Mike Rossman (born Michael Albert DePiano on July 1, 1955) is an American former
professional boxer
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...
who was the
WBA light heavyweight
Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...
champion of the world. He is of both Italian and Jewish descent, which led to his monikers "The Kosher Butcher" and "The Jewish Bomber".
Life and career
Rossman was born in
Turnersville, New Jersey
Turnersville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Washington Township, in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was 3,742.[Star of David
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the '' seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorat ...]
on his shorts. He began boxing at 14 and turned pro on August 10, 1973.
Rossman fought
Víctor Galíndez for the light heavyweight championship of the world on the
undercard
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to t ...
of an
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...
–
Spinks rematch in September 1978. Many thought Galindez would defeat him, but Rossman opened up cuts over Galindez's eyes and continued fighting until near the end of the 13th round, when the referee stopped the fight, and Rossman became world champion. Rossman made one successful defense before his hometown
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
fans in December of the same year, stopping Italian challenger Aldo Traversaro in the fifth round after opening a wound on Aldo's forehead with a left hook.
Later, after losing the title back to Galindez in 1979 (see below), his career declined as he lost several matches; he never again fought a title match. He fought into the early 1980s, and perhaps the biggest name he faced in post-championship status was the upstart
Dwight Braxton (today known as Dwight Muhammad Qawi), who defeated him in seven rounds in May 1981.
Rossman vs. Galindez championship rematch
In February 1979, Rossman participated in what is sometimes considered one of professional boxing's most embarrassing moments (at least in modern times). At a scheduled rematch between Rossman and Galindez, Rossman was left waiting in the ring as Galindez failed to appear: A dispute about the judges of the match between the WBA and the Nevada Athletic Commission prevented the fight from being for the title, so Galindez camp refused to fight. After immediate attempts to remedy the situation failed, the fight was suspended, and rescheduled two months later in April 1979.
With Rossman perhaps still fretting about boxing politics, Galindez was focused on regaining the title, and was able to defeat Rossman. Rossman apparently broke his right hand during the bout, severely limiting his boxing ability. The pain became worse over the course of the fight, and unbearable to a point where Rossman told his father-manager after the ninth round that he could not continue. Galindez was thus able to reclaim the championship.
Hall of Fame
Rossman was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame.
Professional boxing record
, -
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 44 Wins (27 knockouts), 7 Losses (4 knockouts), 3 Draws
, - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Res.
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Round
Time
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location
, style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes
, - align=center
, Win, , 44–7–3, , align=left, Henry Sims
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 43–7–3, , align=left, Robert White
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 42–7–3, , align=left, Al Fracker
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 41–7–3, , align=left, Charles Smith
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 40–7–3, , align=left,
Dwight Qawi
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 40–6–3, , align=left, Luke Capuano
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 39–6–3, , align=left, Luke Capuano
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 38–6–3, , align=left, Al Bolden
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 37–6–3, , align=left, Don Addison
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 36–6–3, , align=left, Ramon Ranquello
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 36–5–3, , align=left,
Víctor Galíndez
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 36–4–3, , align=left, Aldo Traversaro
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 35–4–3, , align=left,
Víctor Galíndez
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 34–4–3, , align=left, Matt Ross
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 33–4–3, , align=left, Lonnie Bennett
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 32–4–3, , align=left,
Yaqui López
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 32–3–3, , align=left, Gary Summerhays
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 31–3–3, , align=left, Marcel Clay
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 30–3–3, , align=left,
Mike Quarry
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 29–3–3, , align=left,
Ray Anderson
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 28–3–3, , align=left,
Mike Quarry
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, style="background:#abcdef;", Draw, , 27–3–3, , align=left, Christy Elliott
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 27–3–2, , align=left, Christy Elliott
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 26–3–2, , align=left, Steven Smith
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 25–3–2, , align=left, Tony Licata
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 25–2–2, , align=left, José Anglada
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 24–2–2, , align=left, Gene Wells
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, style="background:#abcdef;", Draw, , 23–2–2, , align=left, Casey Gacic
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 23–2–1, , align=left, Al Styles, Jr.
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 22–2–1, , align=left,
Mike Quarry
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 22–1–1, , align=left, Mike Nixon
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Loss, , 21–1–1, , align=left, Mike Nixon
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 21–0–1, , align=left, David Adkins
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 20–0–1, , align=left, Matt Donovan
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 19–0–1, , align=left, Matt Donovan
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 18–0–1, , align=left, Harold Richardson
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 17–0–1, , align=left, John Pinney
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 16–0–1, , align=left,
Mike Morgan
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 15–0–1, , align=left, Nate Dixon
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 14–0–1, , align=left, Mike Baker
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, style="background:#abcdef;", Draw, , 13–0–1, , align=left, Nate Dixon
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 13–0, , align=left, Ray Hernandez
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 12–0, , align=left, Walter Riley
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 11–0, , align=left, Tyrone Freeman
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 10–0, , align=left, Joey Blair
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 9–0, , align=left, Greg Burch
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 8–0, , align=left, Maximo Pierret
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 7–0, , align=left, Elwood Townsend
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 6–0, , align=left, Lester Camper
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 5–0, , align=left, Nate Dixon
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 4–0, , align=left, Larry Parker
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 3–0, , align=left, Herman Nance
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 2–0, , align=left, Robert Ziegler
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
, - align=center
, Win, , 1–0, , align=left, Stanley Dawson
,
,
,
, align=left,
, align=left,
Miscellaneous
*Rossman has a tattoo of the
Star of David
The Star of David (). is a generally recognized symbol of both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles.
A derivation of the '' seal of Solomon'', which was used for decorat ...
on the calf of his right leg.
*Rossman now lives in
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...
.
See also
*
List of select Jewish boxers
References
External links
NJ Boxing Hall of Fame bio and record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossman, Mike
1955 births
American boxers of Italian descent
Jewish American boxers
Jewish boxers
Living people
Boxers from Philadelphia
World boxing champions
World light-heavyweight boxing champions
People from Washington Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey
American male boxers
21st-century American Jews