Name: Don Elbaum
Promoter, Manager, and Matchmaker based in the midwestern and eastern United States.
- Promoted his first fight at age eighteen.
- Promoted or co-promoted over one thousand cards, including 196 shows at the Tropicana Casino over one five-year period alone.
- Promoted the final fights of Willie Pep and Sugar Ray Robinson, in addition to an early fight of world heavyweight titleholder Nikolay Valuev.
- Known for staging cards with unusual themes, such as one show that featured a match between winless heavyweights billed as an attempt to crown the "Worst Heavyweight in the World."
- Managed or worked in an advisory capacity for Aaron Pryor, Tony Tubbs, Simon Brown, Maurice Blocker, and David Telesco.
- In addition to an amateur career, Elbaum had a number of pro fights in the 1960s. Many of them took place on shows that he promoted, where he filled in as a last-minute substitute when no other fighters were available.
- won 0 (KO 0) + lost 2 (KO 0) + drawn 1 = 3
- http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/2134/don-elbaum-mixes/
Favorite Book: "The Ring Record Book" by Nat Fleischer
"My mother was a concert pianist who played four hours a day. I sometimes played duets with her. I was maybe six years old and I liked piano, but it didn't hold a candle next to my love for boxing. I had three idols: my father, my Uncle Danny, (who had a few fights and was the black sheep of the family), and Sugar Ray Robinson. My dad owned some stores up in Harlem and he once took me to Sugar Ray Robinson's nightclub. I was amazed. He was so nice to me. They had me throw a right hand and Robinson said, "Wow! What a punch!" I was young and in awe. Then when I was about 8, my dad took me to see Willy Pep fight. I was mesmerized! That was exactly what I wanted to do! I became obsessed! Then, my dad bought me Nat Fleisher's "Ring Record Book" and hour after hour, Jesus, I started to memorize facts, fights, knockouts, dates, everything! I took a flashlight to bed with me and read for hours!" |
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