Sam Silverman

Sam Silverman (December 25, 1909 - July 9, 1977) was an American boxing promoter active in New England. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.

Early life Sam Silverman was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, on December 25, 1909.

He began boxing in East Cambridge and transitioned to matchmaking. After attending Boston University journalism school for a year, he left due to tuition costs.

Career After becoming a licensed promoter in 1935, Sam Silverman began presenting boxing shows in 1936 and over four decades built a record of some 12,000 events.

His first promotions were in New Bedford before starting in Lynn, Massachusetts. Silverman partnered with Jimmy Mede, the local wrestling promoter at Lynn Arena, and went on to launch fight programs in an old casino in Fall River and in Worcester. In its Boston debut, the Callahan show drew a crowd of 4,432 and gross gate receipts of $8,209.25 at Mechanics Hall.

When he broke into Boston, he extended operations to Providence, Salem, and Manchester. During the summer of 1946, Silverman arranged fifteen night shows at Braves Field.

From 1946 to 1977, he worked in partnership with Bostonian promoter Rip Valenti.

Sam Silverman became sole owner of the Callahan A.C. in May 1947, the club named after Andy Callahan of Lawrence, Massachusetts, and ran weekly boxing programs at Boston Garden and Boston Arena.

Starting in 1947, Silverman handled promotion for 31 of Rocky Marciano's 49 matches.

During the 1950s, Silverman ended his association with the International Boxing Club of New York run by James D. Norris.

By 1957, the only fight club Silverman managed was Holyoke's Valley Arena Gardens.

He staged 25 world championship bouts, such as Saddler–Collins (1952), DeMarco–Basilio II (1955), DeMarco–Saxton (1955), and Pender–Robinson (1960). In 1960, his biggest year, Silverman promoted two Paul Pender–Sugar Ray Robinson title bouts and won $125,000 in a monopoly case against IBC head James Norris. At the time, Silverman had an office on Boston's Canal Street, the home of Sam Silverman Boxing Enterprises.

His ambition to promote a world heavyweight championship match went unfulfilled. He originally lined up Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston II in 1965, but Ali's hernia delayed the fight, which was later staged by another promoter in Lewiston, Maine.

Silverman was promoting in Portland, Maine, by 1970, using the Portland Expo for Thursday night fights.

In 1973, the veteran matchmaker started promoting Brockton's Marvin Hagler when the New England and National AAU middleweight champion turned pro.

Death Sam Silverman died on July 9, 1977, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, after his vehicle ran off the road on Massachusetts Route 2, at 64 years old.

Legacy For nearly 40 years, Sam Silverman was active as a boxing promoter.

He was credited with keeping boxing alive in New England. The Cambridge-born promoter once ran thirteen weekly fight clubs in New England and could promote up to three shows in different cities in a single night.

Sam Silverman was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2002.