Review of The Fighter of Auschwitz

The Fighter of Auschwitz: The incredible true story of Leen Sanders who boxed to help others survive
By Erik Brouwer
Cassell, 2023

Leen Sanders of Rotterdam, Netherlands was one of the best European boxers of the late 1920s and for much of the 1930s. He began as a featherweight and climbed through the lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight divisions. Known for his "double defense," Sanders was a short, stocky, and powerful man whose fighting style was- contrary to his stature- that of a technical boxer.

When the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, Leen's fortunes quickly took a terrible turn because of his Jewish heritage and his activities in the resistance. He and his family were eventually sent to Auschwitz, the most notorious of the Nazis' camps. Sanders's boxing prowess won him special treatment at the concentration camp. He used his relatively privileged status to help as many people as possible, but he couldn't save his family.

Erik Brouwer's The Fighter of Auschwitz is an incredibly written story. The descriptions and pacing before the war befit a classic novel. The author paints an amazingly vivid picture of the European boxing scene during the '20s and '30s. Because of Brouwer's considerable talent as a writer, the book would've been even better if Sanders's boxing matches had been detailed in depth. His engaging depiction of Leen's fight against Teddy Pietrzykowski for the all-weights championship of Auschwitz is an exception. Considering the situation, it's a remarkably extraordinary recounting.

Appropriately, the tone changes when the story reaches the Holocaust. Compared to many other books about the Shoah, The Fighter of Auschwitz is not quite as soul-crushingly sad. The privileges afforded to Sanders made his internment not as horrific as it could've been, and his selfless heroism while in the camp shows glimpses of human generosity in the face of utter cruelty. Brouwer also wisely pulls punches when it comes to the tragic ends of Leen's loved ones. In those instances, he foregoes unnecessary flourishes and thankfully avoids drawing out their deaths in an emotionally manipulative manner. The inmates' experiences in Auschwitz are detailed but not superfluously so.

A must-read for fans of Jewish boxing and for those learning about the Holocaust, The Fighter of Auschwitz should be read by everyone. In this moment of heightened anti-Semitism, this story has the potential to change minds for the better.

Other resources: The Jewish Boxing Blog's Holocaust Boxing page.

Mor Oknin Wins By Stoppage

Flyweight Mor "The Son of the Lion" Oknin won his third professional fight when his opponent quit after the second round at 3-33 Studio in Mexico City, Mexico tonight. "Ratoncito" Morales was a last-minute replacement.

Oknin- a flyweight from Netanya, Israel- climbed into the tiny ring as rain fell outside in Mexico City. The weigh-in for the event was on Saturday, but because Mor observes Shabbat, he weighed in this morning. Recovering quickly, he started the fight aggressively, but had issues with his timing and rhythm. He controlled center ring and worked behind the jab, gliding towards his opponent, but Morales ducked under Oknin's early power shots. "Ratoncito," however, hardly fired back and Oknin, who the announcer repeatedly called "Ortiz," carried the first round comfortably.

Morales actually threw punches in the second round, but they were merely meant to touch Oknin. They had no menace behind them. Oknin found the right uppercut early in the round. Morales landed a low blow late which sent Oknin to the canvas in obvious pain. After he arose, Mor kept throwing a combination featuring a right uppercut followed by a looping right to the body.

Oknin had won the first two rounds, but looked a little tired heading back to the corner. Perhaps the low blow had taken its toll or maybe the long trip from Israel to Mexico City or the same day weigh-in sapped his stamina. Just then, Ratoncito's corner pulled off his glove and cut his tape. Curiously, Morales had retired in the corner. A combination of taking the fight on short notice and Oknin's body shots may have been the culprit.

Oknin's record is 3-0 with 3 KOs although BoxRec will list his as 2-1 with one KO. It's a long story. Morales was probably a tougher opponent than the man he replaced, Pedro Rabio. Since Morales was such a late replacement, he is an unknown commodity; this article will be updated to include his record when it becomes known.

Josh Feldman May Make Debut in Mid-October

Junior middleweight Joshua Feldman might make his debut in mid-October according to his trainer Colin Nathan. Nathan told SA Boxing Talk, "We're planning on turning Josh pro... in mid-October."

Feldman, a teenager from Cape Town, South Africa, was originally scheduled to fight in June. Then a fight in July was ready to go, but Feldman reportedly suffered a nasty spider bite. He was going to make his debut in August, but the promoter, Boxing 5, had licensing issues. Nathan believes the boxing license for Boxing 5 will be sorted out by mid-October.

"Obviously, he's going to be a very big focus for us turning pro up here [in Johannesburg]," Nathan said of Feldman. "If he builds some momentum, why can't Boxing 5 come down to Cape Town and do a boxing event? We've spoken about it. We're about twelve months away as a company from doing shows in Cape Town."

Feldman is a talented southpaw who passed his boxing license test this past spring.