Searching for Victor “Young” Perez: The Boxer of Auschwitz

Actor Tomer Sisley embarks on an obsessive quest in this captivating documentary, hoping to discover the facts about Victor “Young” Perez, a Jewish flyweight boxer who in 1931 at the age of 20 became the youngest fighting champion in the world. Arrested by the Nazis and deported to the Auschwitz death camp, Perez was forced to box for the amusement of the guards even as he suffered many of the same privations as other prisoners. The facts of Perez's life, his accomplishments, and the mystery surrounding his death are all explored in filmmaker Sophie Nahum's documentary, in which Sisley interviews some of the few survivors of Auschwitz who knew Perez and still retain sharp, detailed memories of daily horrors at the camp. Vintage footage of Perez in the ring reveals a champion blessed with ferocious speed and power, a fighter whose promising career was tragically cut short by the Third Reich. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)