On July 30, 1941, Abrams defeated Billy Soose at Madison Square Garden in a ten-round unanimous decision. Abrams took a formal furlough from his Naval Reserve Station to attend the bout, already serving as a Boatswain's Mate prior to America's official entry into the WWII. Soose held the World Middleweight Championship recognized in New York and California, having previously taken it in May against Ken Overlin. Before he took the title, Soose had already lost to Abrams twice. One organization, "The American Federation of Boxing", recognized Abrams as World Middleweight Champion after his July 1941 win over Soose, but the organization lacked authority to sanction the title. According to the "Decatur Daily Review", Abram's win was fairly decisive, though unfortunately for Abrams, Soose's World Middleweight Title was not on the line, probably since Soose was over the Middleweight limit at 164 pounds. He met Gary, Indiana native Tony Zale in Madison Square Garden in a World Middleweight Championship match on November 28, 1941 before a crowd of nearly 10,000. Abrams was already serving in the Navy at an air station in Jacksonville, Florida as a boxing Boatswain's Mate under the invitation of Lt. Commander Gene Tunney, and required a pass to meet Zale in New York. Despite knocking down Zale in the first round, a poke in the eye from Zale's glove in the second left him with pain and blurred vision. From the fourth round on, he fought with his left eye nearly closed. Blood from a cut opened above his right eye in the third from an accidental head butt from Zale caused additional vision problems from blood that dripped from the wound. Despite fighting half blind, Abrams fought courageously for fifteen rounds, taking the sixth round due to a low blow from Zale, and the eighth when he staggered Zale with a hard right to the jaw. The Associated Press actually placed Abrams with the win at eight rounds to Zale's seven. He lost in a somewhat close match, due to the incessant body attacks of Zale in the late rounds, particularly the ninth where he received a severe two handed attack to the midsection. Rushed to Polyclinic Hospital across the street from his bout with Zale, a doctor felt his eye injury was severe enough to consider surgery to remove it. The Abrams family declined, and Georgie recovered full vision. After recuperating for six months, he returned to boxing and defeated Steve Mamakos in a ten-round points decision on May 25, 1942.