19 Facts About Maurice Holtzer

Maurice Holtzer, was a French boxer, who in the 1930s won the French, European, and International Boxing Union World featherweight championships.

Maurice Holtzer was born in Aube, France on 21 December 1906 to a Jewish family.

Maurice Holtzer was managed, at least for a portion of his career, by American Lew Burston whose clients included the champion Pete Sanstol.

In one of his early bouts in America, Maurice Holtzer drew with Lew Massey on 12 August 1929, at the Arena in Philadelphia in a ten round points decision.

On 3 January 1930, Maurice Holtzer defeated future junior lightweight world champion American Frankie Klick at Hollywood's Legion Stadium in a ten-round points decision.

Klick had the fighting his own way in the first half of the match, but as he began to tire in the fifth, Maurice Holtzer took the lead in scoring with a fast series of telling body punches.

The Los Angeles Times wrote that Maurice Holtzer landed twelve blows to each of Taylor's and that Taylor, being soundly trounced, had difficulty punching back.

Maurice Holtzer fared best in the ninth and tenth as Foreman tired, but in much of the bout, his opponent forced the fighting, and chased an elusive Maurice Holtzer whose best defence was his frequent crouch or a block with his gloves.

Maurice Holtzer had a slight advantage throughout the bout, which was fought furiously, but Hess was expected to win by the fans.

Maurice Holtzer won six rounds with a strong attack to the body, with Hess taking two, and two even.

On 23 March 1931, Maurice Holtzer lost to Italian American Tommy Paul, a future World featherweight champion, in a tenth round unanimous decision at the Arena in Philadelphia.

Maurice Holtzer's eyes were damaged by the constant pounding he took in the early rounds, but the pace slowed by the ninth and tenth.

In one of the most important fights of his career Maurice Holtzer first won the EBU European featherweight title against Italian Vittorio Tamagnini at the Velodrome in Paris in a fifteen-round points decision on 26 March 1935 The decision was unpopular with the crowd, and though both men were within a pound of weight, Maurice Holtzer had a slight advantage in height.

Maurice Holtzer successfully defended both his EBU European and French Featherweight titles on 11 January 1936 against Georges LePerson in a 13-round TKO at the Central Sporting Club in Paris.

Maurice Holtzer defended only his EBU European featherweight title on 11 June 1936 by defeating Stan Basta in Brno, Czech, Republic, in a fifteen-round points decision.

On 5 October 1937, Maurice Holtzer took the vacant International Boxing Union World featherweight title and defended the EBU European featherweight title by defeating Phil Dolhem in Algiers, Algeria in a fifteen-round decision.

Maurice Holtzer lost his World championship only three months later, in May 1938, when the IBU stripped all of its title holders of their titles in an effort to have only one universally recognized World champion for each weight class.

In February of 1941, Maurice Holtzer was appointed to a committee that would govern the rules for French boxing by Jean Borotra, the General Commissioner for Education and Sports.

Maurice Holtzer attended an honorary in Paris on 1 November 1949, for French middleweight boxer Marcel Cerdan who had died the former week in a plane crash.