Haven't seen any actual footage of him boxing, but I have read that he was a pretty decent boxer with a good punch but was lacking in the chin department. Apparently Sid Terris knocked him cold.
Always thought he was considered a very good prospect who didn’t have the durability or chin to succeed.
Hi Buddy. You are correct in your assertion that Terris knocked him cold, in the 1st round no less, not before he himself was put on the canvas, for such a slight young man, Ruby carried a hefty wallop, he was on a long winning streak when for reasons best known to themselves his management decided he was ready to share the ring with the Nebraska Wildcat better known has Ace Hudkins, big mistake, not sure if you know about Hudkins ? if not some background, he was one of the most ferocious boxers ever to grace the sport, and I mean down right vicious, he was hell bent on taking his opponent out, the more hurt he put on said fighter before then the better, he started off as a scrawny LW and finished his career as a LHW, in between he gave any fighter that had the balls to get in the ring with him a torrid time. He did indeed derail Goldstein via KO in 1924 his first loss, but again Ace was put down a few times, testament to Ruby's power, but very few fighters kept him there, he gave Ruby a severe beating before he knocked him out, a few years later having moved up to WW he was given a chance to take Mickey Walkers MW title, he lost on points, no disgrace there, but in the ensuing fight administered to Walker a body beating rarely witnessed up to that time, to wit, Walker himself a noted body puncher, said he was bedridden for nearly two days, no less a noted figure than the commissioner of Boxing at the time , William Mouldon wanted to bar Hudkins from fighting in New York, said this " Hudkins is a animal, he has no right to fight in a civilised society " the fans didn't nead telling ! Just a brief snapshot on one of the rings most colourful characters. stay safe JW, chat soon.
The Jewel of the Ghetto is as others have described him here. Given first rate punch resistance, he'd have been an ATG boxer. As a referee, I have very serious reservations. He couldn't finish Maxim-SRR (forced to leave after ten rounds), let Johansson-Patterson I go on far too long (the instant Floyd turned his back to walk away after the first KD, Goldstein should have ended it, just as referee Lou Magnolia stepped in to stop Sharkey-Loughran I in 1929). He also froze as the third man in Griffith-Paret III. I've never bought him as an honoree for Canastota, even with his combined boxer/referee resume. Those three failures as third man are far too noteworthy in hyper historic high profile bouts, too much for me to overlook. His profile at the IBHOF even mentions his failures during Maxim-SRR and Griffith-Paret III. In enshrining Goldstein, they actually mention those failures as reasons for inducting him. Does he belong in Canastota for THAT?
Thank you, my friend, for all this great information! Indeed I have heard of the Nebraska Wildcat, but did not know of his bout with Ruby Goldstein. I also did not know the details of his bout with Terris. If Ruby could put Hudkins down several times he had to have some punch! Hudkins truly was a beast - his championship fight with Mickey Walker had to be one for the ages!! I might add that near the end of his life, I sent a photograph of Ruby Goldstein to him asking to autograph it for me. After a while I received the photograph back with a nice note from Mrs. Goldstein apologizing and explaining that Ruby was very ill and unable to write. I was very moved by that and Ruby passed away a short time after that. Thank you again, and God bless!
