Ben Jeby

Ben Jeby (born Benjamin Morris Jebaltowsky, in 1909), was an American world champion middleweight boxer from the Lower East Side of New York City. He was managed by the legendary Hymie Caplin.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

Ben Jeby
Statistics
Real nameBenjamin Morris Jebaltowsky
Weight(s)Middleweight
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Reach5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Nationality American
Born(1909-12-27)27 December 1909
Lower East Side, New York
Died5 October 1985(1985-10-05) (aged 75)
New York, New York
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights73
Wins54
Wins by KO22
Losses14
Draws4
No contests1

Early life and career

Jeby was born on December 27, 1909 near Clinton and Delancey Streets in New York's teaming Lower East side to Jewish parents.

He turned professional in 1927, at the age of 19.[4]

He defeated Joey LaGrey in an eight-round points decision on August 19, 1930 in at Queensboro Stadium in Long Island. Harry Ebbets fell to Jeby in a ten-round points decision at Madison Square Garden on November 14, 1930. There were no knockdowns in the bout.[8]

He drew in ten rounds with Dave Shade, the division's number one contender, on September 8, 1931 at Queensboro Stadium. In the close bout, Jeby had an edge in the third, fourth, and final three rounds.[9] The following month he lost to Shade in a twelve-round unanimous decision at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Jeby would become one of several Jewish title-holders of the time.[10][11][12][13] On March 20, 1931, weighing 157.5 pounds, he defeated Len Harvey on points over 12 rounds in a unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Jeby fought a rushing, mauling, body punching battle, at close range, for which Harvey had no answer. His attempts to clinch were inadequate to stop the onrush of Jeby.[14][15][16]

My Sullivan fell to Jeby from a technical knockout in the ninth at Chicago Stadium before a crowd of 11,000 on February 26, 1932. Sullivan had built a substantial lead in the early rounds, but Jeby got to him with both hands in the later rounds, finally leaving him helpless on the ropes in the ninth.[17]

He had a difficult loss to Frank Battaglia in a first-round knockout at Chicago Stadium on March 18, 1932. The knockout loss, which came 1:30 into the first round, discouraged Jeby, but ultimately did not affect his plans to pursue the World Middleweight title. The two would meet again.[5][4]

Chick Devlin fell soundly to Jeby in a fifteen-round points decision at New York's St. Nicholas Arena on November 21, 1932. The fifteen-round decision for Jeby upheld his contention hopes for the Middleweight title.[18]

NYSAC World Middle champion

From 1932-33, Jeby was the New York Boxing Commission Middleweight Champion of the World.[3][19][20] Jeby defeated Canadian Frankie Battaglia, viewed as one of the world's best middleweights, by TKO at Madison Square Garden in a title fight on January 13, 1933. In the twelfth round, referee Jack Britton stopped the fighting due to a cut on Battaglia's eye. The injury was caused by a left hook from Jeby in the third round. Battaglia was down for a count of nine in the second.[21][22][23]

He defeated Paul Pirrone on January 30, 1933 in a sixth-round technical knockout in Cleveland. The quarterfinal match was for the NYSAC's World Middleweight Tournament. A crowd of 8,400 saw Jeby drop Pirrone seven times before the bout was stopped in the sixth.[24]

Lou Brouillard circa 1935

Jeby fought Vince Dundee to a draw over 15 rounds, keeping his title, at Madison Square Garden on March 17, 1933.[25] The crowd of 11,000 felt strongly that Dundee had won the bout and reacted with derision to the draw ruling. Jeby, who had twice previously lost to Dundee, looked far worse than his opponent at the end of the bout.[26]

Young Terry fell to Jeby in an NYSAC Middleweight Title bout at Dreamland Park in New Jersey in a fifteen-round points decision on July 10, 1933. Terry mounted a bristling two-fisted attack in the final two rounds that had many in the crowd of 12,052 unhappy with the final decision for Jeby. Jeby won six, Terry five, and four were even.[27]

Loss of World middle title, August, 1933

On August 9, 1933, he was knocked out by Lou Brouillard in the seventh round of a scheduled 15-round title fight at the Polo Grounds, surrendering his NYSAC World Middleweight title.[28][29] Although only twenty-five at the time, Jeby's career began to falter after the loss of his title.[4]

On April 6, 1934, he lost to Teddy Yarosz in a twelve-round points decision in Pittsburgh. The bout was a title match for the Pennsylvania version of the World Middleweight Title. Yarosz's powerful right continually assaulted Jeby with devastating results, but Jeby managed to hold off a knockout. The Pittsburgh Press credited Yarosz with nine rounds, with only one to Jeby.[30]

In 73 bouts, he was 54-14 with 22 knockouts.[31]

Life after boxing

After he retired from the ring, Jeby obtained a plumber's license and worked in that field the rest of his life. He died on October 5, 1985 in New York, and was survived by wife Evelyn Siedman, a former chorus line dancer.[4][32]

Selected fights
2 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss
Result Opponent(s) Date Location Duration Notes
Win Frankie Battaglia 13 Jan 1933 Mad. Sq. Gard, NY 12 Round TKO Won NYSAC World middle title
Win Paul Pirrone 30 Jan 1933 Cleveland 6th Round TKO World middle tournament
*Draw* Vince Dundee 17 Mar 1933 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 15 Round Draw Kept World middle title
Loss Lou Brouillard 9 Aug 1933 Polo Grounds, NY 7 Round KO Lost NYSAC World middle title

See also

References
  1. Day by day in Jewish sports history. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. 2008. ISBN 9780881259698. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  2. When boxing was a Jewish sport. Praeger. 1997. ISBN 9780275953539. Retrieved January 21, 2011. jeby boxer.
  3. The Jewish boxers hall of fame. SP Books. 1988. ISBN 9780933503878. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  4. Silver, Mike, "Stars in the Ring", (2016), Roman and Littelfield, Guilford, Connecticut, pg. 176-7
  5. "Ben Jeby". BoxRec. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  6. "Ben Jeby Bio". BoxRec. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  7. "Ben Jeby". Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  8. "Lightweight Champ Crowned in Battle Only One Minute Old", Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania, pg. 18, 15 November 1930
  9. "Dave Shade Boxes Draw with Ben Jeby", The Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware, pg. 9, 9 September 1931
  10. Jews and American Popular Culture: Sports, leisure, and lifestyle. Praeger Publishers. 2007. ISBN 9780275987961. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  11. Tunney: Boxing's Brainiest Champ and His Upset of the Great Jack Dempsey. Random House. 2007. ISBN 9780307492166. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  12. Sports and the American Jew. Syracuse University Press. 1998. p. 73. ISBN 9780815627548. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  13. Pope, S. W (1997). The new American sport history: recent approaches and perspectives. ISBN 9780252065675. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  14. "Jeby Beats Harvey in 12-Round Bout", The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, New York, pg. 14, 21 March 1931
  15. "Jeby Beats Len Harvey at New York", The Meriden Daily Journal, March 21, 1931
  16. "Len Harvey Ready to Return Home", The Milwaukee Journal, March 21, 1931
  17. Dunkley, Charles, "Sullivan Stopped in Ninth of Semi-Windup by Jeby", Star Tribune, Minneapolis, Minnesota, pg. 22, 17 February 1932
  18. "Jeby Defeats Devlin in Fifteen Rounds", The Decatur Herald, Decatur, Illinois, pg. 16, 22 November 1932
  19. Newsweek. 1941. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  20. Nat Fleischer's All-time ring record. O'Brien suburban press. 1943. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  21. "Low Left Hook Started Ben Jeby", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 10, 14 January 1933
  22. Dictionary of Manitoba biography. Univ. of Manitoba Press. 1999. ISBN 9780887553189. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  23. "Jeby Kayoes Canuck Boxer", Youngstown Vindicator, January 14, 1933
  24. "Gorilla Jones Regains Title", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 22, 31 January 1933
  25. Baltimore's Boxing Legacy, 1893-2003. Arcadia Publishing. 2003. ISBN 9780738515618. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  26. "Fans Hoot As Jeby Draws", Middletown Times Herald, Middletown, New York, pg. 9, 18 March 1933
  27. "Champ Nearly Floors Opponent in Seventh", Ashbury Park Press, Ashbury Park, New Jersey, pg. 12, 11 July 1933
  28. "Larruping Lou Belts Out Jeby; Left to Chin Puts Jewish Boy Away for Evening", The Vancouver Sun, August 10, 1933
  29. An Illustrated History of Boxing. Citadel Press. 2002. ISBN 9780806522012. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  30. Biederman, Lester, "Yarosz's Right Hand Punch Too Much For Jeby", Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pg. 7, 7 April 1934
  31. The Big Book of Jewish Sports Heroes: An Illustrated Compendium of Sports History and The 150 Greatest Jewish Sports Stars. SP Books. 2007. ISBN 9781561719075. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  32. Reel, Bill, "Trouble in Brooklyn Comes in Twos", Daily News, New York City, pg. 36, 5 October 1982
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