Ruby Goldstein
Ruby Goldstein | |
|---|---|
| Born | Reuven Goldstein October 10, 1907 |
| Died | April 22, 1984 (aged 76) Miami Beach, Florida, USA |
| Nationality |  American |
| Other names | The Jewel of the Ghetto |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | welterweight |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 60 |
| Wins | 54 |
| Wins by KO | 38 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Reuven "Ruby" Goldstein (October 10, 1907 – April 22, 1984), the "Jewel Of The Ghetto," was an American boxer and prize fight referee.
Early life and boxing career
Ruby Goldstein was born on Cherry Street, on the Lower East Side in Manhattan.[1] Before he became a referee, Goldstein boxed professionally from 1925 to 1937. Nicknamed the "Jewel Of The Ghetto," Goldstein was a smooth boxing, hard punching welterweight with a large following in his hometown of New York City.
Unfortunately, Goldstein could not take a punch well, and was stopped in the three major fights he fought against Jimmy McLarnin, Ace Hudkins, and fellow New Yorker Sid Terris.
The Terris fight was a much-hyped battle between the two rival Jewish New Yorkers. Each fighter had his legion of supporters, and their eagerly anticipated face-off produced a stirring 1-round fight. Goldstein seized the advantage when he floored Terris for a count of nine, and confidently seemed on his way to an easy victory. Terris, however, upon arising timed Goldstein's charge and caught him coming in with a powerful blow, knocking Goldstein out. Interestingly, Terris suffered from the same flaw as Goldstein (a glass jaw), and was himself KOed by McLarnin.
Referee career
Later, after his boxing career ended Goldstein became a popular referee, and he was the 'third man' in several high-profile fights.
For example, he refereed the Sugar Ray Robinson-Joey Maxim light heavyweight title fight on June 25, 1952. The bout was held outdoors at famed Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. Robinson, the reigning middleweight king, was seeking to wrest Maxim's light heavyweight crown. Temperature at ringside measured a blistering 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), and it was even hotter in the ring under the lights.
A preview of the fight's ending occurred when Goldstein collapsed from the heat after the 10th round, and could not finish refereeing the remainder of the match. Another referee, Ray Miller, was rushed into service so that the fight could be concluded. In the 13th round, Robinson began wavering, and staggered around the ring on unsteady, wobbly legs. Overcome by the heat, he could not answer the bell for the 14th round, resulting in a 14th round TKO for Maxim. Robinson, who was ahead in the scoring, was thus deprived of an opportunity to win a world title in a third division. When asked if Maxim got lucky when Robinson collapsed from the heat, his colorful manager, Jack "Doc" Kearns, replied: "It was just as hot for Maxim in there as it was for Robinson." Robinson commented: "I lasted longer than Goldstein, and nobody was hitting him."
Goldstein also refereed the first Floyd Patterson-Ingemar Johansson world heavyweight championship fight in Yankee Stadium on June 26, 1959. In the third round Johansson floored Patterson, who arose but appeared out on his feet. Goldstein was criticized for not immediately stopping the match and allowing Johansson to knock Patterson down six more times before ultimately awarding the bout to Johansson.
Goldstein served as a referee for 21 years, and was the "third man in the ring" for 39 world title fights.
The biggest controversy involving Goldstein as a referee occurred in on March 24, 1962 when he refereed the Benny "Kid" Paret-Emile Griffith world welterweight championship fight, which was televised live by American Broadcasting Company in Madison Square Garden. Paret was hung-up against the ropes in the 12th round when Griffith delivered a barrage of unanswered punches to the head of the seemingly helpless Paret as Goldstein looked on. When Goldstein finally did intervene, Paret slumped to the canvas, unconscious. He died 10 days later from the injuries he suffered in that bout. Goldstein refereed only one more fight, two years later. Some have said the reason Goldstein was ineffective in the fight was that he was recovering from a recent heart attack. Ironically, before the fatal bout, Goldstein had been regarded by many as the finest referee in boxing. His son Herb pointed out that he had often been criticized for stopping other fights too early.
In 1959, Funk & Wagnalls published his memoirs, titled Third Man In The Ring, as told to sports writer Frank Graham.
Personal life and death
Goldstein was married to Beatrice with whom he had a son, Herbert.[1] He died of cancer at his home in Miami Beach on April 22, 1984.[1] His wife and son survived him.
Halls of Fame
Goldstein was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.[2]
Goldstein was also inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Goldstein, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Rogers, Thomas (1984-04-24). "RUBY GOLDSTEIN, EX-FIGHTER AND CONTROVERSIAL REFEREE". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
- ^ [1] Template:Wayback
- ^ "International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". Jewishsports.net. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
External links
Boxing record for Ruby Goldstein from BoxRec (registration required)