Barry Groenteman was originally scheduled to face Innocent Anyanwu on October 14 for the Ben Bril Memorial at Theater Carré in Amsterdam, Netherlands, but Anyanwu pulled out. Groenteman's new opponent is now slated to be Belgian Vango "The Greek" Tsirimokos.
Tsirimokos has far less experience than Anyanwu (21-10-3, 13 KOs), but in some ways, he's a tougher opponent for Groenteman. Anyanwu is 1-10-1 in his last 12 fights, the one win coming against a 2-24 fighter. Tsirimokos is 4-2 with one KO in his career. He lost his last two fights against opponents with a combined 15-2-2 record, but his wins came against opponents with a combined two victories, including the aforementioned fighter Anyanwu beat.
Groenteman (9-5-2, 2 KOs) and Tsirimokos have a common opponent. Both faced Andrea Carbonella and both dropped split decisions. The bout in October is scheduled for eight rounds.
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Thursday, September 26, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
A Look Back: Al Friedman
In an effort to link the past with the present, The Jewish Boxing Blog will offer monthly a short biography of notable former Jewish boxers.
Heavyweight Al Friedman was something of a renaissance man outside of the ring. A contender, his life was tragically cut short.
Al Friedman was born on May 25, 1908 in Roslindale, Massachusetts. He lived most of his life in nearby Boston. Friedman turned to professional boxing at the age of 18 and the 5'10 1/2" fighter won his debut against Bull Mason on March 15, 1926 by second round KO. Al won his next six fights, all by knockout.
Four and half months after his debut, Friedman lost his first fight, a ten round decision against Joe Monte. Friedman had never fought passed four rounds before that fight. He dropped his next two fights, including a rematch against Monte.
On December 13, Friedman received a beating from 1924 Olympian Charles Peguilhan until the eighth and final round. Al needed a knockout to win and managed to knock Peguilhan to the ropes with body and head punches. The 1924 Olympian then fell to the canvas and couldn't beat the count. Friedman had won, but the price was his opponent's life. Peguilhan died the next day due to injuries suffered in the ring.
Friedman was initially arrested for manslaughter, but the charges were soon dropped. He wouldn't fight again for three months when he took on another Jewish heavyweight, Jack Gross. A southpaw from Philadelphia, Gross defeated his co-nationalist by way of six-round decision. Friedman faced contender Ernie Schaaf in two of his next three bouts and lost them both. He'd lose another three times to Schaaf, who beat the likes of Max Baer, James Braddock, and Tommy Loughran.
In addition to boxing, Friedman was an intellectual. He was a bible scholar familiar with Talmudic lore who was fluent in eight languages. In 1929, he defeated a man named Chuck Wiggins who had been arrested two days before the fight for driving drunk into a police car and then knocking down the arresting officer with a punch. It is rare to see two opponents of such different character.
That same year, Friedman won a fight against Tony Two-Ton Galento in the first of two bouts they would split. After a couple of years of limited success, Friedman fought for the last time in January 1932, a decision loss to Jack Roper.
According to Ken Blady, Friedman set the record for most fights in a one-year span with 54. But BoxRec has his record as 35-36-6 with 14 KOs and 3-6-1 in newspaper decisions, although his true record likely will never be known. Two years later, at the age of 26, Friedman was struck by a car in Los Angeles and died from his injuries.
Bibliography
Blady, Ken. The Jewish Boxers Hall of Fame. 1988.
Heavyweight Al Friedman was something of a renaissance man outside of the ring. A contender, his life was tragically cut short.
Al Friedman was born on May 25, 1908 in Roslindale, Massachusetts. He lived most of his life in nearby Boston. Friedman turned to professional boxing at the age of 18 and the 5'10 1/2" fighter won his debut against Bull Mason on March 15, 1926 by second round KO. Al won his next six fights, all by knockout.
Four and half months after his debut, Friedman lost his first fight, a ten round decision against Joe Monte. Friedman had never fought passed four rounds before that fight. He dropped his next two fights, including a rematch against Monte.
On December 13, Friedman received a beating from 1924 Olympian Charles Peguilhan until the eighth and final round. Al needed a knockout to win and managed to knock Peguilhan to the ropes with body and head punches. The 1924 Olympian then fell to the canvas and couldn't beat the count. Friedman had won, but the price was his opponent's life. Peguilhan died the next day due to injuries suffered in the ring.
Friedman was initially arrested for manslaughter, but the charges were soon dropped. He wouldn't fight again for three months when he took on another Jewish heavyweight, Jack Gross. A southpaw from Philadelphia, Gross defeated his co-nationalist by way of six-round decision. Friedman faced contender Ernie Schaaf in two of his next three bouts and lost them both. He'd lose another three times to Schaaf, who beat the likes of Max Baer, James Braddock, and Tommy Loughran.
In addition to boxing, Friedman was an intellectual. He was a bible scholar familiar with Talmudic lore who was fluent in eight languages. In 1929, he defeated a man named Chuck Wiggins who had been arrested two days before the fight for driving drunk into a police car and then knocking down the arresting officer with a punch. It is rare to see two opponents of such different character.
That same year, Friedman won a fight against Tony Two-Ton Galento in the first of two bouts they would split. After a couple of years of limited success, Friedman fought for the last time in January 1932, a decision loss to Jack Roper.
According to Ken Blady, Friedman set the record for most fights in a one-year span with 54. But BoxRec has his record as 35-36-6 with 14 KOs and 3-6-1 in newspaper decisions, although his true record likely will never be known. Two years later, at the age of 26, Friedman was struck by a car in Los Angeles and died from his injuries.
Bibliography
Blady, Ken. The Jewish Boxers Hall of Fame. 1988.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Groenteman Wins By Decision
Junior welterweight Barry Groenteman defeated Patryk Wolke by six round unanimous decision at Wellness Profi Center in Purmerend, Netherlands on Saturday night. This was Groenteman's fifth fight at the Wellness Profi Center in six fights. He's 4-1 in his last five fights at that venue.
Groenteman told The Jewish Boxing Blog on Twitter, "It was a good test for my title fight in October. I'm in great shape." Barry is scheduled to defend his Dutch junior welterweight title against Innocent Anyanwu on October 14.
Groenteman moves to 9-5-2 with 2 KOs; Wolke falls to 1-8 with one KO.
Groenteman told The Jewish Boxing Blog on Twitter, "It was a good test for my title fight in October. I'm in great shape." Barry is scheduled to defend his Dutch junior welterweight title against Innocent Anyanwu on October 14.
Groenteman moves to 9-5-2 with 2 KOs; Wolke falls to 1-8 with one KO.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
A Look Back: Abraham Rosenberg
In an effort to link the past with the present, The Jewish Boxing Blog will offer monthly a short biography of notable former Jewish boxers.
Abraham Rosenberg only had two professional fights, but was a well-regarded amateur. His career is all the more impressive considering he survived the Holocaust.
Rosenberg, sometimes spelled Rozenberg, was born in Sosnowiec, Poland in 1928. Raised Orthodox, he spent part of his childhood surviving the Holocaust. There is some dispute about his experience during the war. In one account, he entered labor and concentration camps at the tender age of 11 and was shipped between Theresienstadt, Buchenwald, Markstädt, Gross Rosen, and Fünfteichen before fleeing to Scotland and attended school in Glasgow by the time the war ended in 1945 (The Jewish Criterion, 1955). In another account, Abraham was part of the kindertransport and was transported to Glasgow before the war began (AJR, 1950).
In either case, Rosenberg was in Glasgow- where he learned to box- as World War II ended; there he figured his family had all perished in the Holocaust until he discovered that his father was living in Frankfurt, Germany. Abraham then joined his father in Germany.
Rosenberg was a heavyweight who was a respected amateur. By 1950, he was living in Friedberg, Germany and had won the Hessian Amateur Boxing Tournament held in Kasse, representing the Frankfurt Boxing Club. On July 29, 1951, he lost to Lothar Rau on points in the finals of the German amateur championships in Hamburg.
On August 27, 1951, Rosenberg lost to Norvel Lee by decision in a bout in Germany. Lee, who went on to win a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics in the light heavyweight division, fought and soundly defeated future heavyweight champion Ingemar Johannson four days after defeating Rosenberg. On October 17, Rosenberg defeated an Englishman named R. Miles in London, England. That same year, Rosenberg's father moved to Philadelphia. Abraham was stuck behind in Germany because of bureaucratic obstacles.
Rosenberg won the gold medal in the heavyweight division at the fourth Maccabiah Games in 1953. Because Germany did not field a team, Rosenberg represented France in the Games.
In 1955, he made it to the semifinals of the German amateur championships where he lost by way of third round TKO to former national champion, Horst Witterstein. By that point, Rosenberg had fought in 110 bouts and the loss to Witterstein was only the second time he had been stopped.
On January 16, 1956, Rosenberg made his professional debut. He fought in St. Nicolas Arena in New York, New York. Outweighed by 17.5 pounds, Rosenberg lost a six round decision to an experienced fighter with a losing record, George Washington. As of this writing, a ticket to the fight is being auctioned on ebay. Washington would later become a trainer and a couple of his notable charges include heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe and Olympic gold medalist and world champion Mark Brelan.
Rosenberg's next fight didn't come for another two years. Rosenberg, nicknamed Romme, dropped a four round decision to a winless fighter, Walter Hauff, in Berlin, Germany on February 28, 1958. He never fought professionally again
Not much is known of Rosenberg's life after boxing. A Shoah Foundation entry fits his description and asserts Abraham Rozenberg lived in Germany and gave an interview about his experiences in the war in 2000.
Bibliography
"Concentration Camp Graduate Reaches Boxing Semi-Finals." The Jewish Criterion. June 3, 1955.
"From My Diary." AJR Information. August, 1950. Page 6.
Shoah Foundation entry on Abraham Rozenberg. This entry fits what we know about Abraham Rosenberg from Sosnowiec, Poland from other sources. Rozenberg (from the entry) was born in 1928, date unknown. The Jewish Criterion article claims Rosenberg was 11 when he was first taken to a labor camp and since the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, the dates match. The interview was conducted in German in Germany, which fits because Rosenberg was in Germany well over a decade after the end of the Holocaust, unusual for most survivors. The entry seems to second The Jewish Criterion article that Rosenberg was interned in several labor and concentration camps, although the article says he escaped to Glasgow before the end of the war while the entry claims Rozenberg was in a displaced person camp after the war. An AJR article claims Rosenberg was shipped to Glasgow as a child before the war.
Abraham Rosenberg only had two professional fights, but was a well-regarded amateur. His career is all the more impressive considering he survived the Holocaust.
Rosenberg, sometimes spelled Rozenberg, was born in Sosnowiec, Poland in 1928. Raised Orthodox, he spent part of his childhood surviving the Holocaust. There is some dispute about his experience during the war. In one account, he entered labor and concentration camps at the tender age of 11 and was shipped between Theresienstadt, Buchenwald, Markstädt, Gross Rosen, and Fünfteichen before fleeing to Scotland and attended school in Glasgow by the time the war ended in 1945 (The Jewish Criterion, 1955). In another account, Abraham was part of the kindertransport and was transported to Glasgow before the war began (AJR, 1950).
In either case, Rosenberg was in Glasgow- where he learned to box- as World War II ended; there he figured his family had all perished in the Holocaust until he discovered that his father was living in Frankfurt, Germany. Abraham then joined his father in Germany.
Rosenberg was a heavyweight who was a respected amateur. By 1950, he was living in Friedberg, Germany and had won the Hessian Amateur Boxing Tournament held in Kasse, representing the Frankfurt Boxing Club. On July 29, 1951, he lost to Lothar Rau on points in the finals of the German amateur championships in Hamburg.
On August 27, 1951, Rosenberg lost to Norvel Lee by decision in a bout in Germany. Lee, who went on to win a gold medal at the 1952 Olympics in the light heavyweight division, fought and soundly defeated future heavyweight champion Ingemar Johannson four days after defeating Rosenberg. On October 17, Rosenberg defeated an Englishman named R. Miles in London, England. That same year, Rosenberg's father moved to Philadelphia. Abraham was stuck behind in Germany because of bureaucratic obstacles.
Rosenberg won the gold medal in the heavyweight division at the fourth Maccabiah Games in 1953. Because Germany did not field a team, Rosenberg represented France in the Games.
In 1955, he made it to the semifinals of the German amateur championships where he lost by way of third round TKO to former national champion, Horst Witterstein. By that point, Rosenberg had fought in 110 bouts and the loss to Witterstein was only the second time he had been stopped.
On January 16, 1956, Rosenberg made his professional debut. He fought in St. Nicolas Arena in New York, New York. Outweighed by 17.5 pounds, Rosenberg lost a six round decision to an experienced fighter with a losing record, George Washington. As of this writing, a ticket to the fight is being auctioned on ebay. Washington would later become a trainer and a couple of his notable charges include heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe and Olympic gold medalist and world champion Mark Brelan.
Rosenberg's next fight didn't come for another two years. Rosenberg, nicknamed Romme, dropped a four round decision to a winless fighter, Walter Hauff, in Berlin, Germany on February 28, 1958. He never fought professionally again
Not much is known of Rosenberg's life after boxing. A Shoah Foundation entry fits his description and asserts Abraham Rozenberg lived in Germany and gave an interview about his experiences in the war in 2000.
Bibliography
"Concentration Camp Graduate Reaches Boxing Semi-Finals." The Jewish Criterion. June 3, 1955.
"From My Diary." AJR Information. August, 1950. Page 6.
Shoah Foundation entry on Abraham Rozenberg. This entry fits what we know about Abraham Rosenberg from Sosnowiec, Poland from other sources. Rozenberg (from the entry) was born in 1928, date unknown. The Jewish Criterion article claims Rosenberg was 11 when he was first taken to a labor camp and since the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, the dates match. The interview was conducted in German in Germany, which fits because Rosenberg was in Germany well over a decade after the end of the Holocaust, unusual for most survivors. The entry seems to second The Jewish Criterion article that Rosenberg was interned in several labor and concentration camps, although the article says he escaped to Glasgow before the end of the war while the entry claims Rozenberg was in a displaced person camp after the war. An AJR article claims Rosenberg was shipped to Glasgow as a child before the war.
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