannazzo beaten on points in 15.
In his last fight, Ross defended his title, on May 31, 1938, against the fellow member of the three division world champions' club Henry Armstrong who beat him by a decision in 15. Although Armstrong pounded Ross inexorably, and his trainers begged him to let them stop the fight, Ross absorbed the abuse and refused to stop. And he refused to go down. Barney Ross was never knocked out in his career and was determined to leave the ring on his feet. Some boxing experts view Ross's performance against Armstrong as one of the most courageous in history. Some believe that Ross's will to survive every tough fight on his feet had to do with his understanding of his symbolic nature as a Jew. That is, Jews would not only fight back, but they wouldn't go down.
Ross retired with a record of 72 wins, 4 losses, 3 draws and 2 no-contests, with 22 wins by way of knockout.
Ross was ranked #21 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
U.S. Marine Barney Ross
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Marine Corps
Battles/wars World War II — Battle of Guadalcanal
Awards Silver Star
In retirement in his early thirties, Ross decided to fight in World War II and joined the United States Marine Corps. However, the Marines wanted to keep him stateside and use his celebrity status to boost morale. Most of the athletes of the era like heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey had ceremonial roles in the military, but Ross insisted on fighting for his country. He was sent to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific, where one night, he and three other comrades were trapped under enemy fire. All three of his fellow Marines were wounded, as was Ross, and he was the only one able to fight. And fight he did. Ross gathered his comrades' rifles and grenades and single-handedly fought nearly two dozen Japanese soldiers over an entire night, killing them all by morning. Two of the Marines with him had died in the battle, but he carried the remaining man on his shoulders to safety; the other man weighed 230 lb (104 kg) compared to Ross' 140 lb (64 kg). Because of his heroism, Ross was awarded America's third highest military honor, the Silver Star as well as a Presidential Citation. As America's greatest "celebrity" war hero he was honored by President Roosevelt in a Rose Garden ceremony.