(Rare footage of one of Leonard's matches. He fought again...)
Rare footage of one of Leonard's matches. He fought against Lew Tendler on July 27th, 1922, and managed to reclaim the lightweight title.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoyG1vdK2Zw
Benny Leonard was born under the name of Benjamin Leiner on April 7, 1896, in New York, United States. His father, Gershon Leiner, and his mother, Minny Leiner, immigrated from Eastern Europe to America in the second half of the 19th century. He had two younger brothers, Joey Leonard and Charley Loenard, who were also boxers.
Benjamin Leiner grew up in New York, in the Jewish ghetto in the neighbourhood called Lower East Side. Considering it was an immigrant neighbourhood, life was pretty tough for young Benjamin. He didn’t have the option of educating himself, and growing up on the street meant that trouble was everywhere. His uncles, Joe and Max Dornholz, taught him how to fight so he could defend from the Italian and Irish teenagers, who often targeted Jews. Instead of using pipes, chains and bats like the other kids, uncles taught Benjamin to use his hands, which gave him an advantage and a possibility to defend himself under any circumstances.
The uncles took him to the Silver Heel Club when he was eleven and this is where he tried boxing gloves for the first time and started fighting in bootleg fights. According to some sources, he won more than a 100 of these fights, which often earned him enough money to buy hot dogs and ice cream for him and his cornermen. Although he was young, his amazing speed and technique were recognized, so he decided to try participating in professional fights to earn some money to help his family. However, he didn’t want his father to find out, so he changed his name to Benny Leonard, after Eddie Leonard, the well-known minstrel man. Once his father found out that Benjamin is boxing and that he is very good at it, he completely supported him in pursuing his dreams.
There is another theory that claims that Leonard got that name when his real name was mispronounced by a ring announcer.
Leonard was only 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall, so he was pretty much destined for success in the lightweight category, although he fought against champions in other categories a couple of times. He used all the advantages of his physique and developed incredibly fast and colorful style of fighting. He was really quick, which was helpful on the defensive front, while his reach of 69 in (175 cm) and his ability to think fast helped him on the offensive front.
Leonard’s first professional fight came at the New York’s Fondon Athletic Club in 1911, presumably in November. The exact date is unknown but it was definitely a Saturday because the fights were organized on that day. He lost the fight due to bleeding through his nose, which caused the referee to stop the fight. However, it was clear that he would have a bright career.
During the next couple of months, he became a reputable local fighter, winning 12 of his next 18 fights before meeting with the Canadian Frankie Fleming in 1912. This was the second time in Leonard’s career that he got knocked out. He fought in a rematch with Fleming in 1914, but failed to get his revenge, Next year, it was Fleming who tried unseating the reigning lightweight champion Freddie Welsh but failed.
As for Leonard, his next big fight came in April 1915, when he lost to Johnny Kilbane, the reigning featherweight champion (Leonard won four of ten rounds which led to him losing the decision). The newspapers were, however, full of praise for the young fighter, claiming that Leonard could win if he believed in himself a bit more.
Leonard took this advice seriously and went on an amazing run, winning his 15 next bouts to get the chance to challenge Freddie Welsh for the title of the lightweight champion. The fight occurred at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 1916, and Leonard fought bravely, however Welsh managed to keep this title in a fight that was officially a no decision. Four months later, Welsh won the rematch in Brooklyn.
Leonard was preparing for a third shot at Welsh and during that time he won 17 of his 19 fight. The bout that got most attention was the one against Jimmy Reagan, a Bantamweight champion, which occurred on February 28, 1917. According to reports from the newspapers, Leonard dominated to fight and it was a miracle that Reagan managed to stay on his feet for 10 rounds, which in the end led to a draw fight.
Finally, the third match with Welsh occurred on May 28, 1917, in the Manhattan Casino. Being 1 21-year old, Leonard had completely matured by then, which enabled him to floor Welsh for three times during the first nine rounds. When he knocked Welsh unconscious, referee Billy McPartland decided to stop the fight. Welsh put in a complaint because of this, claiming that the referee should have counted despite the fact he was not conscious. But Benjamin Leonard could celebrate, he became the world lightweight boxing champion.
And he was decisive to be on that post for years. During the next eight years, he defended his title seven times in total. Leonard spent 7 1/2 years on top of the lightweight world boxing. During this period, he did lose one battle, but it was not a fight for the lightweight title. He challenged Jack Britton, welterweight champion at the time, and the bout occurred on June 26, 1922. Leonard lost after being disqualified for hitting his opponent when he was down.
At the time, Leonard had already made millions from boxing but he didn’t seem like he wanted to stop. However, after being convinced by his ill mother, he suddenly retired in January 1925. He had enjoyed a couple of years of retirement when the New York stock market crash occurred in 1929, leading to Leonard losing all of his money. This made him think and he soon decided to come back from retirement and start boxing again.
His comeback occurred in 1931 but was evident that Leonard was far from the boxer he was prior to retirement. He was much slower and even a little pudgy, and he started going bald. Even like that, he managed to win nineteen fights after the comeback but was then knocked out by Jimmy McLamin in 1932. McLamin became the first and the only boxer to knock out Leonard, who decided it was definitely time for retirement.
However, boxing was his life and he couldn’t stay away from the ring. This is why he decided to become a boxing referee. It was in a ring where Leonard died on the night of April 18, 1947. During a match he was refereeing at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York, he was stricken by a heart attack, which caused him the second and, unfortunately, fatal knockout he suffered in the ring.
(Rare footage of one of Leonard's matches. He fought again...)
Being a child of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, Leonard was an Orthodox.
There are no sources claiming that Leonard showed affection toward any party, but he was a respectable member of the Jewish community in the United States.
Leonard served during World War II. He was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Maritime Service.
Leonard was proud to be a Jew and he was adored in the community. Furthermore, he was one of the most famous American Jews at the time and his fights attracted incredible attention. The fight against Lew Tendler that occured in 1923 was teh first one at the Yankee Stadium where a crowd of over 58,000 people was present.
He might not had been educated, but he was definitely smart. He knew how to think quickly during the fight and he knew that an important part of every bout is preparation. This is why he studied his opponents and usually came up with an appropriate tactic for each one. This is probably the reason why he had so little defeats in his career.
However, despite being respected, his mother didn't believe boxing was an appropriate career and a way of life for a man, let alone for a Jew. She protested when he took up the sport and throughout his career, making him to retire in 1925 as the undefeated world lightweight champion.
During his retirement days, he was the President of National Hockey League team Pittsburgh Pirates, but that didn't pan out. They were first moved to Philadelphia for the season 1930-31 and then folded.
Leonard enjoyed being a celebrity, so he accepted a role in the film The Evil Eye (1920), as well as in the film shorts Flying Fists (1924-25), which were related to boxing.
Quotations: "I believe that the Jew is especially adapted for the sport of boxing because, in the final analysis, it is the most elemental form of self-defense."
Leonard loved to train and was often in the ring. He always tried to be in top condtion for his bouts and avoided fighting unless he was in great physical shape.
Born in a rather poor family in the Jewish ghetto, he helped with his money from boxing. Even when he earned millions, he remained modest. When he lost everything in the stock market crash in new York in 1929, he showed persistence and returned to boxing due to financial reasons.
Physical Characteristics:
Leonard was only 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall but he was quick as a cat. In combination with his ability to think fast and his reach of 175 cm, he was a nightmare for his opponents in the ring.
He had black hair, dark eyes and a hooked nose. Reports claim that he started going bald when he made his comeback to boxing in 1931.
Quotes from others about the person
“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.” - Gilbert Odd
"To see him climb in the ring sporting the six-pointed star on his fighting trunks was to anticipate sweet revenge for all the bloody noses, split lips and mocking laughter at pale little Jewish boys who had run the neighborhood gauntlet." - Budd Schulberg
Following his death, Jewish publications noted, “He was an observing Jew. He never fought on Jewish holidays. He was aware of his Judaism, and after his fighting days were over, he worked hard for Jewish organizations, particularly the Zionist Organization. When Benny Leonard reached the heights in boxing he aided not only himself, but the entire American Jewish community.”
Leonard never married and had no children. However, he did have two younger brothers, Joey Leonard and Charley Leonard, who were also boxers.
