Jack Silver (boxer)
| Jack Silver | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | John Silverstein |
| Nickname(s) | Long John Silver |
| Weight(s) |
Lightweight Welterweight |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
August 16, 1903 San Francisco, CA |
| Died | July 26, 1994 (aged 90) California |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 112 |
| Wins | 57 |
| Wins by KO | 6 |
| Losses | 22 |
| Draws | 32 |
| No contests | 1 |
Jack Silver (August 16, 1903 – July 26, 1994) was a Navy Pacific Fleet Champion around 1921, a Pacific Coast Lightweight boxing Champion in 1924 and a contender for the Pacific Coast Welterweight Championship in 1926.
In 1925, he was the World's third ranked lightweight. He was reputed by one source to have fought 237 bouts with 200 wins. In his career he fought champions Mushy Callahan, Young Corbett III, Jackie Fields, and Young Jack Thompson. He defeated Callahan in a stunning upset on July 5, 1926 just months before Callahan would take the World Light Welterweight Championship. After his retirement from professional boxing, he was a California boxing referee and judge for over twenty years.
Silver was born one of eight children, on August 16, 1904 in the rough Portola district of San Francisco, California. His father, originally from Vienna, was a tailor for ladies garments. His brother Joey Silver (Not to be confused with Brooklyn boxer Joey Silvers) become a Welterweight boxer. Like many boxers of his era, Jack grew up selling newspapers to earn extra money for his family. He entered the Navy around 1921, at the age of eighteen, where he gained many of his boxing skills during his two-year stint. By the time of his discharge he had earned the title of Pacific Fleet Champion. While in the Navy on June 13, 1922, he fought aboard the USS California (BB-44), flagship of the Pacific fleet, and a vessel known for hosting top boxing and athletic competitions.
On August 17, 1923, he took the City of San Francisco Lightweight title from Bobby Allen in four rounds at the large Dreamland Rink where he was to fight regularly. Silver was a studied boxer who was solid in the fundamentals. He had an accurate and lightning fast left jab, and an efficient right which could knock an opponent on the mat, but rarely knock one out. He used his long reach to his advantage and was more a studied scientific boxer than a power hitter. His long slim build was rather unusual for a championship boxer.
From 1922–23, Silver fought at the Dreamland Rink in San Francisco for 52 consecutive weeks as a headliner. In early 1924, according to boxing writer Ken Blady, Silver defeated Lou Paluso of Salt Lake city for the Pacific Coast Lightweight Title. He fought Paluso again for the title on March 29, 1926 in a twelve-round draw match in Salt Lake City. According to the Deseret News, "the local pride (Paluso) was superior at infighting, while the coast ace (Silver) had an advantage with his long reach and was at his best on long distance slugging."
Defending his Pacific Coast Lightweight Title on February 23, 1925, he fought Joe Benjamin at Recreation Park in San Francisco. The fight attracted 20,000 spectators, and was at the time the largest attendance for a lightweight bout in California history. Silver was down in the third round for a count of five, and Benjamin ultimately won the controversial ten-round decision. This fight was significantly an elimination bout for the World Lightweight Title.
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