Jewish Boxer Knocks Out Hillel Audience

"Dangerous" Dana Rosenblatt, the current IBA middleweight champion, floored a group of about 30 Harvard students and a handful of local fans yesterday evening at Hillel with stories about his life as a boxer, his Jewish identity and the problems of the sport today.

Rosenblatt is the first Jewish middleweight champion since 1939 and has compiled an impressive 34-1 record over his seven years in the "sweet science."

"People see me as carrying the torch for Jews in boxing," he said. A native of Malden, Mass., Rosenblatt turned to boxing in 1992, after a successful but financially unfulfilling career in kickboxing.

He fights with a Star of David on his trunks, "a symbol of pride that I take in my Judaism," he said. According to Rosenblatt, his role as a Jewish fighter has set him apart since his first match.

"My father was sitting in the back row, [and when I won], he stood up and said, `That's my boy!' Four guys in front of him turned around and said, `Mazel Tov,'" Rosenblatt said.

Rosenblatt talked at length about the "rich history" of Jewish involvement in the sport of boxing, which he said has shifted from the role of fighters in the first decades of this century to management positions today.

"The exodus from the ghetto was an exodus from fighting," Rosenblatt said. "You'd be surprised how much Jewish influence there is in boxing. There are many Jewish managers and Jewish promoters. Usually the ringside doctor is Jewish," he quipped.

But Rosenblatt is one of the few Jewish fighters still in the sport. He said he receives mail from Jewish people worldwide, including letters from Germany, Sweden and New Zealand, from doctors, lawyers and prison inmates, many of whom derive inspiration from his success. While Rosenblatt said he has long loved the sport, he stressed the exploitation and brutality that he said is inherent in boxing.

"I don't think of myself as an athlete. We're all more or less mercenaries," he said. "We wouldn't be in [the ring] if we weren't making money."

Rosenblatt said managers and promoters exploit young fighters for personal gain, entrapping them in a world where they must fight for financial survival.

"It's not like guys come back because they like getting punched in the face 800 to 1,000 times a day," he said. "They do it because they don't know anything else."

According to Rosenblatt, some of the worst injuries that boxers suffer--which can result in death--are a result of ignorance and the pressure imposed on them to win.

"Fighters are in the dark ages on how to get in shape and how to take off weight" he said.

Rosenblatt himself has overcome severe setbacks in his career, including a broken hand that sidelined him for 14 months. But he has fought his way to provide opportunities later in life.

"It's a way to cushion my way into the future," Rosenblatt said. "But I still enjoy it and derive a sense of achievement from it."

Rosenblatt earned an associate's degree in 1992 from Bunker Hill Community College with a 3.75 GPA. With previous experience in investment, he is considering possible long-term careers in finance or in broadcasting.

After fielding questions from the audience, Rosenblatt stayed to sign autographs and chat with fans. Jeremy D. Schnittman '99, co-chair of the Hillel Men's Group, the event's sponsor, praised Rosenblatt's speech.

"He was an incredibly eloquent speaker--everything we could have hoped for." he said. "He's perfect for the Hillel Men's Group. whose mission is to show that there's more to Judaism than just talking and knee-jerk liberalism."