Bruce Strauss

Bruce Strauss (born February 6, 1952) is an American retired boxer who competed in the middleweight division, his nickname was The Mouse. He achieved notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s after fighting, and generally losing, to a wide variety of opponents, with him also being known for his cheery, easy-going personality. His life was made into the well-received 1997 comedy-drama film The Mouse, in which he was portrayed by actor John Savage.

Generally a middleweight using a "colorful" fighting style, Strauss opened his career on June 1, 1976, with a four-round decision win over Gary Maize (also listed as "Gary Maiza") in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He has estimated that he has fought over 300 times over the years, with most matches taking place through using aliases and other forms of subterfuge to get around rules. His long career took him to multiple continents and saw him facing a large group of opponents.

Career and personal life

First dubbed "Mousie" during his school years in New Milford, New Jersey, Strauss began intensive bodybuilding while in high school. From his early boxing days, he was often described as a "journeyman", a title given to fighters who typically fight anyone and anywhere, often on short notice. Nevertheless, he became famous around boxing circles because of the number of fights he lost by knockout. Officially, he lost 28 fights by knockout out of a total of 53 losses, but it has been estimated that, combined with his fights using the Ruben Bardot alias, he might have actually lost more than 150 fights by knockout. He himself has made mockery of his knockout loss number, stating that he is "probably the only boxer in history that has lost by knockout on every continent."

He once joked that the only reason that he hadn't fought and lost in Antarctica was that he hated being cold. In a 1990 Kayo boxing cards set, he posed while sitting on the canvas, with black make-up covering his eye, as he held on to a ring rope. As stated before, he would sometimes use the alias of "Ruben Bardot" to obtain fights.

Strauss has revealed that he got around rules forcing boxers to wait a certain amount of time, over a month, before fighting again by measures such as donning disguises and filling his pockets with lead to change his weight class. The book Boxing in America: An Autopsy labeled him a "colorful" fighter that became "something of a legend". It remarked as well that he "made a habit of doing whatever it took to survive at times", noting how Strauss once quipped to a referee upset with Strauss' unfair low blows that "Well, it ain't fair that he's better than me, neither."

A 1997 article in The New York Times described Strauss as a "tireless but inept 'professional opponent'", while also comparing him to "the stock caricature of the cuddly loudmouthed palooka." The newspaper also stated, "For Bruce, losing isn't just a reliable way of make a living, it's his personal philosophy." Strauss has declared that most of his matches weren't done in his own name, having fought (and mostly lost) more than three hundred times in his long career in his estimation.

His career began on June 1, 1976, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, when Strauss debuted as a professional boxer. Outpointing Gary Maize (also listed as 'Gary Maiza') after four rounds, he soon set off on the road. His first official knockout defeat came at the hands of Mauricio Aldana on January 10, 1979, fighting in Las Vegas. Strauss also lost fights by knockout in Africa (Cameroon, South Africa), Europe (France, Germany, and Italy), South America (Peru), and Oceania (Fiji). It is unclear whether he actually lost a fight by knockout in Australia or Asia under the "Ruben Bardot" alias.

Strauss fought a number of top challengers and world champions in the middleweight division, including Charlie Weir, Bobby Czyz, Eckhard Dagge, Al Ford, Billy Collins, Mike McCallum, Marlon Starling, David Braxton, and Davey Hilton, among others. He also fought former World Lightweight Champion Harry Arroyo.

His last official fight was a six-round decision win over Terry Jesmer on November 24, 1989. The match took place in Bismarck, North Dakota inside the city's Civic Center.

Strauss officially has a record of 78 wins, 53 losses, and 6 draws (ties), although it has also been reported as 77 wins compared to 53 losses and 6 ties. He is additionally reported to have, officially, 55 knockout wins and 28 knockout losses. As remarked before, he typically fought as a middleweight and used an orthodox stance.

In 1997, a movie was released based on his career entitled The Mouse, in which actor John Savage portrayed him. Written and directed by Dan Adams, the comedy-drama film also starred actress Angelica Torn as Mary Lou Strauss, the Mouse's wife. The movie received praise from publications such as The New York Times. Also featuring comedian Rip Torn, the film featured a number of cameo appearances from well-known boxers such as Randall "Tex" Cobb, Ray Mancini, Vito Antuofermo, and Sean O'Grady.

See also

• Journeyman (boxing)

External links

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