32 Facts About Lew Tendler

Lew Tendler is generally considered one of the best boxers to never have won a world title, though he was a top rated contender for both the world light and welterweight championships.

Lew Tendler is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Lew Tendler began selling newspapers on a city street corner at the age of six, defending his territory from fierce rivals with his fists.

Lew Tendler began boxing as an amateur around twelve, often competing in tournaments at local burlesque houses.

On October 1,1917, Lew Tendler defeated future world junior lightweight champion Johnny Dundee in a close six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia.

Lew Tendler took the lead in most of the fighting, used his reach advantage to dominate at long range, and landed more blows to take the decision.

On March 26,1917, Lew Tendler had previously defeated Dundee in another very close six-round newspaper decision of two Philadelphia papers, though one reporter felt the power of Dundee's blows to the head and body should have won him the decision.

Lew Tendler scored with straight lefts, upper cuts and right crosses, and had the better of much of the fighting.

In two other meetings with Kansas, Lew Tendler won a ten-round newspaper decision on New Years Day, 1919, but dropped a fifteen-round points decision on October 21,1921, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Lew Tendler forced the fighting from the opening round, showed better defense, and gave Jackson a beating in nearly every round.

Lew Tendler defeated Jackson again that year in a fifteen-round points decision in New Haven, and continued to gain victory over Jackson in Philadelphia and Milwaukee by newspaper decisions once a year from 1919 to 1921.

Lew Tendler knocked down Chaney for a count of six in the third round.

Lew Tendler scored best in the first three and final rounds.

Lew Tendler first defeated fellow Jewish boxer Frankie Callahan, another leading contender for the lightweight title, on July 6,1918, in an eight-round newspaper decision in Atlantic City.

In three other meetings, Lew Tendler won a six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia, a ninth-round technical knockout in Boston where Callahan broke his wrist, and a rough fifth-round technical knockout at an open-air arena in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on September 18,1920, where Callahan told his manager he had broken a rib in the second round.

On July 27,1922, Lew Tendler fell to fellow Jewish boxer Benny Leonard in a twelve-round newspaper decision in Jersey City in a lightweight world title match, that may have been the most remarkable bout of Lew Tendler's career.

Lew Tendler never delivered the follow-up knockout blow, and Leonard, getting time to recover, dominated the next seven rounds.

Lew Tendler first defeated Sailor Friedman, a highly rated lightweight, on December 16,1921, in an eight-round newspaper decision at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Lew Tendler floored Friedman four times in the second round in the Garden.

Lew Tendler defeated reigning world light heavyweight champion Pinky Mitchell in their last meeting on February 18,1924, in a close ten-round newspaper decision in Milwaukee.

The Wisconsin State Journal considered the non-title bout slow and wrote that Lew Tendler's blows lacked steam.

Lew Tendler had defeated Mitchell in a previous meeting on May 19,1920, in another ten-round newspaper decision in Milwaukee.

Lew Tendler got his range in the final seven rounds, and won points for taking the offense through most of the bout.

Lew Tendler's defense was exceptional, though Mitchell's defense kept him from harm and he benefited somewhat from greater reach.

Lew Tendler fell to Mickey Walker in a ten-round unanimous decision on June 2,1924, in an attempt at the National Boxing Association world welterweight championship.

Lew Tendler was knocked out only once in his career on January 19,1925, against Jack Zivic in Pittsburgh.

In one of his last bouts with a top talent on July 16,1925, Lew Tendler drew with future world welterweight champion Joe Dundee by decision, in ten fast and hard-fought rounds before 10,000 at Shibe Park in Philadelphia.

Lew Tendler was rocked several times by the younger Dundee's rapid right, and took a serious beating in several rounds.

The more skilled ring veteran Lew Tendler was forced to clinch at times.

Lew Tendler mounted an effective defense and often went on the offensive during the fast bout.

Lew Tendler later opened branches in Atlantic City and Miami Beach.

Lew Tendler died on November 7,1970, at Shore Memorial Hospital in Somers Point, a suburb of Atlantic City, New Jersey, of an arterial clot.