This Jewish boxer was forced to fight 76 death matches in Auschwitz.

This Jewish boxer was forced to fight 76 death matches in Auschwitz.

The rules were simple: win or be killed.

He survived against all odds, then faced Rocky Marciano in his final fight.

Here's the untold story that haunted him for the rest of his life:

Let's start with betrayal.

In 1941, 16-year-old Harry Haft was arrested for being Jewish and sent to Auschwitz.

There, he caught the eye of an SS officer named Schneider who saw potential in his build.

What happened next would haunt him forever:

Schneider had a proposition:

Box for the entertainment of Nazi officers.

Win, and get extra food. Lose, and be executed.

For Harry, there was no real choice.

His first opponent was a fellow prisoner from his hometown:

Each Sunday, Harry entered a makeshift ring.

No rounds. No gloves. No rules. Fight until someone couldn't continue.

The loser was executed.

Harry learned quickly: showing mercy meant death for both fighters.

The Nazi guards treated Harry like their prized animal.

Extra food rations, better quarters, special protection.

The cost? He had to brutally defeat fellow prisoners who were already dying from starvation.

Then came his hardest test:

The Nazis had kept a French heavyweight champion healthy just for a match with Harry.

At 5'9", Harry faced a 6'3" giant.

The fight was brutal.

Harry was bleeding heavily but trapped his opponent in a corner, knocking him unconscious.

By 1945, Harry knew his value to the guards was ending.

During a death march, he killed a Nazi guard and escaped into the Bohemian Forest.

76 victories. Countless lives on his conscience.

But his story wasn't over.

Harry fled to America and turned professional.

Not for glory or money - he hoped the publicity would help him find his lost family and girlfriend who'd disappeared in the war.

After winning 12 fights, he caught someone's attention:

Enter Rocky Marciano.

On July 18, 1949, Harry faced the future champion.

The secret?

Mobsters had threatened Harry in the locker room, demanding he take a fall.

The choice was familiar - survive or fight.

Harry started strong, landing body blows in round one.

He went toe-to-toe in round two.

But Marciano knocked him out in the third.

After this loss, Harry retired: 13 wins, 8 losses.

The real battle was just beginning:

The nightmares never left. PTSD consumed him.

He became a fruit vendor in Brooklyn, married, had kids.

But the past haunted him. The anger and depression stayed.

Only in his final years did he break his silence:

Harry spent two days telling his story to his oldest son, Alan.

When asked about regrets, he looked at his aged, twisted fists and said:

"My regrets are the lives that passed through these hands."

Harry Haft's story isn't just about boxing.

It's about survival at an unimaginable cost.

About choices that echo through a lifetime.

And about living with what you had to do to stay alive.