He earned a shot at middleweight champion Tony Zale by defeating such contenders as Billy Soose, Teddy Yarosz, and Lou Brouillard.

Furr was rated the number six welterweight in the country in a standing released by the National Boxing Association (NBA) the following month.

[10] On April 28, 1939, Abrams defeated Harry Balsamo in the main event at New York's Hippodrome in an eight-round points decision.

[2] The Italian Flatbush native Pimpinella, also a New York Golden Gloves winner, fought such boxing greats as Lew Tendler, British born champion Jack "Kid" Berg, Billy Soose, and Fritzie Zivic, as well as sharing some of the opponents Abrams had fought including Phil Furr.

Vigh was known as a very hard puncher and was a top New York-based world rated Middleweight contender between 1941 and 1942, rising as high as second in some standings.

[2][15] On September 9, 1940, lost to Polish boxer Henry Chmielewski at 160 pounds at the auditorium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in a ten-round points decision.

[17] Boxing at 160, On March 7, 1941, he defeated Coley Welsh, a Polish middleweight, at Madison Square Garden in an eight-round points decision.

Abrams took a formal furlough from his Naval Reserve Station to attend the bout, already serving as a Boatswain's Mate prior to America's official entry into the WWII.

[18] He met Gary, Indiana native Tony Zale in Madison Square Garden in a World Middleweight Championship match on November 28, 1941, before a crowd of nearly 10,000.

Abrams was already serving in the Navy at an air station in Jacksonville, Florida as a boxing Boatswain's Mate under the invitation of Lt.

[4][20] Rushed to Polyclinic Hospital across the street from his bout with Zale, a doctor felt his eye injury was severe enough to consider surgery to remove it.

[6][2] Hoping for a rematch with Zale, WWII intervened, and Abrams served in the Navy where he performed physical training for recruits and boxed in over 200 exhibition bouts.

[4] When Abrams was discharged from the Navy in 1946, he fought several tune up fights, though was slowed somewhat in his return to the ring by a kidney operation.

Abrams lost a close ten round decision on December 6, 1946, though it was a unanimous ruling among the judges, who included Ruby Goldstein.

Cerdan had not lost a match on points or by knockout in 97 previous bouts and was considered to be the greatest European boxer of the era.

[6][22] On May 16, 1947, he lost a split ten round decision before a crowd of 15,000, against Sugar Ray Robinson, the reigning welterweight world champion, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The shorter armed but heavier Abrams was able to maneuver inside of Robinson's longer reach keeping much of the fighting at close quarters.

The crowd voiced their disapproval of the final ruling, and the Associated Press gave Abrams a slight edge in the bout in contrast with the decision of the referees.

[23][24] In a second match with Steve Belloise on July 11, 1947, Abrams lost in a fifth-round technical knockout at Madison Square Garden.

[25] On November 17, 1947, Abrams lost to Fred Apostoli, also a former navy veteran, in a close ten round mixed decision at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

[26][27] Abrams lost to Anton Raadik in a tenth round technical knockout on April 21, 1948, at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois.

[2] Abrams had defeated Raadik the previous year in a tough battle on April 11, in a ten-round unanimous decision before a crowd of 13,000 at Chicago Stadium.

[28] After retiring from boxing in 1948, Abrams attempted unsuccessfully to make a living as an illustrator in Brooklyn, New York, drawing portraits.

After living for a while in Florida in the late 1950s where he parked cars in Miami Beach, he eventually settled down in Las Vegas where he worked as a security guard at the Tropicana.