Jack Root, Champion of Yesteryear
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
His real name was Janos Ruthaly, and he was the most famous fighter ever to come out of the Czech Republic. Between 1897 and 1906, Jack Root was 47-3-3 with 28 knockouts, retiring at age 29. Root’s last win was a ten round decision over Fred Russell in Kalamazoo, Michigan in February 1906. Root debuted in February 1897 with a fourth round knockout over Charles Upton. Root would fight (officially or unofficially) for the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight titles at different times, sort of the Roy Jones Jr. of long ago.
Root’s ten round decision victory over Charles Kid McCoy in Detroit, Michigan, in April 1903 is generally recognized as the first official World light heavyweight championship contest. Root got knocked out by Marvin Hart in January 1905 in the twelfth round of a vacant world heavyweight title bout which was refereed by James Jeffries, the retiring champion.
In November 1903, Root scored an eighth round knockout over heavyweight contender Fireman Jim Flynn, who had knocked out Jack Dempsey. Root served the United States honorably as a lieutenant in the World War I, and later became president and manager
of the Los Angeles Olympic Auditorium.
Root, who died at age 87 in June 1963 in Chicago, Illinois where he resided, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2011.
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