Kronowitz, Herb

Ted Kronowitz

A middleweight contender in the 1940s, Kronowitz's given name is Ted, but he adopted his brother's name Herbie when he began to box as an amateur at the age of 15. He always knew he wanted to be a fighter, and said: "In school, the teachers would tell me, 'Write something about what you want to do when you grow up.' I used to write, 'I want to be a fighter. A professional fighter.' And they would say, 'No, no, what do you really want to do?'" Kronowitz was influenced as a youngster by fighters in his neighborhood. He said, "I met Ben Jeby, the middleweight champ, when we moved around the corner from him...And I used to go up to his house, nearly every day and ring his bell...and he'd say, 'What do you want, sonny?' 'Could I have your autograph?' He says, 'I gave you my autograph yesterday.' 'Could I have it again?'"

Birth and Death Dates:
b. 1923

Career Highlights:
Kronowitz fought professionally as a middleweight from 1941-1950, and was ranked among the top ten middleweights during that span. In March 1947, he faced Artie Levine in the main event at Madison Square Garden. The crowd of 12,000 loved every minute of the classic 10-round battle between the two Jewish fighters. Levine won the decision, although Herb said: "He won the decision. There was no question that I won the fight, though." Although Kronowitz never got a title shot, he fought the top contenders in the middleweight division; he lost to Rocky Castellani and Vinnie Cidone in decisions.

Kronowitz retired in 1950, having won 54 of 83 career decisions. Speaking of his boxing career, he said: "The thing about boxing is that it gave every one of us everything we have. I don't mean just money. It taught us how to live, how to act, how to eat, how to be physically fit. It opened doors to places that we never could have gotten into. Some made more money than others, but every boxer looks at his career as the most important experience in his life."

Origin:
Brooklyn, New York

Career Statistics:
Professional record:
Wins: 54 (9 by knockout)
Losses: 24
Draws: 5

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