Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 6, 1994 TAG: 9407060011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He was a good student. He drew cartoons, and they were good. He became a fighter, and he could have been the middleweight champion of the world.
Some say he should have been the middleweight champ. And although there may be a split-decision on this, it wouldn't be a stretch to call the boxer the most accomplished native in Roanoke sports history.
Abrams, 75, died late Thursday night in Las Vegas, where he lived the past 20 years. He will be buried at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. It seems his life, like his career, was a tough fight.
From 1937-48, minus four years in the Navy during World War II, Abrams lost only 10 of 61 fights. He fought Teddy Yarosz, Billy Soose, Tony Zale, Marcel Cerdan, Freddy Apostoli and Sugar Ray Robinson, champions all.
There are a few of his schoolboy buddies in town who still remember Georgie, who grew to about age 14 on Sixth Street Southwest, just off Campbell Avenue. His father ran a shoe cobbler's shop on Salem Avenue. During the Depression, Abrams' family moved to Washington, D.C., from where climbed into the ring in 1936, winning the city's AAU welterweight title.
In '38, Abrams decisioned former American middleweight champ Yarosz, who three weeks later would beat future light heavyweight champ and Hall of Famer Billy Conn, who fought Joe Louis twice for the world heavyweight crown.
By 1940, "The Ring," boxing's encyclopedia, ranked Abrams eighth in the world among middleweights. The next year, he was No. 1.
He already had two 10-round decisions Soose, who in May of '41 would become the middleweight champ. Abrams beat Soose again two months later, but it was a non-title fight, only a 10-rounder.
The American Federation of Boxing, a Midwest organization, recognizied Abrams as the world middleweight champion, but these were the days before boxing sunk into alphabet soup, when there was so much talent in a division it was the fighters and not the promoters who created hair-raising experiences.
Soose vacated the title to become a light heavyweight, so Abrams fought Zale in New York City for the vacant world middleweight title. It was to be Abrams most memorable bout.
In the first round, Abrams sent Zale to the canvas for a nine-count. In Round 3, Abrams title hopes were jolted when a Zale punch caused a hemorrhage in the cornea of Abrams' right eye. Abrams was blinded in the eye for the rest of the bout. He still staggered Zale again in the eighth round.
In 15 brutal rounds, Zale won a decision and the title. Doctors recommended to Abrams that he have his bad eye removed, so as to not cause damage to his left eye. The treatment saved Abrams' bad eye, however, and he joined the Navy in '42. He didn't box again until '46.
Abrams wasn't as quick, but he still was tough. One of his first bouts back was in December 1946 against Cerdan, the French Algerian who would become the world champ 18 months later. Abrams lost on points after the two judges gave each fighter five rounds apiece.
Two weeks after Cerdan stopped Abrams, Sugar Ray Robinson won the world welterweight title. Robinson fought Abrams six months later. Abrams went the distance - again. He lost a split-decision - again.
One judge liked Georgie. The other judge and the referee liked Robinson. The Madison Square Garden crowd liked Abrams, and booed loudly.
In '47, one of his last fights was in San Francisco against former champ Apostoli. Abrams knocked down Apostoli in Round 5. Again, however, it went 10 rounds. Again, Abrams lost. Again, the crowd booed. One more fight, and Abrams hung up his gloves.
Abrams' epitaph doesn't say world champ. It sounds like it should. He obviously fought like one, all the way from the corner of Sixth and Campbell.
Write to Jack Bogaczyk at the Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, 24010.
by CNB