Young Joseph

Aschel Joseph

The British and European welterweight champion in the early 1910s, Joseph fought for the world title against Harry Lewis in 1910 and lost.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
An English welterweight, Joseph's first big fight came in 1907 against future world lightweight champion Freddie Welsh in London. Joseph lost the 15-round decision to the Irishman; two years later, they fought again and this time Joseph was disqualified in the 11th-round. In 1909, three months before his rematch with Welsh, Joseph defeated fellow Jewish boxer Young Otto in a 15-round decision (Otto has the most first-round knockouts in history -- 42).

Following his victory over Otto, Joseph was considered a contender for the British welterweight title and in March 1910, he defeated Jack Goldswain to capture the championship. Three months later, Joseph got a shot at the world title when he faced champ Harry Lewis; Lewis knocked Joseph out in the seventh-round. After losing to Lewis, Joseph went to Paris in November 1910 and fought Battling LaCroix for the European welterweight title.

Now the British and European champ, Joseph was very busy in 1911, defending both titles. In January, he was disqualified in the third-round in his bout with Arthur Evernden and lost the British championship. In May, however, he defeated Robert Eustache to retain the European title and set up a showdown with the great Georges Carpentier, who had defeated Eustache to become the French champion. On October 23, the Englishman and Frenchman battled to determine the European champion. Joseph could not match the power of Carpentier (who would later become world light-heavyweight champ) and was knocked out in the 10th-round.

The following year, Joseph had one more chance to become a champion again when he fought for the British welterweight title; against Johnny Summers in London, Joseph lost the decision. He continued to fight until the mid-1910s, but did not received another title shot.

Origin:
England

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