Bennie Goldberg was a Polish-born American bantamweight boxer and a top rated contender for the Bantamweight title for a five-year stretch in the 1940s.
25 Facts About Benny Goldberg
1.
2.
Benny Goldberg studied the technique of the triple world champion Barney Ross, who excelled as a light and welterweight from 1933 to 1938, when Benny Goldberg was in his teens.
3.
Benny Goldberg's use of a left-handed or Southpaw stance was a challenge to many of his competitors.
4.
Benny Goldberg did not turn pro until 1937, after completing an outstanding amateur record.
5.
Early in his career Benny Goldberg convincingly beat George Annarino with a sixth-round knockout on May 2,1939.
6.
Benny Goldberg defeated Johnny Marselline on June 2,1941, flooring him for a six count in the third.
7.
Benny Goldberg was often sloppy and shy in his ring generalship as evidenced in this match, and did not entirely impress the audience in this early stage of his career.
8.
Benny Goldberg had previously beaten Gilligan on March 21,1941 in an eight-round decision in Detroit where he floored his opponent three times in the convincing win.
9.
Benny Goldberg knocked Denner to the mat in the fourth round, and achieved a large margin in points scoring, despite giving up six pounds in weight as well as many as five inches in reach.
10.
Benny Goldberg defeated Joey Archibald, former World Featherweight Champion, on July 21,1942, in Toledo, Ohio, in a ten-round points decision.
11.
On December 14,1942, Benny Goldberg impressively knocked out Lou Transparenti in the fourth round at Arena Gardens in Detroit.
12.
Benny Goldberg defeated Tony Olivera on April 30,1943 in ten rounds at Legion Stadium in Hollywood.
13.
Benny Goldberg was ranked third in the world among Bantamweights prior to the bout.
14.
On November 23,1943, Benny Goldberg lost to Manuel Ortiz in a fifteen-round decision for the World Bantamweight Championship at Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles.
15.
Benny Goldberg had defeated future champion Ortiz on August 5,1938, in a four-round bout in Los Angeles when both were preliminary fighters just starting out in the professional ranks.
16.
Benny Goldberg put up an excellent defense in the first nine rounds, not allowing Ortiz to get to his body.
17.
Benny Goldberg fell behind in the early rounds and didn't rally enough in the later rounds to offset Miller's lead on points.
18.
On May 18,1945, nearing the end of his career, Benny Goldberg defeated one of his better opponents, Luis Castillo in a ten-round unanimous decision for the Duration Bantamweight Title, at Legion Stadium in Hollywood.
19.
Benny Goldberg suffered from heat exhaustion in his last recorded bout, a decisive 10-round decision against Pedro Ramirez at Hollywood's Legion Stadium, on April 12,1946.
20.
Benny Goldberg sent Ramirez to the canvas twice in the second round with left hooks, but was unable to gain a win by knockout in the succeeding rounds.
21.
Benny Goldberg looked fatigued by the eighth round, though clearly retained the lead even in the tenth when both boxers fought a long rally for the decision.
22.
Shortly after the match, Benny Goldberg fainted from exhaustion in his corner.
23.
Benny Goldberg worked for the movie studios as a body guard for actors that included Vince Edwards, Tony Curtis, and Robert Blake.
24.
Benny Goldberg's best known television roles included Ben Casey and Cannon.
25.
Benny Goldberg died on September 29,2001, in Los Angeles, and was buried in Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.