Georgie Abrams

Georgie Abrams was an American middleweight boxer who competed professionally from 1937 to 1948. Born on November 11, 1918, in Roanoke, Virginia, Abrams moved with his family to Washington, D.C., where he began his boxing career. As an amateur, he compiled a record of 62-3 and won the Washington, D.C. AAU Welterweight Title and a Golden Gloves championship in Chicago in 1937.

Turning professional in 1937, Abrams won his first 17 fights and earned a shot at the middleweight title by defeating contenders such as Billy Soose, Teddy Yarosz, and Lou Brouillard.

He faced Tony Zale for the World Middleweight Championship on November 28, 1941, at Madison Square Garden, losing a close 15-round decision despite knocking Zale down in the first round and fighting half-blind due to eye injuries sustained during the bout.

During his career, Abrams fought eight former or future world champions, including Marcel Cerdan, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Fred Apostoli. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, conducting physical training for recruits and participating in over 200 exhibition bouts.

After retiring from boxing in 1948 following a tenth-round technical knockout loss to Anton Raadik, Abrams struggled to find success in various occupations. He eventually settled in Las Vegas, working as a security guard at the Tropicana. 

Abrams suffered from dementia in his later years and passed away on June 30, 1994, after suffering a stroke. He was posthumously inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005.