Vic Eisen
flyweight and bantamweight champion

Vic Eisen was one of the most successful amateur flyweight and bantamweight champions ever to compete in the Buffalo area, winning Golden Glove titles in 1944 and 1945 in those two divisions. Born in Union, South Carolina on January 23, 1928, Vic moved to Buffalo with his family when he was in his early teens, and finding school not to his liking, he dropped out and took a job with a local dry cleaning company. It was there that the owner's son; Ralph Campbell, Jr., encouraged him to try boxing, and subsequently he became Vic's first trainer.

Training as did everyone else, in Singer's Gym, Vic got married in 1946 to Louise Winn, and shortly later, turned pro. Competing as a bantamweight, and described by one writer as a "flashy" boxer, Eisen reeled off 4 straight KO wins before suffering a three bout losing streak. This was followed by 7 straight wins in late 1947, including one over hard punching Calvin Leigh, who had been named as The Ring magazine's flyweight "Prospect of the Month", a few months prior. After this win, The Ring promptly named Vic as their bantamweight "Prospect of the Month."

In the following year Eisen continued his win streak with 6 more victories. In January 1949, Vic fought Lee Bohles of Cleveland in what was to become a 4-bout series. Their first bout was a sizzling 6-round draw, and they were immediately rematched for a 10-round co-feature bout. Unfortunately, in this bout Eisen suffered a shoulder injury, and could not continue past the 8th round. Their third fight, 11 months later, resulted in a close win for Bohles, and a month later in Buffalo, they again fought a draw.

During the years 1946-49, Buffalo fight fans were coming out to see mostly heavyweights in the main events, such as Joe and Phil Muscato, Joe Matisi, and Lee Oma, who were all tremendous favorites. Interest in the lighter weight divisions was luke-warm at best. Therefore, following the lead of Tommy Stenhouse, two years earlier, Eisen took a couple of bouts in Australia against the hard hitting Australian bantamweight champion, Elley Bennett. After these losses, Vic retired and moved to Los Angeles, where he lives today. He had a brief unsuccessful come-back in 1955, and finished his career with 21 wins, 13 losses, and 3 draws.

Tonight, Ring # 44 is honored to induct Vic Eisen into the Buffalo Boxing Hall of Fame.