James Leslie Jacobs (February 18, 1930 – March 23, 1988) was an American handball player, boxing manager, and comic book and fight film collector.
He dropped out of high school before completing his education but excelled at numerous sports, including baseball, basketball, football and handball.
[3] In four-wall handball, Jacobs won his first American singles championship in 1955, defeating Vic Hershkowitz in the final in Chicago.
[6][7] In 1966, Robert H. Boyle of Sports Illustrated wrote: "Jacobs is generally hailed as the finest player of all time.
[8] In 1971, on behalf of the United States government, he toured Germany and England with handballer Simon Singer, giving clinics and exhibitions to Air Force personnel.
"[10] In 1959 Jacobs went into business with fellow collector Bill Cayton, and together they owned the production companies The Greatest Fights of the Century and Big Fights inc.[4] He and Cayton rescued and restored rare films of such fighters as Bob Fitzsimmons, Jack Johnson, Jack Dempsey and James J. Corbett, which might otherwise have been lost forever.
[7][15][16] In 1978 Jacobs and Cayton bought the management contract of world light-welterweight champion Wilfred Benítez from Benitez' father for $75,000 and guided him to two more championships and over $6.5 million in purses.
[20] They also managed Edwin Rosario, who became a three time world lightweight champion, and 1970s middleweight contender Eugene Hart.