Solly Krieger Explained

Solly Krieger
Realname:Solly Krieger
Nickname:Danny Auerback,
Brooklyn Bomber
Weight:
Height:5feet
Reach:680NaN0
Nationality:American
Birth Date:March 28, 1909
Death Place:Las Vegas, Nevada
Style:Orthodox
Total:113
Wins:82
Ko:54
Losses:25
Draws:6

Solly Krieger (March 28, 1909 – September 24, 1964) was an American middleweight boxer who fought from 1928 to 1941.[1] He held the NBA World Middleweight Championship in 1938–39. Krieger, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

Early life

Krieger was born on March 28, 1909, in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. He attended Eastern District High School, and was active in baseball, football, basketball, and soccer, but preferred boxing to his other sports. His father, who was born in Poland and was initially a tailor, was religiously observant, and had strong opposition to his son Solly's youthful desire to pursue boxing as a career.[2]

Krieger was a Golden Gloves champion in his amateur career. In 1928, turning professional, he was mentored by the legendary Hymie Caplan, who had also coached Syd Terris, Ruby Goldstein, and Al Singer.[2]

Early boxing career

Between 1928 and 1931, he won eighteen four to six round bouts in clubs, with an impressive nine by knockout. He lost only twice to Jose Rodriguez on August 15, 1929, and Joey LeGrey, on May 26, 1930.[3]

Very early in his career he was known as a cautious boxer with strong defensive skills. After surgery for an injured left elbow, the result of a handball accident, he lost his ability to jab with his left hand, and found the need to develop more powerful blows. As a result, he became a more free wheeling heavy hitter with a very strong left hook. As he was relatively short armed but powerful for a middleweight, he preferred to box on the inside and from clinches where his reach was not a disadvantage.[2]

In June 1931, after Mickey Walker relinquished the title, there was no universally recognized World Champion to fill his shoes.[2]

On October 16, 1931, Krieger was knocked out for the first time in his career by future 1933 Middleweight Champion Vince Dundee in Madison Square Garden in eight of ten rounds.[3]

In 1934, having problems with his arm, he fought only twice. The surgery he had to correct the problem removed calcium deposits, but left him with a left arm slightly shorter than his right. He adopted a style that allowed him to have his best years in 1935–36 winning with great frequency and utilizing his strength, counterpunching, and defensive skills. On October 22, 1936, he won an exciting twelve-round match against Oscar Rankins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Describing how he could appear to be taking a beating in a fight like the one with Rankins, while actually avoiding or blocking most of the blows coming his way, he once said, "I started walking in on my opponents but I countered. People used to think I was taking a beating, but I could weave while standing still...I'd walk in and look like I was a punching bag half the time, but I'd never get hit. That operation (on left arm) was the turning point of my life."[2] The Pittsburgh Press noted how Krieger appeared to be taking serious punishment in the Rankin fight, but came back stronger. It wrote "From a mile behind to a mile in front came Krieger after the Coast colored boy (Rankin) tired, principally from rocking right hands off Solly's chin and sinking both hands deep in his body. And when he came there was no stopping. Unmarked, despite being a perfect target in the early rounds..."[4] Many newspapers considered the fight one of the greatest middleweight bouts of all time.[2] [3]

Mid boxing career

In 1937, the New York State Athletic Commission named Frank Apolstoli and Solly Krieger number one, and number two respectively in their divisions.[2] [5] To determine which boxer would reign as the number one middleweight, Krieger and Apostoli fought on April 4, 1937, at the Hippodrome in New York. Suffering from a deep cut in his lower lip, Krieger had to discontinue the fight, resulting in a TKO in the fifth round. Doctor William Walker made the determination to end the bout at the end of the fifth but had considered ending the fight in the prior round.[6] Krieger had previously lost to Apostoli on February 17, 1937, on points in an exciting ten round bout at the Hippodrome. Both bouts were a setback for Krieger, but not an end to his quest for the title.[2]

Krieger had three important bouts with Billy Conn, who would take the Light Heavyweight Championship after their last bout. In their first bout on December 16, 1937, he won decisively by unanimous decision in Pittsburgh in twelve rounds. Billy Conn later said of the bout, "This guy Krieger was the toughest...I ever fought. I ached for a week after my first fight with him. He could lick anything around now."[2] In their second bout on November 28, 1938, again in Duquesne Gardens, in Pittsburgh, Krieger lost by unanimous decision in twelve rounds.

In 1938, Krieger won five straight knockouts, starting with George Black, and Al Diamond in one round, Johnny Rossi in four, and then Stanley Hasrato in seven. In his knockout against Izzy Jannazzo, on April 6, 1938, at the Hippodrome, Krieger effectively used strong body blows to win the fight, but did not gain the eleventh-round TKO until his "wild punches" began to land. Janazzo had neither the reach nor the skills of Conn or Hostak who were both over four inches taller than Solly. In his May 20, 1938, loss to Glen Lee at Madison Square Garden, Krieger lost all but one round in the opinion of the Milwaukee Journal, despite a recent layoff by Lee. Krieger's loss to a boxer who had no advantage in reach did not bode well for his upcoming fight with the more skilled and slightly taller Freddie Steele. The Journal also noted that Lee was able to send hooks to Krieger throughout the bout, indicating that Solly was having trouble defending during infighting.[7]

Krieger had a setback against ranked opponent and reigning NBA World Middleweight Title holder Freddie Steele, on June 14, 1938, in a ten-round loss by unanimous decision in Seattle, Washington. Continuing to fight in California, he came back with impressive wins against Swede Bergland, Ace of Spades, and Dale Spar, gaining the positive press he needed to push a title match.[2] [3]

Winning the World Middleweight Championship

Before meeting Krieger in their first title fight, Al Hostak knocked out 17 straight opponents. Hostak's mastery of boxing and powerful punching capability was clearly evident. Nonetheless, on November 1, 1938, at Civic Stadium in Seattle, Washington, Krieger won the National Boxing Association World Middleweight Championship in a 15-round majority decision over the reigning champion. The fighting was fierce on both sides but the crowd of 9,000 were surprised to see Krieger gaining the victory. The Spokesman wrote Krieger raised big red welts on Hostak's left side from terrific right hooks," and that "Several times Hostak tried to use his left, then winced and reeled, apparently because of paralysis of the left side." The Spokesman also noted that Hostak was the favorite in the pre-fight betting. It wrote, "Krieger, a rough, tough, infighter at his best against hard punchers, took the offensive almost from the start, and from the sixth round it was apparent the Seattle Slav (Hostak) was in for a busy evening."[8] After the fight, Hostak was sent to a local emergency room to be treated for his paralysis. According to the Southeast Missourian, Hostak was "temporarily blinded" from swelling caused by Krieger's repeated blows to his face and eyes.[9] [10] [11]

After his win over Hostak, Krieger's coach Hymie Caplan made an understandable decision to forgo any challenger a title shot for a six-month period. Krieger fought over the 160 pound middleweight limit for nearly all of this period, and had a difficult time getting back down to 160 for the Hostak rematch. He still fought regularly after he captured the title from Hostak, facing Billy Conn twice in tough losses, as well as Carmen Bath, Red Farmer, Marty Simmons, Ben Brown, and Alan Matthews. In the Matthews bout on April 5, 1939, Krieger effectively used infighting, with close body blows and hooks to defeat an opponent who was less a threat than Hostak or Steele. According to the Spokesman Review, both the knockdowns he obtained in the bout with Matthews were from hooks which required him to get in fairly close to his opponent.[12] Notably, Matthews had only a two-inch height advantage over Krieger. Inside blows would be more difficult to execute with an opponent having greater defensive skills and a longer reach.[3] [13]

Harsh loss to Billy Conn before title rematch

In his final fight with Billy Conn on May 12, 1939, Krieger lost again in twelve rounds by unanimous decision in front of a sizable audience in Madison Square Garden. Though outweighing Krieger by only four pounds in the bout, Conn was significantly nine years younger and five inches taller, giving him an important advantage in reach, and probably in endurance as well. As evidence of Conn's superior strength and conditioning, he would take the Light Heavyweight Title on July 13, 1939, only two months after his bout with Krieger. The Milwaukee Journal noted that Krieger was unable to fight effectively inside, possibly due to his shorter reach. The Journal wrote "Conn handled his rival as though he were little more than an animated punching bag for 11 of the 12 rounds. Using a left hand to the face which rarely missed its mark, Conn dominated the proceedings almost completely at long range." It also noted that even in the eleventh when Krieger was able to connect with shots to the midsection, "Conn kept out of range and came up for the twelfth...as fresh as when he started."[14] In a recap of the fight, the Luddington Daily News, wrote "Solly tried so hard it almost hurt to watch him. He lunged at his nimble rival round after round, swinging for dear life, but all he got for his most heroic efforts was a painful beating..."[15]

Any injuries sustained in this loss may have given Krieger a disadvantage in the title fight he lost to Hostak only a month and a half later. In fact, the Milwaukee Journal, writing in anticipation of Krieger's rematch with Hostak, noted "The champion (Krieger) was on the short end of 10 to 7 odds," and noted that "the beating Krieger took awhile back from Billy Conn didn't do him any good."[16] One source gave nine rounds to Conn in the fight, and noted "There wasn't a knockdown, though it was strange that Solly kept his feet under the barrage of left-rights that poured into his granite jaw in the late rounds."[17] After taking what might have been one of the most brutal losses of his career, Krieger gained nearly twelve pounds in the six weeks before his title fight.

Losing the Middleweight Championship

In a rematch in Civic Stadium in Seattle, Hostak regained the championship on June 27, 1939, in front of a larger hometown crowd estimated at over 15,000.[11] Kreiger struggled to make weight for the bout. By the account of The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Krieger was a mere shadow of the fighter who had won the title. Hostak easily won, knocking Krieger down twice in the third and again twice in the fourth round. Krieger was down for counts of seven and nine in the third, and for another count of nine in the fourth. He rose only briefly after the count to be knocked down again by a flurry of blows from Hostak. The referee, heavyweight champion James Braddock, did not perform a count, but ended the fight after the second knockdown, forty-six seconds into the fourth round.[18] It was Krieger's first title fight after beating Hostak seven months earlier. The Milwaukee Journal wrote that in the fourth round, "Krieger, his eyes glazed and staring, slumped to the canvas in midring and sat there in a stupor for several seconds before his handlers trundled him to his corner." After the defeat, Krieger attributed his loss to the difficult task he had losing twenty pounds in a month to make weight, and the terrific right hand of Hostak.[2] [19]

Boxing in the heavyweight division

After his loss of the title, Kreiger moved up to Light Heavyweight. He fought thirteen fights in the heavyweight division gaining victories in 1940 against Texas Joe Dundee, Mario Liani, Herbi Katz, Jarl Johnson, and Wally Sears. He fought his last fight as a Heavyweight, against Lee Savold, a serious world heavyweight contender, in July 1941, his fifth loss in his final six fights.

Personal life

Krieger was married to Sally Keisler, and had two children, Lawrence and Karen.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
113Loss82–25–6Lee SavoldPTS10Jul 22, 1941
112Loss82–24–6Booker BeckwithUD10May 28, 1941
111Win82–23–6Dan GillTKO6 (10)May 13, 1941
110Loss81–23–6Pat ValentinoPTS10Mar 10, 1941
109Loss81–22–6Melio BettinaUD10Dec 17, 1940
108Loss81–21–6Tommy TuckerPTS8Nov 1, 1940
107Win81–20–6Wally SearsTKO3 (10)Aug 12, 1940
106Win80–20–6Jarl JohnsenKO4 (8), Jul 18, 1940
105Win79–20–6Al McCoyPTS10Jul 1, 1940
104Loss78–20–6Jimmy ReevesPTS10May 16, 1940
103Win78–19–6Herbie KatzKO4 (8), Apr 23, 1940
102Win77–19–6Mario LianiKO5 (8)Feb 17, 1940
101Win76–19–6Texas Joe DundeeTKO3 (8)Feb 3, 1940
100Loss75–19–6Al HostakTKO4 (15), Jun 27, 1939
99Loss75–18–6Billy ConnUD12May 12, 1939
98Win75–17–6Allen MatthewsPTS10Apr 5, 1939
97Win74–17–6Ben BrownTKO9 (10)Feb 23, 1939
96Draw73–17–6Marty SimmonsPTS10Jan 2, 1939
95Win73–17–5Red FarmerTKO8 (10)Dec 16, 1938
94Win72–17–5Carmen BarthPTS10Dec 5, 1938
93Loss71–17–5Billy ConnUD12Nov 28, 1938
92Win71–16–5Al HostakMD15Nov 1, 1938
91Win70–16–5Dale SparrRTD6 (10)Aug 10, 1938
90Win69–16–5Ace of SpadesTKO4 (10)Aug 10, 1938
89Win68–16–5Swede BerglundTKO6 (10), Jul 15, 1938
88Loss67–16–5Freddie SteeleUD10Jun 14, 1938
87Loss67–15–5Glen LeeUD10May 20, 1938
86Win67–14–5Izzy JannazzoTKO11 (12), Apr 6, 1938
85Win66–14–5Stanley HasratoKO7 (8), Mar 8, 1938
84Win65–14–5Johnny RossiKO4 (10), Feb 9, 1938
83Win64–14–5Al DiamondKO1 (10), Jan 25, 1938
82Win63–14–5George BlackTKO3 (10)Jan 1, 1938
81Win62–14–5Billy ConnUD12Dec 16, 1937
80Win61–14–5Frank BattagliaPTS10Nov 17, 1937
79Win60–14–5Eddie MaguireTKO7 (12), Oct 26, 1937
78Loss59–14–5Walter WoodsPTS10Oct 1, 1937
77Win59–13–5Walter WoodsKO8 (10)Aug 12, 1937
76Win58–13–5Joe DucaTKO6 (10)Aug 3, 1937
75Loss57–13–5Fred ApostoliTKO5 (12)Apr 14, 1937
74Win57–12–5Eddie MaguireTKO4 (10)Mar 30, 1937
73Loss56–12–5Oscar RankinsSD10Mar 18, 1937
72Loss56–11–5Fred ApostoliUD10Feb 17, 1937
71Win56–10–5Bob TurnerTKO7 (10)Feb 2, 1937
70Loss55–10–5Teddy YaroszUD10Jan 13, 1937
69Win55–9–5Harry BalsamoTKO7 (10), Dec 16, 1936
68Win54–9–5Roscoe ManningUD10Nov 17, 1936
67Win53–9–5Oscar RankinsPTS12Oct 22, 1936
66Win52–9–5John AnderssonUD10Oct 6, 1936
65Win51–9–5Frank BattagliaPTS10Sep 21, 1936
64Win50–9–5Ralph ChongKO7 (8), Sep 8, 1936
63Win49–9–5Johnny RossiTKO5 (10)Jun 22, 1936
62Win48–9–5Joey SpeigalTKO7 (10)Jun 15, 1936
61Loss47–9–5Al QuaillPTS10May 25, 1936
60Win47–8–5Anson GreenTKO8 (10)Apr 27, 1936
59Win46–8–5Jose PimentalTKO4 (8), Apr 21, 1936
58Draw45–8–5Roscoe ManningPTS10Mar 30, 1936
57Win45–8–4Young TerryTKO7 (10)Mar 9, 1936
56Win44–8–4Mickey BottoneKO1 (10), Mar 3, 1936
55Loss43–8–4Oscar RankinsPTS8Jan 17, 1936
54Win43–7–4Jackie AldareTKO7 (10), Jan 7, 1936
53Win42–7–4Jack EnnisTKO1 (8), Dec 20, 1935
52Win41–7–4Tom ChesterTKO6 (10)Nov 19, 1935
51Loss40–7–4Young TerryPTS10Oct 21, 1935
40Win40–6–4Charley WeiseTKO6 (8)Oct 8, 1935
49Win39–6–4Ray MillerTKO6 (10)Sep 30, 1935
48Win38–6–4Tony FisherPTS10Aug 12, 1935
47Win37–6–4Al RossiKO4 (8)Jul 24, 1935
46Win36–6–4Eddie WhalenKO1 (10)Jul 4, 1935
45Win35–6–4Tony CelliTKO2 (10), Jun 20, 1935
44Win34–6–4Ray AcostaTKO3 (6), Dec 14, 1934
43Loss33–6–4Swede BerglundPTS10May 18, 1934
42Draw33–5–4Vincent SireciPTS6Dec 21, 1933
41Win33–5–3Frank FullamPTS6Nov 24, 1933
40Win32–5–3Eddie WhalenTKO2 (8), Oct 26, 1933
39Win31–5–3Al DiamondPTS10Aug 7, 1933
38Loss30–5–3Al RossiPTS10Jun 13, 1933
37Loss30–4–3Jackie AldarePTS6Apr 22, 1933
36Win30–3–3Pete SuskyPTS10Apr 17, 1933
35Win29–3–3Jay MacedonTKO7 (10)Apr 3, 1933
34Win28–3–3Connie JosenioKO2 (5), Mar 17, 1933
33Win27–3–3Larry MarinucciPTS6Mar 4, 1933
32Win26–3–3Jimmy EvansPTS10Dec 30, 1932
31Win25–3–3Ray AcostaKO1 (4)Dec 6, 1932
30Win24–3–3Red GrigryPTS4Nov 22, 1932
29Win23–3–3Walter BraunKO3 (8)Jul 28, 1932
28Win22–3–3George CherubiniTKO2 (8)Jul 7, 1932
27Loss21–3–3Vince DundeeTKO8 (10), Oct 16, 1931
26Draw21–2–3My SullivanPTS10Sep 17, 1931
25Win21–2–2Hans MüllerPTS8Aug 27, 1931
24Win20–2–2Larry MarinucciPTS6Aug 7, 1931
23Win19–2–2Joey LaGreyPTS8Jul 13, 1931
22Win18–2–2Mickey MarinoPTS8Jun 24, 1931
21Draw17–2–2Joe GormanPTS6Jun 15, 1931
20Win17–2–1Grover MalliniKO2 (6)Mar 25, 1931
19Win16–2–1Billy DjalmaTKO2 (6)Dec 2, 1930
18Win15–2–1Billy ToskPTS4Nov 4, 1930
17Win14–2–1Billy DrakoKO1 (6)Aug 16, 1930
16Loss13–2–1Joey LaGreyPTS6May 26, 1930
15Win13–1–1Steve GotchKO3 (8)May 12, 1930
14Win12–1–1Freddie KellyTKO1 (6)Apr 21, 1930
13Win11–1–1Marco AppicelloPTS4Feb 28, 1930
12Win10–1–1Eddie ForsterTKO3 (6)Dec 23, 1929
11Win9–1–1Pete HortonPTS6Dec 2, 1929
10Win8–1–1Willie YoungTKO2 (4)Oct 28, 1929
9Win7–1–1Rosen BrittoTKO3 (4)Oct 7, 1929
8Loss6–1–1Jose RodriguezPTS6Aug 15, 1929
7Win6–0–1Joe GormanPTS6Aug 9, 1929
6Win5–0–1Eddie McLaughlinPTS6Jul 19, 1929
5Draw4–0–1Manny DavisPTS6May 13, 1929
4Win4–0Artie CarrKO4 (4)Apr 20, 1929
3Win3–0Duffy MooreTKO3 (4)Mar 11, 1929
2Win2–0Con CorderoPTS4Feb 1, 1929
1Win1–0Tiger Lee PaigePTS4Dec 22, 1928

Retirement and life after boxing

Krieger retired from boxing in 1941. Not long after his last fight, he ran for City Councilman for the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn where he lived, but lost the election. He took financial losses from gambling, before investing in a tavern which did not succeed. He later worked for the restaurant Pumpernick's in Miami Beach as a parking attendant. He died in Las Vegas on September 24, 1964.[2]

See also

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Jewish boxers hall of fame . 9780933503878 . January 20, 2011. Blady . Ken . 1988 . SP Books .
  2. Blady, Ken, The Jewish Boxers' Hall of Fame, (1988). Shapolsky Publishers, Inc, New York, pgs. 237-41
  3. Web site: Solly Krieger. BoxRec. 31 March 2015.
  4. "Solly Krieger Smashes Way to Victory Over Rankins,Pittsburgh Press, p. 50, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 23 October 1936
  5. Web site: Solly Krieger. International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. April 18, 2015.
  6. "Apostoli Stops Solly Krieger", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, p. 18, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15 April 1937
  7. "Lee Outpoints Solly Krieger", The Milwaukee Journal, p.4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 21 May 1938
  8. "Solly Krieger Takes Title Away from Al Hostak in Terrific Upset", The Spokesman-Review, p. 12, Seattle, Washington, 2 November 1938
  9. "Solly Krieger New Middleweight Champ", Southeast Missourian, p. 9, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, 2 November 1938
  10. Book: An Illustrated History of Boxing . 9780806522012 . January 20, 2011. Fleischer . Nat . Andre . Sam . Rafael . Don . 2001 . Citadel Press .
  11. Book: Sports and the American Jew . 9780815627548 . January 20, 2011. Riess . Steven A. . June 1998 . Syracuse University Press .
  12. "Solly Krieger Wins Decision", The Spokesman Review, p.,18, Spokane, Washington, 7 April 1939
  13. "Middleweight Champion Planning to Play it Safe", The Milwaukee Journal, p. 39, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 9 November 1938
  14. "Conn Handles Solly Krieger Like a Novice," Milwaukee Journal, pg. 4, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 13 May 1939
  15. Billy Conn Wins from S. Krieger," Ludington Daily News, p. 1, Ludington, Michigan, 15 May 1939
  16. "Middleweight Champ Meets Former Champ in Seattle Tuesday", The Milwaukee Journal, p.10, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 26 June 1939
  17. Talbot, Gayle, "Conn Pummels Solly Krieger", Prescott Evening Courier, p. 5, Prescott, Arizona, 13 May 1939
  18. Jones, George, E., "Hostak Regains His Championship", The Bend Bulletin, p. 5, Bend, Oregon, 27 June 1939
  19. "Hostak Stops Solly Krieger", The Milwaukee Journal, p. 9, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 28 June 1939.