Jackie Fields

2.1. Birth and childhood

Fields was born on February 9, 1908, as Jacob Finkelstein on Maxwell Street in Chicago, Illinois. His father was a Russian Jewish immigrant who worked as a butcher. Fields had a younger brother, Sam Fields, who would later become a film editor. In 1921, at the age of 14, Fields and his family relocated to Los Angeles, California.

2.2. Education and early training

Fields briefly attended Lincoln High School before dropping out to pursue boxing. Standing 67.5 in tall with a reach of 69 in, Fields possessed a physical build suited for his welterweight class. His early boxing instruction came from the legendary Black boxing trainer and former lightweight boxer Jack Blackburn, who would later famously train Joe Louis. After his family moved to Los Angeles, Fields continued his training at Jack Dempsey's Gym. He became an exceptional amateur boxer for the Los Angeles Sporting Club under the guidance of George Blake, a master trainer who recognized Fields's potential as early as age thirteen. Future world flyweight champion Fidel LaBarba, an exceptional boxer from Blake's training stable, often sparred with the young Fields to help him improve his technique and speed.

As a young fighter, Fields was advised by promoters that his birth name, Finkelstein, conveyed "the wrong image" because Jewish individuals were not commonly perceived as tough, physical competitors in the boxing world at the time. Seeking a more suitable ring name, Finkelstein chose "Fields" in honor of the Chicago businessman and philanthropist Marshall Field. The name "Jackie" was adopted as an Americanized version of his given first name, Jacob.

3.1. 1924 Paris Olympics

At only 16 years old, Fields won a gold medal in featherweight boxing at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. This achievement made him the youngest boxer ever to receive an Olympic gold medal. His journey to the gold included several victories by decision:

• Defeated Mossy Doyle (Ireland) by points.
• Defeated Olaf Hansen (Norway) by points.
• Defeated Carlos Abarca (Chile) by points.
• Defeated Pedro Quartucci (Argentina) by points.
• Defeated Joseph Salas (USA) by points.

4.1. Early professional fights

Fields made his professional debut in February 1925. On November 12, 1925, driven by a large purse of 5.00 K USD, Fields fought the much more experienced Jimmy McLarnin. Despite having only six professional fights and nine months of experience, Fields suffered a severe second-round knockout loss at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles. McLarnin knocked him down four times, and Fields sustained a broken jaw in the defeat. The Los Angeles Times noted McLarnin's mastery, as he studied Fields's style, letting him lead in the first round before knocking him down three times in the second with successive overhand rights. Fields unwisely rose immediately from his first knockdown only to be floored again. This humiliating experience taught Fields a crucial lesson, and he never lost another match by knockout.

Fields faced another early career setback on June 15, 1927, losing a ten-round points decision to Jewish boxer and former world featherweight champion Louis "Kid" Kaplan at New York's Polo Grounds. Kaplan's relentless two-handed attack overwhelmed Fields, whose straight left jabs and rapid right crosses, though effective, were not frequent enough to secure a points advantage.

On November 22, 1927, in a non-title bout, Fields defeated the reigning world junior lightweight champion, Jewish boxing great Mushy Callahan. Callahan was close to being knocked out in the second, ninth, and tenth rounds and struggled to remain on his feet. Fields continuously delivered rights and lefts to Callahan's body and face, winning six of the ten rounds. Callahan, who was returning to the ring after several months of illness, may have lacked conditioning.

Fields suffered a ten-round unanimous decision loss to the reigning world lightweight champion Sammy Mandell on February 3, 1928. Fields started strong with a body attack in the early rounds, but Mandell found his range in the third, targeting Fields's left eye with long, lunging lefts. This injury forced Fields onto the defensive, leading to more infighting and clinching in the later rounds. While Fields attempted a rally in the ninth, it was too late to close the points gap. In their first encounter on April 4, 1927, Fields had performed much better against Mandell in a twelve-round newspaper decision at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, which the Los Angeles Times reported as a clear win for Fields, awarding him eight of ten rounds. In that bout, Fields staggered Mandell in the sixth round with an overhand right to the jaw. However, this was a no-decision bout and not for a title, as Fields was over the lightweight limit, allowing Mandell to retain his championship.

4.2. First World Welterweight Championship

Fields won the World Welterweight Championship for the first time on March 25, 1929. Before 9,000 fans in Chicago, he defeated Young Jack Thompson in a ten-round unanimous decision for the vacant NBA welterweight title. The Akron Beacon Journal described Fields as "unstoppable in his offensive, unswerving in his determination, and completely the master of his foe." Fields nearly knocked out Thompson in the first two rounds, but Thompson bravely remained on his feet, continuously attempting his signature right cross, though often missing. Fields skillfully blocked many of Thompson's blows with his gloves and forearms, and his most effective punches came from left-handed jabs and hooks. Thompson showed a brief resurgence in the third with some vicious right crosses but couldn't maintain momentum. The eighth round was interrupted by a riot that spilled into the ring. The final two rounds were more evenly contested, with both fighters exhausted. Fields won decisively, securing seven of the ten rounds, with one for Thompson and two even.

The world welterweight title had been vacated after the National Boxing Association stripped Joe Dundee of the title. While California and the NBA officially recognized Fields as champion on April 19, 1929, the powerful New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) did not recognize him until July when he faced Dundee.

On July 25, 1929, Fields met Joe Dundee in a unifying match for the welterweight championship before a large crowd of 25,000 in Detroit. Fields was awarded the victory in the second round. After Dundee had been knocked down four times, he delivered a foul blow while still on the canvas, rendering Fields unable to continue the fight. Dundee claimed the foul was unintentional, and Fields stated he believed him, noting it was the only bout he had ever won by foul. This victory gave Fields unified recognition as the world welterweight champion, adding the NYSAC and The Ring welterweight titles to his NBA championship.

Fields faced black boxer William "Guerilla" Jones, a future world "Colored" welterweight champion, on October 21, 1929, in San Francisco before a crowd of 10,000. In an action-filled ten rounds, Jones took an early lead, stunning Fields multiple times with straight rights to the jaw. However, Fields's superior stamina and aggressiveness wore Jones down in the final rounds. Fields clearly won the ninth and tenth rounds and held an advantage in five rounds overall, though he struggled to defend against Jones's repeated right hands throughout the bout. In a subsequent match two months later on December 13, referee Joe O'Connor stopped the fight, stating that Jones was not delivering his "usual exhibition," and ordered the promoter to pay both fighters' purses. The Boston Globe, however, believed the fight was legitimate, suggesting that Jones's long arms against Fields's preference for close-range fighting made it appear as if the boxers were trying to avoid blows.

In their fourth encounter, Fields secured a decisive victory in a non-title bout on January 24, 1930, over Vince Dundee, Joe Dundee's brother, in a ten-round unanimous decision at Chicago Stadium. Dundee was knocked down four times in the third round but bravely endured all ten rounds, mounting a comeback in the late stages. In the third, Dundee was down for counts of eight and nine, and was saved by the bell as he hit the canvas at the end of the round. Fields was awarded five rounds, with three for Dundee and two even. Fields had previously defeated Vince Dundee in three other ten-round points decisions: on October 2, 1929, in Chicago, and in two meetings in Los Angeles on April 17 and February 14, 1928.

Fields experienced his first loss in two years on February 22, 1930, against Young Corbett III in a ten-round decision in San Francisco. Fields was disoriented by Corbett's left-handed stance and fell behind in the early rounds. Although he rallied strongly late in the bout, the referee still believed Corbett held a points lead. Since Corbett was 2 lb ^{(2 lb)} over the welterweight limit, Fields's title was not on the line. Fields regained his form two months later with a fourth-round technical knockout (TKO) against future welterweight champion Tommy Freeman before 8,000 fans in Cleveland. While Freeman had the advantage in the first two rounds and dazed Fields with a right to the nose in the third, Fields delivered a right early in the fourth that severely cut Freeman's lip, preventing him from continuing.

4.3. First title loss

Before a crowd of 14,000, Jackie Fields lost his NBA world welterweight title to Young Jack Thompson on May 9, 1930, in a fifteen-round points decision at Detroit's Olympia Stadium. Fields accumulated a points lead in the early rounds, but Thompson mounted a strong comeback with jabs and uppercuts in close fighting, which significantly wore down the reigning champion. In the seventh round, Thompson's rights to the jaw sapped Fields's strength, and a straight left opened a cut under his right eye. By the eleventh round, an exhausted Fields was frequently clinching. By the thirteenth, Fields was nearly defenseless, staggering and then falling into Thompson's arms as the closing bell sounded. In the fourteenth, Fields made a struggling rally, but Thompson's points margin was too great. The referee awarded ten of the fifteen rounds to Thompson, with only three for Fields. Thompson's victory was considered an upset, as Fields had beaten him in their two previous encounters.

4.4. Regaining second world welterweight championship

Fields regained the NBA World Welterweight Championship on January 28, 1932, before an enthusiastic crowd of 11,200, defeating Lou Brouillard in a ten-round unanimous decision at Chicago Stadium. Fields began to build a points lead in the sixth round with vicious lefts and powerful sweeping rights delivered from his hips. He continued his attack in the seventh and eighth rounds, connecting with a wide variety of blows that increased his advantage over the reigning champion. While the tenth round might have slightly favored Brouillard, Fields had amassed a significant points lead and appeared stronger as the final bell sounded, ending the match.

In 1932, Jackie was involved in a car accident outside Louisville, Kentucky, which resulted in a detached retina, a serious injury to his left eye. At this time, Fields had also lost most of his real estate fortune due to the Great Depression, making him reluctant to leave boxing despite his injury. Few knew it, but he had only partial vision in that eye and would fight his subsequent welterweight title bouts with impaired vision. Subsequent operations failed to restore his eyesight, and in 1938, he completely lost vision in that eye. During the early 1930s, Fields also began working with the well-known manager Jack Kearns.

4.5. Second title loss and retirement

Fields lost his NBA welterweight title on February 22, 1933, against southpaw Young Corbett III before 15,000 fans in a ten-round points decision at Seals Stadium in San Francisco. Fields struggled to stop Corbett's leads in close-range fighting and was unable to counter-punch quickly enough as his opponent advanced. He failed to box defensively and remained largely flat-footed throughout the bout, possibly due to fatigue. The first five rounds were dominated by Corbett, although Fields rallied in the sixth with effective shots to the face and body. In the seventh, Corbett stunned Fields four times with close-range lefts to the jaw, slowing him down significantly. In the ninth, Fields made a final effort, pounding Corbett around the ring with a two-fisted attack. Despite this late rally, Fields was unable to overcome his slow start, and the referee awarded only three rounds to Fields, with six going to Corbett.

Three months after losing his welterweight title, Fields won a points decision against Young Peter Jackson in May 1933. Following this victory, he announced his retirement from professional boxing.

5.1. Business and entertainment activities

After losing a significant portion of his real estate investments during the Great Depression, Fields temporarily resided in the German town section of Philadelphia. From 1935 through the 1940s, he worked as a salesman for the Wurlitzer Juke Box company and for Hannah and Hogg Distilleries, a beer manufacturer.

While in Los Angeles, Fields appeared in several films, including Battling Bunyan (1924), The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933), Big City (1937), and Heavyweight Championship of the World: Muhammad Ali vs. Floyd Patterson (1965). He also served as a boxing coach for scenes in the 1934 film Personality Kid. His television appearances included the TV movie Muhammad Ali vs. Ron Lyle (1975), as well as episodes of the programs Wide World of Sports (1969) and Fight of the Week (1961). Beyond acting, Fields utilized his skills in the entertainment industry as a film editor for major studios such as MGM and 20th Century Fox.

5.2. Casino management and public service

In 1957, Fields moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he became a part-owner of the Tropicana Las Vegas casino. Although he eventually sold his ownership interest in the hotel, he continued his association with the Tropicana, serving as its public relations director. In the 1960s, Fields held a prominent position as Chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, overseeing professional boxing and other combat sports in the state.

5.3. Coaching and personal life

In 1965, Fields extended his expertise back to the amateur boxing world by coaching the U.S. boxing team at the Maccabiah Games, an international Jewish multi-sport event.

Regarding his personal life, Fields's first marriage was on August 12, 1931. He and his first wife, Martha Lynn, separated in December 1940, and she was granted a divorce in May 1944. While in Las Vegas, he married his second wife, Marjorie Fields, a former New York model and Las Vegas stage performer. Together, they raised several stepchildren.

7.1. Hall of Fame inductions

Fields's impactful career earned him induction into numerous prestigious boxing and sports Hall of Fames:

• United Savings-Helms Hall of Boxing Fame (1972)
• International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1979)
• World Boxing Hall of Fame (1987)
• International Boxing Hall of Fame (2004)
• Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (1996)

7.2. Overall assessment

Fields is widely regarded as a significant figure in boxing history. The statistical boxing website BoxRec lists him as the #19 ranked welterweight of all-time. He was recognized as a good player with powerful punches and exceptional stamina, though his reigns as a world champion were often short-lived.

8.1. Official record

8.2. Unofficial record

This record includes newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.