A member of the Olympic Club of San Francisco, Sam Berger defeated William Michaels in the semi-finals and Charles Mayer, the middleweight champion, in the finals to win the heavyweight title in the 1904 Olympics. Berger then turned professional. He was expected to be a promising candidate for the heavyweight title but experts claimed he lacked the killer instinct necessary for survival in the ring, and he finished his short-lived pro career with a record of 3 wins and 2 losses. His debut as a professional was a win over Jim Casey in February 1905. He won his first three bouts, and then in 1906 lost a non-title no-decision fight against the reigning world light-heavyweight champion, Philadelphia Jack O’Brien. His last fight was in October 1906 when he lost a 10-round decision to Abe Kaufman. Berger later served as a sparring partner and manager to Jim Jeffries when Jeffries made a comeback late in his career Berger lived in San Francisco and eventually opened and ran a clothing store in that town.
United States