WHO AM I? XLII

I am, without any doubt, one of the best fighters ever in the long and rich history of my division.
As a member of a small group of warriors with outstanding and legendary quality, I helped to bring back to life our (at the time) moribund weight class;
I never had any kind of problems in traveling long distances to get the toughest challenges and to prove my quality, and thus I fought in 10 different countries during the 9 years of my professional career;

My dad was a postal inspector and sired no more no less than 18 children. I was the baby of our big and poor family and I grew up with no bed on which to sleep, nor did any of my brothers and sisters. Our parents couldn't provide us a better life and at the age of 10, I ran away from home. I didn't knew where to go, so I went to the biggest city I could reach and in there I lived in the streets, gardens and rooftops, fighting a great deal of battles in the dark alleys of the old casbah;
I earned my bread by punching out other kids in these in impromptu street bouts. The pennies the crowds dropped in the floor at my feet, was my purse;
It was during this time, that I met this lady who adopted me as a companion for her son. You see, she wanted me to be a gentlemen by stop fighting and by attending school, but I had strong habits and those are hard to die;

Around a couple years after I left home, I met this tailor that gave me my first real job.
A few years after that, I sewed a pair of red and green trunks emblazoned with a Mogen-David and I started to fight in amateur tournaments;
Before my debut against the tough gentlemen of the fistic game, I fought 187 times as an amateur, winning 132 fights and 3 National Championships; After all this success, I decided to go further;

"...It was not until I turned professional that I really knew what it meant to have a square meal regularly and to sleep as most people do - in a bed with mattress and pillows.";

The first time my name was out there in capital letters in international newspapers, was in the mid 1950's. According to many fans and experts, my win over that top contender and tough warrior was the real upset of that year;
I won the World Title against a very experienced Champion and again, against all odds. With just a few seconds to the end of the 3rd round, the lighting system above and near the ring burst into flames and burning material started to fall over us scorching the back of my opponent. The fight was interrupted, but like men from another Era, we resumed hostilities once the still-champion received additional treatment and after both of us agreed to continue to punch each other. After 12 rounds of a great demonstration of the beauty of the Sweet Science, I was crowned World Champion;

About 18 months after I won the title, I felt forced to travel across the World to prove to this particular Boxing Association that the guy they wrongly and arrogantly called the champion of the world, was no match for me;
Fearing that my opponent's fans could start a major riot, the local police assigned five times the usual number of officers to cover the bout. Those fans really feared this "gringo bum" as they called me. The night before the settling of this dispute, I went to a nearby synagogue to recite psalms and pray for victory;
The truth prevailed, and after I beat him on points the next day, I was finally recognized as the World Champion by absolute everyone, including by the crooks of that Association. By the way, the vast majority of my opponent's fans remained silent and quiet after the fight;
Among the tough fighters that I fought and beat, there's Antonio Diaz, Pierre Cossemyns and João dos Santos;
I was born in the exact same day that Japan declared Manchukuo (Manchuria) formally independent from China.

Who am I?

 

Absolutely correct!

 

Thank you for your kind words, buddy. I really appreciate it.

Thank you!