Benny Goldberg pugile

Benny Goldberg (25 December 1918 – 29 September 2001) was a Polish-born American bantamweight boxer and a top rated contender for the Bantamweight title for a five-year stretch in the 1940s. His professional boxing career spanned from 1937 to 1946. After his boxing career, he appeared in television and movies, worked as a ring announcer, and performed in clubs, often as a comedian, with the stage name Ben Bentley.Born in Warsaw, Poland, on December 25, 1918, Goldberg's parents brought him to America when he was two years old, and the family settled in Detroit. Benny studied the technique of the triple world champion Barney Ross, who excelled as a light and welterweight from 1933 to 1938, when Benny was in his teens. Goldberg's careful attention to the champion's style paid off over time.His use of a left-handed or Southpaw stance was a challenge to many of his competitors. As an amateur, he won the Detroit Golden Gloves Bantamweight Championship in 1935 and in 1936, and took the AAU Bantamweight Championship of Michigan from Olympic Gold Medalist and future Bantamweight World Champion Jackie Wilson.Goldberg did not turn pro until 1937, after completing an outstanding amateur record.Early in his career Goldberg convincingly beat George Annarino with a sixth-round knockout on May 2, 1939. Annarino was the previous holder of the 1930 Ohio State Bantamweight title. It was a victory that got the attention of his fans, though not surprising considering his successful amateur career.Goldberg defeated Johnny Marselline on June 2, 1941, flooring him for a six count in the third. Goldberg was often sloppy and shy in his ring generalship as evidenced in this match, and did not entirely impress the audience in this early stage of his career. Marselline was a talented featherweight who would amass an impressive record in his career.