Abe "The Newsboy" Hollandersky (December 3, 1888 – November 1, 1966) was an American professional boxer who won the Panamanian national Heavyweight Title when he defeated Californian Jack Ortega in nine rounds in Panama City on May 30, 1913. American congressmen, Naval personnel, and canal workers were among the crowd of nearly two thousand who watched Hollandersky gain victory over an opponent who outweighed him by over thirty-five pounds. The New York Times announced Hollandersky's best known win the following morning.Special Cable "Abe the Newsboy a Champion", The New York Times, pg. 8, New York City, 31 May 1913."Abe the Newsboy, Wins Title", Washington Herald, pg. 5, Washington, D.C., 1 June 1913.

Hollandersky was reputed to have fought an unprecedented 1,039 boxing matches between 1905 and 1918, as well as 387 wrestling matches.Hollandersky, Abe (1958). The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, Published by Abraham Hollandersky, Los Angeles, p. 449.Linthicum, Jesse, A., "Sunlight on Sports", The Baltimore Sun, 13 January 1956. The record of 1,039 bouts from Hollandersky's autobiography was featured for decades in the Guinness Book of World Records, Ripley's Believe it or Not, The Ring Record Book, and hundreds of short newspaper articles made available as Associated Press fillers, appearing most frequently between 1930 and 1970. The most common fight total cited by Hollandersky was 1,039, but as Abe fought additional exhibitions he increased the count, thus a few sources that interviewed him after the publication of his book quote higher totals."The greatest number of fights in a career is 1039 by Abraham Hollandersky, alias Abe the Newsboy, in the fourteen years from 1905 to 1918. He filled in the time with 387 wrestling bouts (1905–16)," McWhirter, Norris and Ross (1968), Guinness Book of World Records, Sterling Publishing Company, New York, New York, p. 372.Ripley gave 1,043 as the total number of career boxing matches in his cartoon shown in Abe's autobiography, Hollandersky, Abe (1937). The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, Published by Abraham Hollandersky, Los Angeles, p 439.

In his role as newsboy to the Navy he met, worked or corresponded with four Presidents, at least two Secretaries of the Navy, and many high-ranking admirals, while documenting his meetings and correspondence. Several sources also credit him with taking an American or World Welterweight Wrestling Championship in December 1907. Hollandersky's claim to the championship was a result of a victory over "Young Roeber" who wrestled frequently in New York and held several wrestling weight division titles.Hollandersky correctly spells wrestler "Young Roeber" and claims he beat him in "Look Who's Here!, 'Tis Newsboy Abe", The Day, New London, Connecticut, pg. 14, 8 January 1909"Young Roeber Challenges", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, p. 15, 12 December 1904Hollandersky beat Young Rober for Welterweight Wrestling Championship, in "Abe the Newsboy Has Good Record", Washington Herald, pg 4, Washington DC, 31 March 1912.In December 1907, Hollandersky won the Welterweight Wrestling Championship of the world by downing Young Rober in a record four hours and eighteen minutes, in Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, pg. 10, Fort Worth, Texas, 23 March 1915.Roeber from Philadelphia, "Roeber Wins", The Reading Daily Times and Dispatch, Reading, PA., pg. 5, 26 March 1904Roeber was a bantamweight and featherweight wrestling champion, "Athletic Events", Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania, pg. 1, 23 April 1904Another source states Hollandersky was welterweight champion, "Wrestler Comes to Columbia", Scranton Republican, pg. 11, Scranton, Pennsylvania, 6 April 1911Abe's 4 hours, 18 minute wrestling record may have taken place at Bower's Minery Theatre, Dec. 1907, in Hollandersky, Abe (1937), The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, Published by Abraham Hollandersky, Los Angeles, Chapter 25, p 436.Abe fought Young Roeber again in 1909 in "Winner Beats Bothner", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 23, 24 April 1909

Early life

Hollandersky was born to Jewish parents Charles and Celia Hollandersky in the small town of Berżniki, in Northeastern Poland bordering on Lithuania, then in the province of Suwałki, Russia. Like many Jewish families in their part of the world, the Hollanderskys struggled to survive in the grips of poverty with little opportunity to improve their fate. Abe held memories of his mother washing clothes barefoot in the snow of Berzniki.

Though his book and the ship's manifest from his first entry into the United States give his birth year as 1888, Hollandersky cited December 3, 1887, as his birth date in his passport application, and other official documents. The ship's manifest for his arrival in the United States in 1899 likely gives the more accurate birth date of 1888, as it was provided by his mother on entry to the United States when Abe was 11. Abe's mother Celia, raised by a religious leader, created strong Old Testament values in Abe that were reflected in the moral tone of much of his autobiography. Celia's father, Mowza (Moses) Finkielsztejn, was a "Podskolnik", a part-time temple leader who could fill in as a Rabbi or teach Hebrew.As witness to the birth of Beyla Majampolski, Moses Finkielsztejn was a Podskolnik, age 50 at the time, approximately born in 1812, from Birth Record of Beyla Marjampolski, 1865, parents Falk Marjampolsky(Later Hollandersky) and Sarah Feyga Finkielsztejn from 1865 birth record stored in Sejny PolandFrom 1865 Marriage Record of Falk Marjampolsky(later Hollandersky), 23, and Sarah Feyga Finkielsztejn, 23, Record from Sejny, Poland Record (Akt 27) of Polish DawoodyFalk Marjampolsky (Hollandersky) marriage record also published in Suwalk Lomza Website Publications, Volume 20, No. 1-2, Sejny Marriage Supplements for 1862–1865Silverman, Marlene, "Hollanderskis in the Chesterfield, CT. Farming Community", Suwalk-Lomza Interest Group, Volume 23, Numbers 3–4, June, 2014, pgs. 1–11 Pogroms, famine, restrictions on career opportunities, the inability to own or purchase property, and highly limited access to public secondary education caused by Tsar Alexander III's May Laws of 1882, encouraged the family to leave Russia. According to Abe's autobiography, many of the residents of Berzniki were evicted from their homes by edict of the Russian government if they could not prove they were land owners.

Flight from Russia, arrival in America According to genealogist Marlene Silverman, Falk Hollandersky, Abe's Uncle, emigrated to America at age forty-three, arriving in New York around 1886 accompanied by his wife Sarah Feyga whom he had married in a small ceremony in Berznicki in 1865. Falk farmed in the summer and in the winter worked in a largely handmade garment and tailoring shop in Chesterfield, Connecticut, specializing in pants. By 1892, in New London, he opened a tailoring and clothing shop with his son-in-law Simon Plattus that eventually included the sale of quality fur coats he often made himself.

Four of Abe's siblings, two boys and two girls, died of malnutrition in Berzniki prior to Abe's departure. Departing Russia around the age of nine or ten, Hollandersky headed to Berlin, Germany and then Manchester, England with his mother Celia and older brother Sol. In Manchester, Celia worked in the textile industry to raise money for passage to America. Manchester was a natural choice as her cousin Solomon Hollandersky, Uncle Falk's son, had already emigrated there before coming to America.Hollandersky, Abe (1958). The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, pg. 126. Published by Abraham Hollandersky, Los Angeles. Hollandersky's father Charles, a tailor, had preceded him to America to find work, at some point plying his trade with his brother Falk in New England. Charles sent money from New England to Abe's mother so his family could eventually afford passage to America, but became blind before they were able to leave Berzniki. Uncle Falk and his wife Sarah Feyga provided parental support to Abe at times in his youth.

Falk Hollandersky's wife Sarah and Abe's mother Celia were sisters, daughters of assistant Rabbi Mowza (Moses) Finkielsztejn (born c. 1812). The two sisters in turn married the Hollandersky brothers Falk and Charles.Falk may have been in New London as early as 1892 in "Falk Hollandersky Passes Away At Age of 94 Years," New London Day, pg. 5, New London, Connecticut, 15 October 1930As evidence that Sarah and Celia Hollandersky were sisters, as witness to the birth of Beyla Marjampolski, Moses Finkielsztejn was a Podskolnik, age 50 at the time, approximately born in 1812, from Birth Record of Beyla Marjampolski, 1865, lists parents, Falk Marjampolsky(Later Hollandersky) and Sarah Feyga Finkielsztejn from 1865 birth record of Beyla Marjampolski stored in Sejny Poland. Secondly, tombstone of Celia (Tsirl) Hollandersky's (In Hebrew) in Ohave Shalom Cemetery, Waterford, CT, states her father's name as Moshe (Moses). Abe's 1931 California Marriage record lists his mother's name as Sarah(Celia) Finkelstein, thus Moses Finkielsztejn was her father, Sarah Hollandersky's (Falk's Wife) English tombstone in Ohave Shalom Cemetery, Waterford, CT, gives her name as Sarah Finkel (Maiden Name), son of Moses or Maiden name Sarah Finkel. Her full maiden name Sarah Finkielsztejn is given in her Sejny, Poland Marriage record of 1865, and we know her father's name was Moses.

Abe, his mother Celia, and brother Sol first arrived in America in 1899. Hollandersky arrived with little or no public schooling. He took boxing training at a local YMCA, and continued to sell newspapers as a youth, having begun by selling them in Manchester, England, around age eight or nine.Hollandersky, Abe (1958). The Life Story of Abe the Newsboy, Hero of a Thousand Fights, Published by Abraham Hollandersky, Los Angeles, pg. 472.Another confirmation of first entry in 1899 in "Navy Sponsors Testimonial Dinner", Navy Times, pg. 82, 27 October 1956.

Youthful trespassing offense in New London By the age of seventeen, Hollandersky was wrestling professionally in New London, and at sixteen, in September 1904, was found guilty of trespassing on the New York, New Haven, and New London Railroad. The New London judge found Abe was the "ringleader of a gang of boys who made themselves a nuisance by hanging around the station," and they may have hitched the occasional ride on the boxcars."Abe the Newsboy Given Warning", The Day, pg. 6, New London, Connecticut, 3 September 1904 For a boy who chose boxing as a profession, this was a minor offense, but Hollandersky may have suffered from a lack of adult supervision having never attended public school, and having a blind father who was limited in the role he could take in his upbringing. The following month, according to The Day, Hollandersky headed Southwest to Louisville, Kentucky where he had family."Newsboy Wrestler Hies to the South", The Day, pg. 2, New London, Connecticut, 24 October 1904

Encounter with President Roosevelt