[1] Board, who is Jewish, was managed by his father (Sam Boardman).
[5] On February 7, 1956, at the age of 19, Boardman defeated lightweight champion Wallace "Bud" Smith at the Boston Garden, leading to him being rated # 10 in the world in the lightweight division by Ring.
[6] On April 14, 1956, he beat featherweight champion and later Hall of Famer Sandy Saddler in a unanimous decision in 10 rounds, and moved up to # 7.
[5][7][8][9] Boardman also defeated two other lightweight world champions, Paddy DeMarco and Jimmy Carter.
[5][11] Boardman had a 45–10–1 record in his career, winning 23 of his fights by knockout.