Benny Leonard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Leonard

Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; Hebrew name דוב בער בן אברהם גרשון [Dov Ber ben Avraham Gershon]; April 7, 1896 – April 18, 1947) was an American professional lightweight boxer. He was ranked 8th on the Ring Magazine's list of the "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years" and #7 on ESPN's "50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time." In 2005, the International Boxing Research Organization ranked Leonard as the #1 lightweight of all-time.[1]

Contents [show] Early life[edit] Benny Leonard was born and raised in the Jewish ghetto, which was then located in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York City, on whose streets he learned to fight. He was the son of Minny and Gershon Leiner, who immigrated from Eastern Europe.[2]

Professional career[edit] Leonard was known for his speed, excellent boxing technique and ability to think fast on his feet. He also was a hard hitter, who scored 70 KOs out of his 183 wins. Leonard was defeated 24 times and was held to a draw on 8 occasions. As was common in the era in which he fought, Leonard engaged in several no-decision matches and is believed to have fought 219 bouts.

Leonard debuted on a Saturday in November 1911—the exact date is unknown—losing in three rounds at the Fondon Athletic Club in New York when the fight was stopped because he was bleeding through the nose. He won 12 of his next 18 bouts (three were no-decisions), establishing a reputation as a good local fighter before meeting Canadian Frankie Fleming in May 1912. Leonard was knocked out for only the second time in his career. He lost a rematch with Fleming 16 months later. (Not surprisingly, Fleming got the first shot at Freddie Welsh, failing to unseat the lightweight champion in a May 1915 fight the newspapers awarded to Welsh.) Leonard’s next big test came when he took on featherweight champion Johnny Kilbane in Atlantic City in April 1915. Kilbane won six of ten rounds to win the decision. “Leonard might have beaten the champion if he had a little more confidence,“ the Chicago Tribune said, “but even when he was having the best of the going he shut up like a clam and clinched for all he was worth.”

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. Although newspaper reporters at Madison Square Garden believed that Leonard had won, Welsh retained his title in a bout that was officially recorded as a no decision. The two fighters met again four months later in Brooklyn, and this time Welsh won decisively, staggering Leonard and nearly putting him down with a right to the jaw in the sixth.

After winning 17 of his next 19 bouts, the 21-year-old Leonard fought Welsh for the third time in the Manhattan Casino on May 28, 1917. The challenger floored the champion three times in the ninth round before referee Billy McPartland stopped the bout, making Leonard the lightweight champion of the world. He officially defended the title seven times over the next eight years.

Besides being lightweight Champion, Leonard challenged welterweight Champion Jack Britton for his title on June 26, 1922. He lost the fight when he was disqualified for hitting Britton when Britton was down in the thirteenth round.

Retirement and comeback[edit]

Leonard holding back Harry Houdini, mock punched by heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey Leonard announced his retirement from boxing on January 15, 1925, as the reigning World Lightweight Champion because his mother wanted him to.

He lost most of his considerable fortune in the stock market crash of 1929, and embarked on an ill-advised comeback in 1931. Although described as pudgy and slow, the balding Leonard won 23 fights, albeit against nondescript opposition, before meeting a championship caliber fighter. On October 7, 1932, his career ended when he was TKOed in 6 rounds by future champion Jimmy McLarnin.

Life after boxing[edit] After his boxing career was over, Leonard was 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. Leonard was supposed to appear as if he owned the team. The team suffered both at the gate and on the ice. The team moved to Philadelphia for 1930–31 and then folded.

Later, Leonard became a boxing referee. After refereeing the first six bouts of the April 18, 1947, card at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York, Leonard was stricken with a massive heart attack during the first round of the next bout, toppled to the canvas, and died in the ring. He was 51 years of age.[3]

Film career[edit] Leonard starred in the film serial The Evil Eye (1920) and a series of boxing related film shorts titled Flying Fists (1924 - 1925).

Halls of Fame[edit] Leonard was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Leonard was also inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Leonard, who was Jewish, was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.[4]

Leonard was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.[5]

In its September 2001 issue, The Ring magazine ranked Leonard number 2 in its list of the greatest lightweights of all time.

Book: Newark Minutemen: A True 1930s Legend About One Man’s Mission to Save a Nation’s Soul Without Losing His Own Paperback – October 6, 2020 by Leslie K. Barry

• Story of Jewish boxer recruited by FBI to fight Nazis to become a movie

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Newarkminutemen/

בני לאונרד

''''''(באנגלית: Benny Leonard, נולד: בנימין ליינר Benjamin Leiner, בעברית: דוב בער בן אברהם גרשון; 17 באפריל 1896 - 18 באפריל 1947) היה מתאגרף מקצועני יהודי-אמריקני ואלוף העולם במשקל קל. לאונרד דורג על ידי מגזין האיגרוף הזירה במקום השמיני מבין המתאגרפים הטובים ביותר ב-80 השנים האחרונות, ובמקום השני בהיסטוריה מבין המתאגרפים במשקל קל. ערוץ הספורט ESPN דרג את לאונרד במקום ה-7 מבין 50 המתאגרפים הגדולים של כל הזמנים. הארגון הבינלאומי למחקר האגרוף קבע בשנת 2005 כי לאונרד הוא המתאגרף הטוב בהיסטוריה במשקל קל.

ביוגרפיה בני לאונרד נולד וגדל באזור הגטו היהודי של לואר איסט סייד במנהטן ניו יורק. את הקריירה המקצוענית שלו כמתאגרף התחיל בגיל 15.

לאונרד התפרסם בשל מהירותו הרבה וטכניקת האיגרוף המצוינת שלו. במהלך הקריירה המקצוענית שלו השיג 183 ניצחונות כאשר 70 מתוכם בנוק אאוט, הפסיד 24 פעמים וסיים בשוויון ב-8 קרבות.

לאחר פרישתו מאיגרוף מקצועני שימש כבעלים לכאורה (איש קש) של קבוצת בייסבול אשר נרכשה על ידי קבוצה יריבה ולאחר מכן נמכרה ופורקה.

בשנים לאחר מכן שימש לאונרד כשופט זירה בקרבות איגרוף. ב-18 באפריל 1947 במהלך קרב אותו ניהל כשופט, לקה בהתקף לב חמור ומת מייד בעודו בתוך הזירה בגיל 51.

בני לאונרד הונצח בהיכל התהילה של האגרוף, בהיכל התהילה של הספורטאים היהודים אמריקנים וביד לאיש הספורט היהודי בישראל.

קריירת אגרוף הקרב הראשון שלו כמקצוען התקיים בשנת 1911 ובו הפסיד בשלושה סיבובים, אולם ב-18 הקרבות הבאים השיג 12 ניצחונות. בשנת 1915 הפסיד בקרב על אליפות העולם במשקל נוצה לאלוף המכהן ג'וני קילביין.

לאחר סדרה של 15 ניצחונות רצופים התמודד בשנת 1916 מול אלוף העולם פרדי וולש בקרב שלא הוכרע על אליפות העולם במשקל קל, ובקרב חוזר ביניהם שנערך 4 חודשים מאוחר יותר, הפסיד.

בשנת 1917 ולאחר סדרה של 17 ניצחונות נוספים, נפגש לאונרד בפעם השלישית מול וולש בקרב על אליפות העולם במשקל קל. הפעם, ובגיל 21 ניצח לאונרד בנוק אאוט והוכתר כאלוף העולם. במשך 8 השנים הבאות הגן לאונרד על תוארו ב-7 קרבות נוספים שבכולם ניצח.

בשנת 1922 התמודד לאונרד בקרב מול אלוף העולם במשקל קל-בינוני וניצח אך נפסל מכיוון שהכה את האלוף לאחר שהפיל אותו לקרשים.

בשנת 1925 הודיע לאונרד על פרישה מאיגרוף מקצועני בעודו מחזיק בתואר אלוף העולם, לטענתו פרישתו באה לבקשת אימו.

בשנת 1931 ולאחר שהפסיד את הונו במפולת הבורסה של 1929 חזר ליאונרד לזירה וניצח ב-23 קרבות. בשנת 1932 התמודד בקרב על התואר מול אלוף העולם ג'ימי מקלרנין והפסיד.

קישורים חיצוניים ויקישיתוף מדיה וקבצים בנושא בני לאונרד בוויקישיתוף בני לאונרד , באתר BoxRec https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%99_%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%95...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Leonard

Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; Hebrew name דוב בער בן אברהם גרשון [Dov Ber ben Avraham Gershon]; April 7, 1896 – April 18, 1947) was an American professional lightweight boxer. He was ranked 8th on the Ring Magazine's list of the "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years" and #7 on ESPN's "50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time." In 2005, the International Boxing Research Organization ranked Leonard as the #1 lightweight of all-time.[1]

Contents [show] Early life[edit] Benny Leonard was born and raised in the Jewish ghetto, which was then located in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York City, on whose streets he learned to fight. He was the son of Minny and Gershon Leiner, who immigrated from Eastern Europe.[2]

Professional career[edit] Leonard was known for his speed, excellent boxing technique and ability to think fast on his feet. He also was a hard hitter, who scored 70 KOs out of his 183 wins. Leonard was defeated 24 times and was held to a draw on 8 occasions. As was common in the era in which he fought, Leonard engaged in several no-decision matches and is believed to have fought 219 bouts.

Leonard debuted on a Saturday in November 1911—the exact date is unknown—losing in three rounds at the Fondon Athletic Club in New York when the fight was stopped because he was bleeding through the nose. He won 12 of his next 18 bouts (three were no-decisions), establishing a reputation as a good local fighter before meeting Canadian Frankie Fleming in May 1912. Leonard was knocked out for only the second time in his career. He lost a rematch with Fleming 16 months later. (Not surprisingly, Fleming got the first shot at Freddie Welsh, failing to unseat the lightweight champion in a May 1915 fight the newspapers awarded to Welsh.) Leonard’s next big test came when he took on featherweight champion Johnny Kilbane in Atlantic City in April 1915. Kilbane won six of ten rounds to win the decision. “Leonard might have beaten the champion if he had a little more confidence,“ the Chicago Tribune said, “but even when he was having the best of the going he shut up like a clam and clinched for all he was worth.”

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. Although newspaper reporters at Madison Square Garden believed that Leonard had won, Welsh retained his title in a bout that was officially recorded as a no decision. The two fighters met again four months later in Brooklyn, and this time Welsh won decisively, staggering Leonard and nearly putting him down with a right to the jaw in the sixth.

After winning 17 of his next 19 bouts, the 21-year-old Leonard fought Welsh for the third time in the Manhattan Casino on May 28, 1917. The challenger floored the champion three times in the ninth round before referee Billy McPartland stopped the bout, making Leonard the lightweight champion of the world. He officially defended the title seven times over the next eight years.

Besides being lightweight Champion, Leonard challenged welterweight Champion Jack Britton for his title on June 26, 1922. He lost the fight when he was disqualified for hitting Britton when Britton was down in the thirteenth round.

Retirement and comeback[edit]

Leonard holding back Harry Houdini, mock punched by heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey Leonard announced his retirement from boxing on January 15, 1925, as the reigning World Lightweight Champion because his mother wanted him to.

He lost most of his considerable fortune in the stock market crash of 1929, and embarked on an ill-advised comeback in 1931. Although described as pudgy and slow, the balding Leonard won 23 fights, albeit against nondescript opposition, before meeting a championship caliber fighter. On October 7, 1932, his career ended when he was TKOed in 6 rounds by future champion Jimmy McLarnin.

Life after boxing[edit] After his boxing career was over, Leonard was 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. Leonard was supposed to appear as if he owned the team. The team suffered both at the gate and on the ice. The team moved to Philadelphia for 1930–31 and then folded.

Later, Leonard became a boxing referee. After refereeing the first six bouts of the April 18, 1947, card at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York, Leonard was stricken with a massive heart attack during the first round of the next bout, toppled to the canvas, and died in the ring. He was 51 years of age.[3]

Film career[edit] Leonard starred in the film serial The Evil Eye (1920) and a series of boxing related film shorts titled Flying Fists (1924 - 1925).

Halls of Fame[edit] Leonard was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Leonard was also inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Leonard, who was Jewish, was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.[4]

Leonard was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.[5]

In its September 2001 issue, The Ring magazine ranked Leonard number 2 in its list of the greatest lightweights of all time.