Ross, Ron – Bummy Davis Vs. Murder Inc., The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia and an Ill-Fated Prizefighter

Description

Ross, Ron ‘Bummy Davis Vs. Murder Inc., The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia and an Ill-Fated Prizefighter’ 2005 1st ed. 418 pages. Interesting read. VG/VG (3) $20 each.

The first edition hardcover of Bummy Davis vs. Murder, Inc., written by boxing insider and historian Ron Ross, PhD, was published in late 2003 by St. Martin’s Press in New York. Subtitled The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia and an Ill-Fated Prizefighter, this 418-page volume is a gritty, heavily detailed biography written in a sharp, Damon Runyonesque street-smart style.
(Note: While the hardcover originally debuted in November 2003, it was broadly circulated into bookshops throughout 2004 and 2005, alongside its subsequent paperback printings).

Book Synopsis & Editorial Focus:
The narrative follows the tragic, high-stakes trajectory of Al “Bummy” Davis (born Albert Abraham Davidoff, 1920–1945), a wildly popular Jewish prizefighter from the working-class streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn. Ross paints Davis not as a criminal, but as an unwitting pawn caught between his spectacular boxing career and the dangerous reality of the 1920s and 30s Jewish mob.
Key thematic areas of Ross’s study include:
• The Shadow of Murder, Inc.: Because Bummy’s older brother, Willie Davidoff, was a trusted bagman for syndicate kingpin Louis “Lepke” Buchalter, Bummy could never escape the orbit of the mob. Ross details the terrifying realities of the neighborhood where pushcart vendors operated alongside lethal contract killers like Abe “Kid Twist” Reles and Harry “Pittsburgh Phil” Strauss.
• Victim of the Press: Despite repeatedly trying to stand up to mob control and earn an honest living in the ring, the mainstream press and sports columnists repeatedly demonized Davis, painting him as a dirty, low-life gangster to satisfy the public’s thirst for clear-cut villains.
• The Final Stand: The biography builds to Davis’s ultimate redemption in November 1945. While sitting in a Brooklyn bar he had recently purchased, four armed robbers from the remnants of Murder, Inc. walked in. True to his streetfighter nature, Davis fought back, shooting the gunmen before being fatally struck by their return fire—dying a local hero.

Physical Design & First Edition Features:
• Original Retail Price: The book originally debuted with a retail price of $26.95 printed on the front flap of the dust jacket.
• Binding & Boards: Bound in sturdy publisher’s cloth boards with the title and author details stamped onto the spine.
• Dust Jacket: The paper dust jacket features a striking, atmospheric retro design. It frames a dramatic, vintage black-and-white archival photograph of Al “Bummy” Davis in a classic boxing stance, emphasizing his combat-ready intensity.
• Pagination: Comprises exactly 418 pages printed on standard trade stock, including internal illustrations and backmatter.
• First Edition Identification: True first printings display the St. Martin’s Press name and a 2003 copyright date, accompanied by the ISBN-10: 0312306385.