Notable opposition Levinsky was a rated heavyweight whose biggest wins came against ex-heavyweight champion
Jack Sharkey on a 10-round decision, and ex-lightheavyweight champion
Tommy Loughran, also on a decision. He was defeated twice by
Primo Carnera, and also lost to
Max Baer. Although he never fought for the title, Levinsky faced all of the top fighters of his era. Levinsky is best remembered for "freezing" in his fight with
Joe Louis, who knocked him out in the first round. On February 18, 1931, Levinsky also fought a 4-round exhibition with
Jack Dempsey. Dempsey had embarked on a tour of exhibition bouts and was contemplating a comeback. The Levinsky fight convinced him that he was through as a fighter. On November 19, 1935 Levinsky lost to professional wrestler
Ray Steele in a boxer versus wrestler match in St. Louis, Missouri.
Marketability A May 1932
Time Magazine article stated: "If you defined the efficiency of a prize-fighter by his ability in the ring, Harry Krakow ('Kingfish Levinsky') would not rate better than tenth among U. S. heavyweights. Last year he had 15 fights, won only eight. If you defined efficiency as a fighter's ability to earn money at his trade, Kingfish Levinsky might rank as best fighter in the U. S. In the last 15 months, gates at his fights with Slattery, Griffiths, Carnera, Paulino and an exhibition bout against Jack Dempsey have amounted to $254,124.68. He may this year earn more than Schmeling, Sharkey, Dempsey, Carnera or Schaaf. Kingfish Levinsky's earning power is due partly to an engaging slapstick manner in the ring, an engaging entourage.... It is due partly to the fact that most of Levinsky's fights have been in Chicago, where everyone knows that he grew up on the West Side and entered the fish-peddling business with a pushcart on Maxwell Street." For a portion of his career, Levinsky was managed by his sister Lena (Kraków) Levy.
Life after boxing Levinsky served in the US Army during World War II. In his later years he worked as a tie salesman in Miami Beach, Florida. He was married to
fan dancer Roxana Sand for just over a month in 1934. In 1935, Levinsky became a professional wrestler as Kingfish Levinsky working in the States and Canada until retiring in 1946. ==Professional boxing record==