Scope and Contents

Collection consists of newsclippings, photographs, event programs, correspondence, and a poster documenting the development of amateur boxing in the United States.

Biographical / Historical

Benjamin Levine was born in New York City on November 3, 1888. He was of Jewish origin, his ancestors coming from Germany and Lithuania. In 1902, at the age of 13 he went to work for James E. Sullivan, President of the Metropolitan Amateur Athletic Union in New York. Beginning in 1911, he was a participant in and a witness to the development of amateur sports competition handling and promoting boxers. He staged the first Golden Gloves in 1927 and for many years thereafter. He was the assistant manager of the U.S. boxing teams at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic games. He was an international jurist in boxing at the 1932 Olympics. He worked as an official for the Amateur Athletic Union until he retired in 1963 and served as a consultant until his death in 1978.