Jack Bernstein

Jack Bernstein (November 5, 1899 – December 26, 1945) was an American boxer given the birth name John Dodick. He became World Junior lightweight Champion, on May 30, 1923, against Johnny Dundee at the Coney Island Velodrome in Brooklyn. When he lost the title to Dundee on December 17, 1923, in a fifteen-round split decision at Madison Square Garden, many newspapers felt Bernstein clearly had the edge in the bout and should have retained the title.

Early life and boxing career John Dodick was born on December 5, 1899, in New York's Lower East Side, the second of seven children. He was compelled to drop out of elementary school to help his father, a fruitseller, support their large family. K. O. Brown, a leading lightweight contender, was reputed to be his first mentor at the Boys Club he attended, and a source of encouragement. According to one source, Dodick's third bout was with future lightweight legend Benny Leonard in a no decision six rounder. Dodick debuted in the New York fight clubs under the name "Young Kiddy" at age 15. Returning to his family's new home in Yonkers, Dodick continued fighting in local clubs, but discouraged, quit for a while to drive a truck. A new manager, druggist Lou Hirsch, took Dodick on, giving him the name Jack Bernstein, using the surname of the former local legend, Jewish featherweight contender, Joe Bernstein.

Jr. Lightweight champion, 1923

A contender by 1922, Bernstein won fourteen of his sixteen bouts that year, and beat known contenders Solly Seeman, Pal Moran, Kid Wagner, and Babe Herman. Winning a string of bouts in 1923, he finally met Jr. Lightweight Champion Johnny Dundee on May 30, in the Velodrome, in front of a crowd of 15,000. Though an underdog, he won a unanimous fifteen-round decision and took the title after coming back from a third-round knockdown.

Loss of Jr. Lightweight title, 1923 Seven months later on December 17, 1923, in one of his first sanctioned defenses of the title, Bernstein lost to Johnny Dundee at Madison Square Garden in a highly controversial split decision. BoxRec noted that several newspaper sources, including the prestigious New York Times, believed the judges made the wrong decision in the bout. Author Ken Blady wrote that several of the judges may have been influenced to vote against Bernstein. Not all papers believed the fight was a runaway win for Bernstein, however. Although the Milwaukee Journal noted that Dundee finished strong in the bout, and agreed with the decision they also noted "the sentiment of the crowd, based on the fighters' round-by-round showing, was that Bernstein had won easily." Typical of the strong language of the many papers that disagreed with the decision was the Milwaukee Sentinel, who wrote "By probably the worst decision in local boxing history, Johnny Dundee of Jersey City regained his Junior Lightweight championship from Jack Bernstein."

In their third and final meeting Bernstein would beat Dundee decisively on September 15, 1924, in fifteen rounds in Queensboro Stadium in Queens.

In 1924, Bernstein fought Sammy Mandell and Rocky Kansas to draws. Mandell would hold the Lightweight World Championship from July 3, 1926 – July 17, 1930. After first drawing with Mandell in the Garden on January 11, 1924, in fifteen rounds, he lost to Mandell on May 16, 1924, in Louisville and on November 27, 1924, at Madison Square Garden. He drew with Kansas on February 18, 1924, in Buffalo, previously having beaten him on October 23, 1923, in the Garden. Kansas would later hold the Jr. Lightweight title for the first half of 1926.

From 1924 to 1927, Bernstein defeated Tommy O'Brien, Cuddy DeMarco, and Ray Miller.

He retired as a competitor around the end of 1931, and promoted boxing around Westchester, New York, often benefiting philanthropic causes. On December 26, 1945, Bernstein died of a heart attack at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers, New York. He had suffered from a heart ailment for many years and was aged 46 at the time of his death.

Honors Bernstein, who was Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.

Selected fights

Win Nick Gundy Dec 1918 Fort Bliss, El Paso 20 Rounds "Border light title" Loss Nick Gundy Dec 2, 1918 Fort Bliss, El Paso 10 Rounds Loss Benny Valger Dec 1, 1921 Yonkers 12 Rounds Strong Lightwt. contender Loss Archie Walker May 6, 1922 Brooklyn, NY 12 Rounds Rare early loss Win Archie Walker June 28, 1922 Yonkers, NY 12 Rounds Win Solly Seeman Jul 8, 1922 New York 12 Rounds Strong Lightwt. contender Win Pal Moran Oct 14, 1922 New York 12 Rounds Strong Lightwt. contender Win Babe Herman Nov 28, 1922 New York 12 Rounds Strong Lightwt. contender Win Eddie Wagner Dec 11, 1922 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 10 Rounds UD Strong Lightwt. contender Win Johnny Dundee May 30, 1923 Brooklyn, NY 15 Rounds UD Won World Jr. light title Win Freddie Jacks Jun 25, 1923 Brooklyn, NY 8 Rounds KO Kept Jr. light title Win Harry Kabakoff Jul 10, 1923 Brooklyn, NY 10 Rounds NWS Non-title Loss Harry "Kid" Brown Jul 31, 1923 Brooklyn, NY 8 Rounds NWS Non-title Win Rocky Kansas Oct 12, 1923 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 15 Rounds UD Loss Johnny Dundee Dec 17, 1923 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 15 Rounds SDClose fight Lost World Jr. Light Title

Sammy Mandell Jan 11, 1924 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 15 Rounds Mandell broke hand

Rocky Kansas Feb 18, 1924 Buffalo, NY 10 Rounds Win Jack Zivic Jul 23, 1924 Buffalo, NY 12 Rounds Elim. Bout for Light title Win Johnny Dundee Sep 15, 1924 Queens, NY 12 Rounds Win Johnny Dundee Sep 15, 1924 Queens, NY 12 Rounds Loss Sammy Mandell Nov 7, 1924 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 12 Rounds Loss Sammy Mandell Nov 7, 1924 Mad. Sq. Gard., NY 12 Rounds Loss Sid Terris Aug 31, 1925 Queens, NY 12 Rounds Loss Sid Terris Dec 12, 1925 Polo Grounds, NY 10 Rounds Win Jimmy Goodrich Feb 21, 1927 Brooklyn, NY 10 Rounds Win Jimmy Goodrich Apr 1, 1927 Buffalo, NY 10 Rounds