1. Benny Leonard's father struggled to support a wife and eight children by working twelve-hour days in a garment sweatshop at twenty dollars a week.
124 Facts About Benny Leonard
1. 2.
Benny Leonard took the Americanized name Benny Leonard to prevent his parents from discovering he had taken up professional boxing to earn extra money for them and himself.
3.
Benny Leonard was known for his speed, lightning reflexes, excellent boxing technique, and ability to think fast on his feet.
4.
Benny Leonard was defeated only six times in his career and was held to a draw on few occasions.
5.
Benny Leonard debuted his boxing career on a Saturday in November 1911, losing in three rounds at the Fondon Athletic Club in New York.
6.
Benny Leonard won 12 of his next 18 bouts which included three no-decisions, establishing a reputation as a good local fighter before meeting Canadian Frankie Fleming in May 1912.
7.
Benny Leonard was knocked out for only the second time in his career.
8.
Benny Leonard lost a rematch with Fleming 16 months later.
9.
Apparently Benny Leonard had learned Houck's strategy after a previous loss to him one year earlier on September 27,1913, in a ten-round newspaper decision in Atlantic Garden, New York.
10.
Benny Leonard defeated Portuguese boxer Joe Azevedo on November 19,1915, in Azevedo's hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York, outpointing him in all rounds but the first which was even.
11.
On December 17,1915, Benny Leonard knocked out Joe Mandot in the seventh round of a ten-round bout in Harlem.
12.
On his second attempt to rise in the seventh, Benny Leonard administered a stinging right to Mandot that put him down for the count.
13.
Benny Leonard was said to have "caught punches in the air", blocked Rocky's returns, dealt frequent stunning lefts, and shot his powerful right.
14.
Benny Leonard dodged several of Kansas's punches with rapid and beautifully executed shifts of his torso demonstrating his superior speed and reflexes By the close of the tenth, Kansas was groggy.
15.
Benny Leonard then reeled off a string of 15 straight victories, interrupted by two draws, which earned him the chance to meet Freddie Welsh for the lightweight championship on March 3,1916.
16.
Benny Leonard met Jimmy Murphy On February 21,1916, and won decisively in a sixth-round knockout in Philadelphia.
17.
Benny Leonard outpointed Murphy throughout the six round contest landing more and better blows.
18.
On March 13,1916, Benny Leonard defeated Sam Robideau in a six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia.
19.
Benny Leonard had the edge in the first five rounds using his characteristic ringcraft to outmaneuver and outbox Conifrey who still returned a few punches of his own.
20.
On January 22,1917, Benny Leonard beat Eddie Wallace in a six-round newspaper decision before a substantial crowd of 6,000 in Philadelphia.
21.
Benny Leonard worked in machine-like form, crashing stunning punches to the head of Wallace, who had little in the way of an effective defense.
22.
Benny Leonard is a brainy fighter but I know then that his brain wasn't in control.
23.
Benny Leonard displayed sportsmanship, humility, consideration for others, and the ability to articulate the qualities that endeared him to the Jewish community of New York, and made him a great draw and a role model to many of his fans.
24.
On June 4,1917, Benny Leonard defeated Joe Welsh in a six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia.
25.
Benny Leonard threw lightning jabs in the fifth, though their speed did not give him time to set for power.
26.
Nelson was a strong boxer, but he was ineffective against the speed, timing and ringcraft of Benny Leonard who was able to land more powerful punches throughout the bout.
27.
On July 25,1917, Benny Leonard defeated Johnny Kilbane, reigning world featherweight champion from 1912 to 1923, at Shibe Park in Philadelphia in a third-round technical knockout.
28.
Twenty seconds into the round, Benny Leonard landed a crossing right to the chin that put Kilbane against the ropes, then two more rights put him on his knees.
29.
Benny Leonard officially defended the title against six different boxers over the next eight years.
30.
Benny Leonard defeated Leo Johnson on September 21,1917, in one of his first defenses of the World Lightweight Title and won convincingly in a first-round technical knockout.
31.
Kirke was first down from a right to the body, and when he arose, Benny Leonard hammered a right hook to the jaw that put Kirke down for the count, only 1:20 into the first round.
32.
On December 12,1917, Benny Leonard defeated Patsy Cline at the Olympia Athletic Club in Philadelphia in a six-round newspaper decision.
33.
Benny Leonard was forced to use speed when he had it in the early rounds to defend against Cline, though the pace of the match slowed somewhat in the fourth, fifth, and sixth.
34.
Benny Leonard was ineffective with his left as a result of the precise right handed blocks of his opponent.
35.
Cline suffered most in the last two rounds when Benny Leonard scored frequent blows against which he could not defend.
36.
Cline excelled most at short range attacks, a more difficult offense to defend, and scored with them occasionally even in the fifth, when Benny Leonard had taken the lead.
37.
Cline prevented Benny Leonard from attacking at long range in most instances in the early rounds by retreating or expert blocking, but in the fifth Benny Leonard scored with a few stiff left jolts, and again dominated in the sixth, where he secured his points margin.
38.
In other benefits Benny Leonard had been reluctant to risk injury to his hands, or bring excessive injury in a match that served the community.
39.
Benny Leonard appeared far superior to Jackson in frequency of punches, defenses, and speed.
40.
Benny Leonard moved easily against Jackson, but threw lefts and rights at will.
41.
Benny Leonard staged a total of four exhibition bouts in 1918 to raise war bonds for America's efforts in WWI.
42.
On September 23,1918, Benny Leonard fought a draw with future British World Welterweight Champion Ted Kid Lewis, another Jewish champion, before an exceptionally large crowd of 20,000 for the World Welterweight Title in Newark, New Jersey.
43.
Benny Leonard was given four of the six rounds, with Kelly taking only the first.
44.
Benny Leonard soundly defeated Portland Jewish lightweight Joe Benjamin on the evening of January 31,1919 in a four-round newspaper decision in San Francisco.
45.
Benny Leonard defeated Harvey Thorpe in Joplin, Missouri, on the evening of March 26,1919, in a ten-round newspaper decision of the Kansas City Star and Kansas City Times.
46.
One reporter gave all ten rounds to Benny Leonard and considered his victory an "easy win".
47.
Benny Leonard had soundly defeated Thorpe earlier in November 1916 in a twelve-round knockout in St Louis.
48.
Benny Leonard defeated fellow Russian-born, New York Jewish lightweight Johnny Clinton, born Morris Elstein, on September 8,1919, at the Arena in Syracuse in a ten-round newspaper decision.
49.
Benny Leonard led throughout the fight, using his left jab and right uppercut effectively and often, demonstrating his ability to adjust his punching combinations to the style of any given opponent as an opening occurred.
50.
Clinton was in the greatest distress in the sixth, when he appeared to be hanging on the ropes on the verge of a knockout instants before the bell, and was nearly floored again in the tenth, when Benny Leonard attempted to finish the bout.
51.
The Pittsburgh Post wrote that Benny Leonard deserved every one of the ten rounds.
52.
Benny Leonard came close to a knockout in three of the rounds.
53.
Benny Leonard had previously defeated Bloom five times with one draw and only one loss according to newspaper decisions.
54.
On November 17,1919, Benny Leonard defeated Lockport Jimmy Duffy in a second-round technical knockout of a fifteen-round match at the Convention Hall in Tulsa.
55.
Benny Leonard defeated Mel Coogan On December 10,1919, in a second-round technical knockout at the fourth regiment armory in Jersey City.
56.
Benny Leonard defeated Red Herring on December 19,1919, in an early sixth-round technical knockout in Memphis, Tennessee.
57.
Benny Leonard outmaneuvered Herring with speed and footwork, slipping the half dozen punches thrown by his opponent, with most going well wide of their mark.
58.
Benny Leonard fought with a deadly left, and sent terrific blows to the head and body.
59.
One minute into the sixth, Benny Leonard backed Herring into a neutral corner and put him on the canvas with three short rights to the jaw, that led the referee to end the bout at 1:10, after Herring attempted to rise after his first count.
60.
One reporter felt Benny Leonard had simply outpunched his opponent in every round, though Dundee put up a stiff defense.
61.
In six previous matches, Benny Leonard had two wins, two losses, and two draws, at least according to the decisions of the more trustworthy newspapers.
62.
On July 5,1920, Benny Leonard defeated Jewish boxer and exceptional Chicago lightweight, Charley White, in a ninth-round knockout before an audience of 12,000 at Benton Harbor, Michigan.
63.
Benny Leonard showed better speed and agility, and used footwork to gain advantages in the angle of his attack.
64.
Benny Leonard had been looking for an opening since the eighth, and found it after he opened White up with his left jab, and dealt the final right cross in the ninth.
65.
Benny Leonard defeated Joe Welling on November 27,1920, before an estimated crowd of 12,000, at Madison Square Garden in a World Lightweight Title match.
66.
Benny Leonard believed they would have enjoyed seeing two more rounds of punishment given to Welling by the reigning lightweight champion.
67.
On September 25,1920, Benny Leonard defeated Pal Moran in a ten-round newspaper decision in East Chicago before a substantial crowd of 10,000.
68.
Only occasionally did Moran break through the champion's defenses, and Benny Leonard always had a remedy.
69.
Benny Leonard scored frequently with swift left jabs and powerful right crosses.
70.
On October 4,1920, Benny Leonard soundly defeated Frankie Britt in Hartford, Connecticut in a five-round technical knockout.
71.
Benny Leonard began cautiously wary of the skills and two inch longer reach of Loughlin, whom he had met previously.
72.
Benny Leonard knocked Loughlin across the ring and staggered him at times, but Loughlin's ability to take punishment repeatedly saved him from a knockout.
73.
Benny Leonard defeated Ritchie Mitchell in six of fifteen rounds on January 14,1921, in a tough world lightweight championship bout in Madison Square Garden.
74.
Atypically, Benny Leonard was down in the first round for a count of nine, when his alarmed seconds applied salts.
75.
On June 6,1921, Benny Leonard defeated future lightweight champion Rocky Kansas in a twelve-round world lightweight title match, before a roaring crowd of 28,000 at a baseball park in Harrison, New Jersey, winning by newspaper decision.
76.
Only in the eighth, ninth, and twelfth, did Benny Leonard go on the aggressive.
77.
On November 22,1921, Benny Leonard defeated Sailor Friedman in Philadelphia in a ten-round newspaper decision of the top three newspapers in the area.
78.
Benny Leonard defeated Tim Droney on December 20,1921, at the Ice Palace in Philadelphia in an eight-round decision of three leading Philadelphia newspapers.
79.
Oddly, Benny Leonard leapt in the air in a few instances to avoid the blows of Droney, and though the move was effective, it was done primarily to amuse the crowd.
80.
Benny Leonard was said to display "wonderful ring work, and amazing speed".
81.
Droney fought gamely and remained on his feet throughout the bout, though most reporters believed Benny Leonard could have knocked him out in the final rounds, as he was defenseless by the seventh and eighth.
82.
Benny Leonard defeated Rocky Kansas again on February 10,1922, in a fifteen-round unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden.
83.
Benny Leonard had a more difficult time with the fight than in their previous meeting, as Kansas was the aggressor throughout the match, and Benny Leonard had trouble when fighting at close quarters.
84.
On May 19,1922, Benny Leonard defeated Hungarian born Jewish boxer Soldier Bartfield, originally Jacob Bartfedlt, in a four-round points decision at Madison Square Garden.
85.
Benny Leonard seriously affected Bartfield with an uppercut to the chin in the fourth round, one of his most telling and lightning fast blows.
86.
In three previous meetings in 1919, Benny Leonard had gained significant margins against Bartfield in matches in the Northeast.
87.
Benny Leonard lost the fight when he was disqualified for hitting Britton when he was down in the thirteenth round.
88.
On July 27,1922, Benny Leonard defeated fellow Jewish boxer Lew Tendler in a twelve-round newspaper decision in Jersey City in a lightweight world title match, that may have been the most remarkable bout of his career.
89.
Tendler never delivered the follow-up knockout blow, and Benny Leonard, getting time to recover, dominated the next seven rounds.
90.
Benny Leonard excelled in the speed and precision of his attack, while still managing to ward off most of his opponents blows, particularly Tendler's strong left.
91.
Benny Leonard defeated Pinky Mitchell on May 29,1923, in a ten-round technical knockout in Chicago.
92.
Mitchell was the reigning world light welterweight champion from 1922 to 1926, and Benny Leonard's win signaled another victory against a world champion, though the fight was not a title fight.
93.
Immediately afterwards, Pinkie's brother Ritchie believed a foul had been committed, claiming Benny Leonard had hit Pinky when he was down on one knee on the mat, but the referee disagreed.
94.
The Buffalo Courier wrote that Benny Leonard was in the motions of hitting Pinky when he was on one knee, but that the referee waved him away before the blow occurred.
95.
Benny Leonard soundly defeated Andy Hart on July 9,1923, before a record crowd near 30,000, in a resounding newspaper win at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.
96.
Benny Leonard defeated Johnny Mendelsohn On September 7,1923, in an eight-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia.
97.
Nonetheless, at points in the bout, Mendelsohn delivered a few left hooks and right swings, that landed well on Benny Leonard and showed he was not facing a novice.
98.
Benny Leonard announced his retirement from boxing on January 15,1925, as the reigning World Lightweight Champion partly because his mother wanted him to leave boxing due to her failing health.
99.
Benny Leonard lost most of his considerable fortune from real estate investments, boxing, and his work as an actor, in the stock market crash of 1929.
100.
Benny Leonard hoped eventually he would have a big payday with a top rated opponent.
101.
Boxing as a welterweight on May 16,1932, Benny Leonard won a knockout only 45 seconds into the second round from Jewish boxer Marty Goldman, another product of New York's lower East Side.
102.
Benny Leonard's final blow was a short but powerful right to the jaw, which was preceded by a brief flurry of jabs.
103.
Benny Leonard sustained cuts to both his eyes, but fought with great technique throughout the bout and had Saviola on the verge of a knockout by the final round.
104.
On June 16,1932, Benny Leonard defeated Billy Angelo, before a crowd of around 10,000 at the Baker Bowl in Philadelphia.
105.
Benny Leonard was down in his weight, and had likely trained hard for the bout.
106.
Shapiro was far from a lightweight contender and his record after the Benny Leonard fight was quite poor.
107.
Benny Leonard defeated Billy Townsend on July 28,1932, at Queensboro Stadium in Long Island in a ten-round points decision before a sizable crowd of 6000.
108.
Benny Leonard attacked Townsend with left hand jabs and strong right hand smashes that staggered Townsend in several rounds and pushed the judges to a unanimous decision.
109.
Benny Leonard's knees dropped, but he clutched Townsend around the waist, whispered into his ear, and clutched long enough to recover.
110.
Benny Leonard completed the bout well ahead on points, despite a closer tenth round.
111.
Benny Leonard found his payday on October 7,1932, but it ended his career when he was knocked out after 6 rounds by future champion, Irish-Canadian boxer Jimmy McLarnin.
112.
Only two minutes into the first round, Benny Leonard connected with a right to McLarnin's chin, and his knees brushed the canvas for an instant.
113.
The $15,000 Benny Leonard received from the bout helped to ease his financial burden, and he married his secretary, Jacqueline Stern the following year.
114.
Benny Leonard worked as a front man for National Hockey League owner Bill Dwyer of the New York Americans, who had secretly purchased the Pittsburgh Pirates of that league.
115.
Benny Leonard was supposed to appear as if he owned the team.
116.
Also, sometime during his career, Benny Leonard advertised Harley Davidson motorcycles on press ads.
117.
Benny Leonard worked as an after dinner speaker and lecturer after leaving boxing in 1925.
118.
Benny Leonard appeared in the vaudeville musical Battling Butler in 1927.
119.
Benny Leonard appeared in The Come-Back, and Hitting Hard.
120.
Benny Leonard lost the vast majority of his fortune in the stock market crash of 1929.
121.
In 1943, Benny Leonard worked as a boxing referee and continued in that endeavor after the war, with the majority of his bouts in New York and Philadelphia.
122.
Benny Leonard toppled to the canvas, and died in the ring.
123.
Benny Leonard was interred at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Glendale, New York.
124.
Benny Leonard was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Hall of Fame, the International Boxing Hall of Fame, the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, and the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame.