[8.9] BENNY LEONARD 219-183(70)-24-8-4 [Welterweight & Lightweight]: Robert Rockaway - Encyclopaedia Britannica - Boxing News online - Cox’s Corner online -
The most famous Jew in America in the 1920s was Benny Leonard. He was undefeated lightweight champion from 1917 to 1925. And why did the Jewish community love him? Because he carried a photo of his mother in his trunks. Robert Rockaway, Jewish mob expert
Benny Leonard, byname of Benjamin Leiner (born April 7 1896 New York; died April 18 1947 New York), American world lightweight (135 lbs 61.2 kg) boxing champion from May 28 1917 when he knocked out Freddy Welsh in nine rounds in New York City, until January 15 1925 when he retired. He is regarded as one of the cleverest defensive boxers in the history of professional boxing.
A professional fighter from 1911 to 1942, he had 210 bouts, winning 89 (45 by knockouts), with 115 no-decision bouts. He was noted for distracting his opponents by talking to them. Leonard retired after successfully defending the lightweight title seven times and losing on a foul in an attempt to win the welterweight (147 lbs) championship from Jack Britton (26 June 1922). In 1931–32, after several years of inactivity, he had numerous fights in the welterweight division, but he retired again after being knocked out by Jimmy McLarnin on 7 October 1932. He died while refereeing a bout in the St Nicholas Arena, New York. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Benny Leonard, who reigned as world lightweight champion from 1917 to 1925, was such a great boxer that his position as the best ever at 9st 9lbs was called into question only with the arrival in the 1970s of Roberto Duran.
Even in his own era, Leonard was considered to have surpassed Joe Gans, who bossed the lightweights in the very early 1900s, when the weight limit still fluctuated, and who figured in at least one contest widely acknowledged to have been fixed.
But then Benny was around in the Roaring Twenties, when a world tired of war was ready to enjoy itself, with prize fighting the chief pleasures. Jack Dempsey was Leonard’s near-contemporary as world heavyweight champion (1919-1926) and the likes of Leonard were able to ride on the coattails of the Manassa Mauler. Boxing News online article
Benny Leonard was not only one of the greatest lightweights of all time, he was one of history’s greatest pound for pound fighters. Benny, a Jewish boxer born Benjamin Leiner, turned pro at age 15. He won the World Lightweight Championship at age 21 and held it for nearly 7 years between 1917-1925 when he retired unbeaten as champion while at the peak of his power. His official record is 85-5-1, 121 No Decisions with 69 knockouts. His record with newspaper verdicts, according to one source, is 180-21-6-6 ND (69 KOs).
Al Bodner stated, ‘Leonard had a truly remarkable record. He was one of the greatest master boxers of all time.’
The Ghetto Wizard was a fleet footed mobile boxer with a strong punch and liked to set a fast pace. He had excellent hand speed and was a clever two-handed hitter. He had a piston like left jab, a classic right cross and was an accomplished combination puncher. Leonard also loved to train and never entered the ring in less than top condition. He made a real science of the sport studying feints, shifts, and defensive moves for hours at a time in the gym. He was master who rarely lost a round in the vast majority of his fights.
Gilbert Odd wrote, ‘Leonard was coolness itself in the ring, finishing off a beaten opponent with cold fury, recovering quickly when hurt and talking himself out of trouble. Because he punched correctly he never suffered a hand injury; because he knew how to defend himself, he usually left the ring unmarked, because he kept himself in peak of condition he could travel ten fast rounds and look as fresh as when he started.’
His competition reads like a who’s who of the great fighters of the teens and twenties including: Johnny Dundee (Featherweight champion 1922-1923, 1923-1924 and Junior Lightweight champion 1921-1923 and 1923-1924), the great rope fighter whom he met 8 times; Freddie Welsh (Lightweight champion 1914-1916) from whom he won the title, clever former champion Willie Ritchie (Lightweight champion 1912-1914), Johnny Kilbane (Featherweight Champion 1912-1923), hard hitting Rocky Kansas (Lightweight champion 1925-1926) and the great southpaw Lew Tendler who is considered one of the best fighters to have never won a title. Leonard also defeated top lightweight contenders such as Ritchie Mitchell, Patsy Cline, Joe Welling and left hook artist Charley White.
Leonard was in many ways the Muhammad Ali of the 135-pounders, defeating what Nat Fleischer called, ‘a field of the greatest lightweights that ever appeared at one time in the division.’ When Leonard was fighting there were nearly 90 fight clubs in New York State and 20 fight cards a week in New York City. Boxing in the teens and twenties, along with baseball, was the most popular sport in America. There were more competitors and therefore a larger talent pool. Leonard came along when the Lightweight division was stacked full of highly skilled fighters and punchers and he was the best among them. He fought them all and fought often. The year he won the title he fought 29 times. Leonard was a very smart, clever, and experienced fighter.
Jersey Jones agrees (The Ring magazine July 1947), ‘Leonard was one of the all time greats of the ring. A magnificent boxer, a deadly puncher, a brilliant ring strategist, and an extraordinary showman, Benny had to be a real champion in every sense of the word, to rule over the most formidable array of challengers in the annals of the lightweight division.’
One of Leonard’s toughest opponents was the great southpaw slugger Lew Tendler. On July 27 1922, 60,000 screaming fans watched the two great fighters go at it in a 12 round non-title bout. In the first round a powerful left rocked Leonard. In the third Leonard’s nose was bleeding. In the 8th Lew dropped Benny to one knee. Leonard was in trouble but Benny started talking to him and convinced him he wasn’t hurt. Lew hesitated and Benny survived the round. It went the distance to a 12 round no-decision but Leonard would later say that Lew gave him ‘the worst licking I ever had in my life the first time we fought.’ In the rematch, for the championship the following year, Leonard proved he had learned his lesson.
Hype Igoe, wrote, NY World July 25 1923, ‘Benny Leonard is the brainiest of all boxers.’ In the second Tendler fight, penned Igoe, ‘Leonard worked in circles around and toward the back of Tendler’s southpaw left so that Tendler was always shifting to get set again.’
Leonard kept the southpaw off-balance and then countered effectively. ‘It was the finest job from any angle of boxing that this writer ever saw … and I don’t expect to see it duplicated.’ Leonard easily won the 15 round decision and retained his title.
Ray Arcel, one of the greatest trainers of all time, concurs on Leonard’s ability to out-think his opponents: Peter Heller’s In the Corner, ‘Boxing is brains over brawn. I don’t care how much ability you got, if you can’t think your just another bum in the park. People ask me who’s the greatest boxer I ever saw pound for pound. I hesitate to say, either Benny Leonard or Ray Robinson. But Leonard’s mental energy surpassed anyone else’s.’
Arcel continued, ‘Benny Leonard was a picture. He was the one fighter who I felt could name the round with anybody. He could make you do the things you didn’t want to do. If you were a counterpuncher he would make you lead. If you were aggressive he would make you back up. He knew where to hit you … If you look at his record you will see he always fought good fighters. If you didn’t know how to fight, nobody would match you with Benny Leonard.’
Nat Fleischer agrees: ‘Leonard had a hair-trigger brain. As he shifted about the ring, the fans could almost read his thoughts as he mapped out his plans of attack. An opponent had to be ever on the alert to avoid a quick knockout. Leonard knew his trade; knew it so thoroughly that almost invariably he could ‘call his shots’, if and when the occasion warranted.’
Bob Mee adds, ‘Benny was a master boxer, a genius who completed his art and yet still went on re-inventing it. His simple message was, ‘Think. Learn how to think!’
No opponent could ever make a mistake with Benny, for one mistake often meant a sudden end. Leonard in a bout against Featherweight champion Johnny Kilbane noticed in their first meeting that, ‘Johnny’s a great boxer, tricky as they make them. But I know just how and when to beat him. He has a double feint shift, but he leaves himself open for a flash of a second and that’s when I’ll get him.’ Benny nailed him in the third and took Kilbane just as he predicted. It was the first time the clever Featherweight champion had ever been knocked out.
What Leonard could do when he turned on the heat was aptly demonstrated in his bout with Leo Johnson, one of the best black lightweights of the era. Leonard took a lot of pride in going through an entire bout without ever having his hair messed up. Someone suggested to Johnson that he go right up to Leonard and put his hand on his head and mess up his hair in order to infuriate him and get him off his game plan. Johnson did just that as the fighters met at ring center. When Johnson recovered consciousness he was told that it was one of the quickest knockouts of Leonard’s career.
One time heavyweight threat Harry Wills said, The Ring magazine May 1948, ‘Benny Leonard was the best little man I ever saw. He liked to show his speed and outbox the other fellow. He also had a natural right hand … I picked Benny to beat Freddie Welsh, who was a very clever boy, Benny woke up to his right that night and knocked Welsh out.’
Many of his opponents commented that they were surprised by his hitting power. He won the title against Freddie Welsh on a 9th round knockout. It was the only time in 167 pro fights that Welsh was ever knocked out.