Boxing’s Greats of the States | Illinois: Barney Ross

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it. For example, all-time great heavyweight legend Joe Louis was born in Alabama, but he is identified almost universally with Detroit.

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The state of Illinois -- the great city of Chicago, in particular -- has produced a staggering number of all-time boxers, its history in the Sweet Science on par with any other part of the United States, especially during the Golden Era of the sport. However, when it comes to singling out one fighter from the “Land of Lincoln,” no one touches Barney Ross, one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers the sport has ever seen.

Born Dov-Ber David Rosofsky in New York in 1909, Ross was the son of Jewish immigrants who fled Belarus during a pogrom. The family eventually moved to Chicago’s famed Maxwell Street neighborhood. From there, Ross found his niche in boxing, became a Golden Gloves champion and won world titles in three weight divisions -- the first man to do so. Ross captured the lightweight and junior welterweight championships by toppling fellow future hall of famer Tony Canzenori. He then moved up to 147 pounds and conquered another future hall of famer in Jimmy McClarnin, taking his title in the process. He later surrendered his welterweight crown to all-time great Henry Armstrong, losing a decision in 1938 in what turned out to be his final appearance.

After retiring in his early 30s, Ross enlisted in the Marines to fight the Nazis in World War II. While the military wanted him to remain stateside like other greats of the time, he refused and instead marched into battle. He was awarded the Silver Star, the military’s third-highest honor.

Ross finished with a 72-4-3 record and 22 KOs; he was never knocked out. Ross was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997, 40 years after succumbing to throat cancer.

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