He successfully defended the title twice the year he took it, against Charles Ledoux and Tommy Ryan, before losing to Eddie "Cannonball" Martin in a 15-round decision on December 19, 1924.

His widowed mother made a living wheeling a pushcart in New York's Lower East Side, occasionally having to steal rolls from local bakeries to feed her family.

After fighting for three years as an amateur flyweight, Willie Lewis, who usually acted as his promoter, took note of his potential and developed him into an exceptional young contender.

"[10] Perhaps his most important early loss was in a non-title fight with bantamweight champion Joe Lynch in an eleventh-round knockout in Madison Square Garden on November 5, 1920, when Goldstein was substituting for another boxer.

[11][12] On March 31, 1921, he received what might be considered his first title shot against American flyweight champion Johnny Buff, but was knocked out in the second round at the Manhattan Casino in New York.

[3] On November 16, 1922, he lost to Pancho Villa, Filipino holder of the American Flyweight Championship in a fifteen-round bout in Madison Square Garden by unanimous decision.

[15] The two had previously met in a twelve-round bout on June 7, that ended in a newspaper decision for Goldstein, which surprised many who noted Villa's dominance in their November 16 match.

[18][19] The News noted that the capacity crowd of 14,900 at Madison Square Garden witnessed a "stirring, hard fought battle with Goldstein assuming the lead almost from the start, and continuing to pile up points throughout the fifteen rounds."

The News gave only the tenth round decisively to Lynch, who for the first time in the battle landed his signature right hand to the chin of Goldstein.

[20] The result of the fight was not a foregone conclusion in the minds of most fans, as Wilmington's Evening Journal noted that Lynch had been the big favorite on the night of the match.

Famed American sportswriter Damon Runyan wrote of the fight in his typically humorous style that most of the folks in the audience "expected to see Charles Ledoux expire of senility and Goldstein's punches long before the fifteenth."

He defended his title again against Tommy Ryan on September 8, 1924, in Long Island City, in Queens, New York, in a fifteen-round points decision.

According to the times, "In the eighteenth round, Goldstein, working from long range, swung his battery of rights and lefts into action and drove the reeling Ryan about the ring punchdrunk and on the verge of a knockout."

[26] On December 19, 1924, he lost the World Bantamweight title to Eddie "Cannonball" Martin in a split decision in fifteen rounds before a crowd of 15,000 at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Though both boxers, particularly Martin, showed aggressiveness in the bout, one newspaper noted "Goldstein weakened toward the end, and it was only by dint of holding that he saved himself from the Cannonballs's rushes."

The Press wrote that "although the former champion (Goldstein) was not seriously hurt by the fighting, he was unable to return it in any measure and constantly looped his fingers about his opponent's arms to save himself punishment.

On March 19, 1925, immediately after his loss to Martin, Goldstein defeated Tommy Milton in twelve rounds at the Rink Sporting Club in New York.

Goldstein landed the heavier blows, particularly a vicious right to the chin of Tommy in the seventh round that put him on the mat for a count of nine.

[34] On April 23, 1926, Goldstein beat Hall of Fame Black Panamanian boxer Panama Al Brown in ten rounds in New York.

As a result of a reach disadvantage, Brown being four inches taller at 5' 9", Goldstein fought at long distance which improved his chances at defense.