Eric Seelig

Eric Seelig (July 15, 1909, in Bromberg, now Bydgoszcz – January 19, 1984) was middleweight boxing champion in Germany in 1931 and their light-heavyweight champion in 1933.

Eric Seelig was born on July 15, 1909, in Bromberg, Germany.

When he was nine, his family moved to Berlin and in the period before Hitler, he became Germany's Amateur Middleweight Champion.

Seelig won his first twelve professional matches in Germany, from February 1931 to March 1932.

This period included his winning the German national middleweight title.

On November 12, 1931, Seelig took the German middleweight championship in a twelve points decision against Hans Seifried at Zircus Busch in Mitte, Germany.

Because he was Jewish, he was stripped of his titles, and, in July 1933, the Nazis threatened that if he dared fight another match to defend his titles he would be killed.

Seelig fled to France, though his stripped titles were never restored.

On February 26, 1933, Seelig defeated Helmut Hartkopp in a twelve-round points decision at the Flora Theatre to take the German BDB Light Heavyweight Title.

Eric and his parents then moved to France.

Seelig competed in France for a few years, also boxing in Belgium and England.

On May 22, 1933, Seelig fought an important bout against IBU world middleweight champion Marcel Thil at the Palais de Sports in Paris, losing in a twelve-round points decision.

Tunero had attempted to take the IBU world middleweight title in October 1933 against French champion Marcel Thil, and would again try for the title against Thil in July 1935.

Thil was also the former holder of the NBA world middleweight title, and would later hold the European light heavyweight title in 1934.

By a few accounts, Seelig's May bout with Thil was for the world title, but the boxers were overweight according to Le Petit Parisien.

On January 29, 1934, Seelig fought Marcel Thil again in Paris, losing in a twelve-round points decision.

Seelig competed unsuccessfully for the EBU European Middleweight Title on March 17, 1934, against Gustave Roth, losing in a fifteen rounds points decision in Brussels, Belgium.

He would lose again to Roth at the Palais de Sport in Brussels on October 31, 1934, in a twelve-round points decision.

Seelig won a ten-round points decision against black Cuban boxer Kid Tunero on September 28, 1934, at the Salle Wagram in Paris.

He had a successful boxing career in America from 1935 to 1940.

He emigrated to the United States via Cuba in 1935.

In his remaining career, he fought nearly every top middleweight contender of his era.

He enjoyed success in the U.S. compiling a career record of 57 bouts, 40 victories (9 KOs), 7 draws, and 10 losses, and he would fight against several champions including reigning IBU world middleweight champion Marcel Thil, former world middleweight champion Freddy Yarosz, world middleweight champion Fred Apostoli, and reigning world middleweight champion Al Hostak.

In his first fight in American on September 11, 1935, he knocked out Italian Al Rossi in the eighth round at St. Nicholas Arena.

Seelig blasted Rossi around the ring for seven rounds with both lefts and rights, backing him into the ropes, and landing dangerous hooks.

Fifty-five seconds into the eighth, Seelig threw his signature overhand right to the jaw of Rossi and ended the bout.

Lacking boxing science and appearing wild at times when he took head shots while wading in, Seelig continued his attack, nonetheless, and rocked Rossi with hooks to the face and damaging blows to the midsection.

In only his second bout in New York, Seelig knocked out Charley Bellanger on November 11, 1935, to a winning reception, fifty-two seconds into the fourth round at New York's St. Nicholas arena.

An overhand right to the point of the jaw, preceded by a storm of lightning fast blows to the head and body, dropped Bellanger for the count.

After Seelig was momentarily down to one knee from a terrific right hook to the jaw, he fought cautiously, realizing that long range fighting would not be his best bet against Bellanger who had a slight advantage in reach.

Another right to the chin put Bellanger down momentarily in the second.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, wrote, "a fighting heart, a will to win and two strong arms that keep whirling like a windmill...have combined to enlist the hearts of American fighting fans to his side."

The New York crowd gave him an enormous hand at the end of the bout.

In an impressive victory on December 2, 1935, Seelig defeated Mickey Walker, American former holder of both the world middleweight and welterweight championships, in the seventh round of a ten-round bout at New York's St. Nicholas Arena.

A bad cut over Walker's left eye caused the referee to call the fight 2:31 into the seventh round.

Seelig was in front by a wide margin when the fight was called.

Seelig won a unanimous fifteen-round decision against leading contender Paul Pirrone in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 16, 1935, retaining his standings in the top ten world middleweights.

He came back to win after being knocked down in the second round by a stiff punch to the chin.

In a clear cut victory, Seelig continued to box well after fracturing his hand in the fifth round.

One of his highest rankings in The Ring was #6 in 1938, though he would climb as high as #5 between 1935-40.