Kid Kaplan

Louis Kaplan (born October 15, 1901 in Kiev, Ukraine – 1970), better known as Kid Kaplan, was a professional boxer in the Featherweight division. He has been described as one of the greatest Ukrainian boxers.

Background

Kaplan and his family emigrated to the United States from the Russian Empire when he was five years old and settled in Meriden, Connecticut. While selling fruit for five cents a day, he began boxing as a teenager at the Lenox Athletic Club in Meriden, and turned professional in 1919.

Professional career

Kaplan began his boxing career in the Connecticut State circuit. At the time, Meriden was an epicenter of boxing in the northeastern United States. Early in his career, Kaplan fought against the popularity of local favorite and former New York State champion Charlie Pilkington. Though they never boxed a professional match against each other, this early rivalry and Pilkington's role as a mentor and sparring partner had much to do with launching Kaplan's very successful boxing career.