Mike Rossman - Life and Career

Life and Career

Rossman was born in Turnersville, New Jersey. His real name is Michael Albert DePiano – Rossman is his mother's maiden name, which he uses rather than his father's as part of an 'appeasement agreement.' Rossman's father was Italian, and his mother Jewish.

He began boxing at the age of 14, and had 23 amateur bouts before turning pro on August 10, 1973. Illegally, he won 22 pro fights in a row (he was not yet the requisite age to be a pro boxer).

Rossman beat such standouts as Mike Nixon, Mike Quarry (twice), Christy Elliott, and Gary Summerhays before getting a shot at the light heavyweight championship of the world against Argentine Victor Galindez.

The championship was contested in a bout on the undercard of an Ali-Spinks rematch in September 1978. The bout was in front of the largest crowd ever up to that time to see a bout indoors. Many thought Galindez would defeat him, but Rossman opened up cuts over Galindez's eyes and continued fighting until near the end of the 13th round, when the referee stopped the fight, and Rossman became world champion.

Rossman made one successful defense before his hometown Philadelphia fans in December of the same year, stopping Italian challenger Aldo Traversaro in the fifth round after opening a wound on Aldo's forehead with a left hook.

Later, after losing the title back to Galindez in 1979 (see below), his career declined as he lost several matches; he never again fought a title match. He fought into the early 1980s, and perhaps the biggest name he faced in post-championship status was the upstart Dwight Braxton (today known as Dwight Muhammad Qawi), who defeated him in seven rounds in May 1981.