Georgie Abrams
| Georgie Abrams | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Georgie Freedom Abrams |
| Rated at |
Welterweight Middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Born |
November 11, 1918 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Died | June 30, 1994 (aged 75) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 61 |
| Wins | 48 |
| Wins by KO | 9 |
| Losses | 10 |
| Draws | 3 |
| No contests | 0 |
Georgie Abrams (November 11, 1918 – June 30, 1994) was an American boxer who came very close to winning the World Middleweight Championship in November 1941 against Tony Zale and was a top contender for the title in the early 1940s. In his unique boxing career, he fought eight former or future world champions. He was managed by Bo Bregman, and Chris Dundee. Abrams was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.
Georgie Abrams was born the son of a shoemaker in Roanoke, Virginia on November 11, 1918. He was given the middle name "Freedom" for being born on Armistice Day. His family eventually moved to Washington, D.C., where he was raised and began his ring career. A gifted athlete and top student in high school, he had to forgo completing college due to the economic pressures of the Great Depression, even though he was offered partial athletic scholarships by two colleges, Notre Dame and Catholic University, in swimming and boxing. He briefly attended Tri-State College in Angola, Indiana, having to leave for financial reasons.
An outstanding amateur boxer, with a record of 62-3, he won the Washington, D.C. AAU Welterweight Title. Later, he took a Golden Gloves championship in Chicago in 1937 at 147 pounds.
Turning professional in 1937, Abrams won his first 17 fights. He earned a shot at middleweight champion Tony Zale by defeating such contenders as Billy Soose, Teddy Yarosz, and Lou Brouillard.
On June 6, 1936, Abrams defeated Teddy Yarosz in a ten-round split decision at the Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. In a July 5, 1938 rating of American middleweights, Yarosz was placed at tenth by the Cincinnati Enquirer. Yarosz had previously taken the NYSAC World Middleweight Championship in September 1934 against Vince Dundee in Pittsburgh.
On April 11, 1938, he defeated Jimmy Jones in an eight-round points decision at Turner's Arena in Washington, D.C. Abrams had previously lost to Jones on March 21 in a fifth-round knockout that ended when Jones landed a wild right to his jaw.
On June 29, 1938, he defeated Phil Furr at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. in a ten-round Unanimous Decision. Furr was rated the number six welterweight in the country in a standing released by the National Boxing Association (NBA) the following month. The fighting was fast, and Furr had Abrams down on the mat at one point in the match.
On April 28, 1939, Abrams defeated Harry Balsamo in the main event at New York's Hippodrome in an eight-round points decision. Abrams, who may have taken every round, was on the offensive throughout, never giving Balsamo a chance to lead with his strong right. Balsamo may have not yet been in top condition having had an appendectomy several months prior to the fight, though Abrams' win was decisive. Abrams was given seven of the eight rounds by most of the judges, and numerous facial cuts at the end, though Balsamo led 3 to 1 in the pre-fight betting.
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