Harry Wallach: Conqueror of Jackie Fields

Dominant amateur Harry Wallach made the 1924 U.S. Olympic team as a featherweight, but never got the chance to compete in Paris. After the disappointment of the Games, Wallach turned pro and stitched together a noteworthy nine-year career as a contender.

Harry Wallach was born on March 20, 1907 in Brooklyn, New York. Or maybe he was born on May 17 that year, as his 1924 immigration form states. Either way, he lived on 462 Bradford Street in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. Harry was introduced to boxing by his uncle Dr. Louis Wallach, a well-known dentist. Uncle Louis was well-known because he was also a future Hall of Fame boxer who fought from 1905-1921. Nicknamed "The Fighting Dentist" and using the pseudonym Leach Cross, he was idolized by the Jewish boys of New York, including the great Benny Leonard.

Leach's nephew Harry trained in a local gym in East New York. Beecher's Gymnasium was run by a fellow Jew, ex-boxer Willie Beecher, whose brother Charlie joined him in running the enterprise. Wallach first appeared in the newspapers early in 1923 when he won an amateur tournament at 118 pounds. Amateur opponents couldn't deal with the power-punching southpaw. Wallach later swept through the competition at Madison Square Garden to win the New York state featherweight title.

Harry was so dominant as an amateur, he not only beat all of his opponents, he also knocked out most of them. Only the flu could stop Wallach, who doctors deemed medically unable to fight in a local qualifier to make the Olympic trials in 1924. Because of his impressive amateur record, he was given an opportunity to fight in the national championships in Boston two weeks later in late May.

Wallach made it to the semifinals of the featherweight tournament when he faced the hottest rising star in amateur boxing: Jackie Fields. Wallach posed two problems for young Fields: Fields had re-broken his right hand and Wallach was a southpaw. "I never fought a southpaw before," Fields recalled. "He walked out and I said, 'Hey, turn around. You're fighting wrong.'"

Wallach beat Fields by decision and went on to face Fields's best friend, Joe Salas, in the finals. Harry came up short, but in 1924 countries were allowed to send two boxers in each weight class. As a runner-up at nationals, which also served as the Olympic trials, Wallach was all but assured of a spot on the Olympic team.

The coach of the U.S. boxing team, Spike Webb, made the strange decision to take four featherweights aboard the USS America, bound for Paris, France. Wallach, Fields, Salas, and Patsy Ruffalo set sail on June 16, 1924. On the ship. Fields beat Ruffalo, who would experience internal injuries and was rushed to a French hospital upon arrival in Europe. That left three featherweights: two competitors and one alternate. Joe Salas had won the national title, so he made the team. It seemed as if Wallach would be the second featherweight entry and Fields the alternate.

Once in Paris, the U.S. team trained at Raquencourt. Fields remembered, "I fooled around, not training diligently, because I didn’t think I was going to fight." Assistant coach Al Lacey alerted Fields that Webb was going to pit Fields and Wallach against each other for the right to make the team. Salas helped Fields with how to fight a lefty. After their sparring, Webb picked Fields. Wallach, 17 years old at the time, must have been crushed.

Fields went on to beat Salas in the Olympic final, the youngest boxer ever to win gold. He received glory and fame; Wallach, who had beaten Fields two months earlier at the trials, could only watch. He never got the chance to fight at the Olympics, though he did battle in an exhibition in Paris. The papers would later report he didn't fight because he came down with an illness as a way so he could save face.  Wallach arrived back home with the rest of the team on August 6, 1924 via the USS America.

Harry turned pro on September 10 against Arnold Ryan. Wallach looped a left in the second round to score a knockdown and carried the fight the rest of the six rounds. He then fought seven times in two months beginning on November 3. His only loss in the stretch came to the experienced Sid Rabin. Wallach then won ten fights in a row over the next six months.

Frank Churchill managed Wallach. Churchill conjured up a headshot of his charge with the title "conqueror of Jackie Fields" written on top. Churchill was an associate of feared mobster Owney Madden, a major bootlegger. Churchill and Madden collaborated to guide the farcical career of future heavyweight champion Primo Carnera.

In the summer of 1925, Churchill took Wallach on a west coach swing. He was in tough against Billy Wallace and Tod Morgan, Wallach's two losses on the trip. Churchill tried to arrange a blockbuster rematch against Fields, but the Olympic gold medalist was a sought-after man. It would've been a natural fight for Wallach, but not so much for Fields, who was chasing a popular young fighter named Jimmy McLarnin. Fields would go on to win the welterweight world championship twice and become a Hall of Famer.

Though Churchill was undoubtedly tied to gangsters, it didn't necessarily mean Wallach's fights were fixed. Boxers needed deep-pocketed backers, and gangsters were obvious choices. Welterweight contender Ruby Goldstein explained that all top boxers had mob sponsors in those days.

Wallach worked his way to Madison Square Garden during the summer of 1926. He fought there twice and both resulted in disappointing knockout losses. Against Harry Cook, Wallach put on a clinic before a thumb caught his eye and forced him to pull out in the seventh. Hilario Martinez blasted the New York southpaw out of the Garden for good in the second round of their September 30 fight. Harry lingered at lightweight for a few more fights before he moved up to 140 pounds by 1927.

The Ring rated Wallach as the eighth best junior welterweight in its 1929 February edition, but Harry couldn't quite get past the other top contenders. Bruce Flowers, Tommy Cello, Andy DiVodi, and Baby Joe Gans all bested him in the late 1920s. In 1928, he stopped Joey Silvers in the seventh round in a rematch. The two had faced off four years earlier, not in the ring but on the billiards table.

As a welterweight, Wallach dropped two decisions to Manuel Quintero in 1930. Harry won his share of fights, but not against top opponents. He moved up to middleweight by 1932 and was stopped by former welterweight world champion Tommy Freeman. Wallach retired from the ring in 1933. BoxRec lists his record as 55-21-4, including newspaper decisions. Though he was a puncher as an amateur, his power didn't transfer to the pro game. He stopped 13 foes and was halted six times. His southpaw stance, often treated like a case of the Spanish flu during his career, and his inability to get a signature win in the pro game, prevented his prizefighting career from reaching the heights that would've avenged his Olympic snub.

Wallach lived until the age of 62, passing away on January 30, 1970 in Los Angeles. In the last decades of his life, he was remembered as the conqueror of Jackie Fields, slighted from competing at the Olympics.

Sources
Acevedo, Carlos. "The Duke of the West Side: Owney 'Killer' Madden." Hannibal. 2019.

"Baker Stops Ryder; Wallach Wins Award Over Ryan." The Brooklyn Standard Union. Sep. 11, 1924. Pg. 14.

"Harry Wallach in Pro Debut at the Ridgewood." The Brooklyn Citizen. October 26, 1924. Pg. 16.

"Harry Wallach Picked to Win Olympic Title." Brooklyn Eagle. Jul. 10, 1924. Pg. 24.

Heller, Peter. "...In This Corner." 1994.

The Ring. February 1929.

"Wallach and Silvers in Billiards Match." The Brooklyn Standard Union. Oct. 3, 1924. Pg. 17.

"Wallach, Stopped by a Thumb, Will Return to Ring Soon." Brooklyn Eagle. Aug/ 1, 1926. Pg. 38.

Yan Zak to Face Bakhromjon Fozilov on Friday

Cruiserweight prospect Yan Zak is scheduled to fight veteran Bakhromjon Fozilov on Friday in Tbilisi, Georgia. Fozilov represents a step up for the 25 year old Terminator from Ashdod, Israel.

Zak was originally scheduled to fight Stephen Nyamhanga in Dubai on the 13th, but Zak's team wanted to face a tougher opponent and give his injured hand some more time to recover. Zak has been blasting through experienced journeymen and the crude Nyamhanga likely wouldn't have posed much of a challenge.

Next up was Reinis Porozovs, an uber-experienced fighter from Latvia. The 35 year old has 43 professional boxing bouts under his belt, but is even more decorated as a kickboxer. Porozovs came down with an injury a couple of weeks ago leaving Artur Zlatopolsky and the Mireli Pro Boxing team a date this Friday in Georgia with no opponent. They finally found a tougher opponent than Zak has faced as a pro.

Fozilov is a 28 year old from Fergan, Uzbekistan. A decorated amateur, his pro career got off to a slow start during covid. He began his career 0-1-2 although his loss in his debut to Ivan Erkov was a bit unfair. Nicknamed B.F., Fozilov then stopped two lesser opponents: Carlos Takam and Nozimjon Tojiboev.

B.F. completely dominated Alan Dzhanaev, scoring two knockdowns, but Dzhanaev begged off with a cut early enough that the fight was ruled a technical draw. Fozilov entered the rematch with an uninspiring record of 2-1-3. A short right hook starched Dzhanaev in the first round. That dramatic KO started a streak of six stoppage victories for the southpaw Uzbek. He went the distance against Diego Ramirez in a battle of wide-punching lefties. But Fozilov has lost his last three fights.

Bakhromjon often had a height advantage at super middleweight, but he'll be the shorter man in this contest. He prefers to fight at distance, though he can take control of center ring and push forward against lesser competition. Against Vadim Tukov, Fozilov was the ring general for the first few rounds, but was then thoroughly outboxed down the stretch. Fozilov became so frustrated at Tukov's crafty movement that he ran after his Russian opponent and threw an illegal rabbit punch in the ninth round.

Pavel Sosulin struggled early in his fight against B.F. as well. He threw straight shots and stayed on the line while Fozilov found angles to work. Fozilov threw a nice straight left, a looping left, and a clubbing right. But Sosulin quickly broke down Fozilov with repeated left hooks to the body and forced Bakhromjon to quit after the fourth round for the only time in his career.

Fozilov is dangerous early in contests. He's a big puncher and has an awkward southpaw style. He's a master of distance. But he hasn't shown the ability to adjust later in fights. He doesn't jab much or work the body too often. Fozilov can be worn down and can be outboxed. Zak should be cautious early and then walk down the naturally smaller man.

Zak-Fozilov is scheduled for six rounds.

Brooklyn Barwick's Fourth KO

Brooklyn Barwick defeated Yulis Monterroza in Medellin, Colombia when Monterroza's corner unwrapped the tape from her gloves following the first round. This fight took place on the heels of Barwick's third fight, a first round stoppage of Mayerlis Romero.

Barwick, a 25 year old based in New York, boxed more than she had in previous fights. She landed good right hands in exchanges and went to the body effectively.

The Big Deal began the fight in her usual aggressive manner, but quickly backed off and followed a shrewd game plan. She showed the jab to induce a counter and then landed with a pinpoint straight right counter of her own. Romero was no pushover and exchanged with Brooklyn while the two fighters were in close. Those exchanges in tight quarters favored the shorter Barwick.

Barwick's improvement is noticeable, but there are times when she lunges with her punches. Romero landed a right uppercut as Barwick pressed forward with her head in front of her lead foot. The Colombian finally began to use her height advantage and connected with lead rights from the outside. But her hair came undone and the action was stopped.

After Romero's hair was taped up, Barwick dominated the closing seconds of the three-minute first round with short rights.

Both fighters sat in their respective corners for the rest period. Jimmy Sosa instructed Barwick as fellow boxer Nisa Rodriguez assisted. Towards the end of the minute, a man just outside of Romero's corner motioned to the fighter and her trainer to pull the plug on the fight. The trainer began unwrapping Romero's gloves, and Barwick was awarded the victory somewhat anticlimactically.

Barwick, who is converting to Orthodox Judaism, is now 4-0 with 4 KOs. She is scheduled to fight again on October 4. Monterroza is now a hard luck 0-5.