Rosenbloom, Max Everitt
ROSENBLOOM, MAX EVERITT
ROSENBLOOM, MAX EVERITT ("Slapsie Maxie "; 1904–1976), U.S. boxer, light heavyweight champion 1930–34, member of Ring Boxing Hall of Fame and International Boxing Hall of Fame. Rosenbloom was born in Leonard's Bridge, Conn., the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, His family moved in 1907 to New York's Lower East Side, where Rosen-bloom's father worked as a shoemaker, and later to Harlem. He started boxing at the Union Settlement House in Harlem, influenced by an older brother who fought as Leonard Rose, and held various odd jobs, such as elevator operator, railroad laborer, and lifeguard while continuing to box. Rosen-bloom first fought professionally at 19 on October 8, 1923, and thereafter he fought often: by the end of 1925 Rosenbloom had fought 48 professional fights with only six losses, and was ranked 10th in the middleweight division in the 1925 annual rankings by Ring Magazine. Rosenbloom began his career as a slugger, but because he was not a strong puncher he soon developed an unorthodox hit-and-run style of smacking opponents with open gloves, which led New York sportswriter Damon Runyon to tag Rosenbloom with the nickname "Slapsie."
On October 21, 1929, two months after the massacre of Jews in Hebron, Rosenbloom – along with Ruby *Goldstein and Jackie "Kid" *Berg – fought at a benefit at Madison Square Garden on behalf of the "Palestine Relief Fund." Nearly 20,000 contributors paid $101,000 to attend. On June 25, 1930, Rosenbloom beat Jimmy Slattery in 15 rounds to win the world light heavyweight championship, as recognized by the New York Athletic Commission. He was acclaimed the undisputed champion when he defeated Lou Scozza on July 14, 1932. Rosenbloom disliked training and was considered a playboy outside the ring. Nevertheless, he was the busiest titleholder in boxing history, fighting 109 times while champion – only seven were title defenses – the equivalent of one bout every 15 days. Rosenbloom lost the title on November 16, 1934, to Bob Olin, although many sportswriters at ringside believed Rosenbloom had won. It was the 10th and last title match ever between Jewish boxers. His final record in 299 bouts across 16 years was 210 wins (19 kos), 38 losses, 26 draws, 23 no decisions, and two no contests. After his retirement from boxing, Rosenbloom parlayed his colorful reputation into a successful acting and night club career, often portraying a punch-drunk fighter. He also ran successful nightclubs, Slapsie Maxie's, in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Rosenbloom was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.
[Elli Wohlgelernter (2nd ed.)]