Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-05
LEONARD ISSUES
Def TO KILBANE
Featherweight Champ Makes
Slurring Remark and Ben
ny's Ire Is Aroused.
FOUGHT ONCE BEFORE
BY RINGsIpE.

lust few months. benjamin uocs not
intend to poster FREDDY Welsh for
that length OF time, for he has some
thing OF more importance on his mind.
And il deals also, with ring cham
pion. and in another class. Leonard
IS after the scalp of Johnny Kilbane,
boss of the featherweights.
Leonard and Kilbane have ex-
changed greetings in the ring but once
before-on April 20, 1915. to be exact.
The occasion was ten-round bout at
catchwcights at the old Federal Ath-
letic club on the Bowcry. Kilbane
nearly caught Leonard on the weight,
for he was only two pounds behind
Leonard's 1870 pounds.
AS matter OF record, the bout was
one OF the tamest and most lackadaisi-
cal seen around these ramparts in
MANY day. There was little execu-
ton done BY either lad--although the
disappointed crowd favored the execu-
cution OF both--at the nearest lamp
post.
Opinion was divided as to the. win
ner. The Leonard adhcrents claimed
a victory for their lad, while the few
Kilbane supporters summarized the
affair by merely saying rotten.
Leonard couldn't fight Chat evening"
and Kilbane wouldn't. Leonard was
willing 10 drop the matter right there,
and SO was Kilbane. Nothing has been
mentioned of the affair by either since
that evening until the other day.
Kilbcne Shoots Off Cab.
Then il was that Kilbanc broke the
long silence Of that fiasco by announ-
cling from the stage OF theater;
where he was showing, that Leonard
was zone Of the softest marks he ever
met in the ring" He supplemented
THIS with, Leonard furnished me with
a little exercise that evening, for i
was never worried about the outcome.
] handled him like toy, and he was
like a baby in my hands"
Little wonder that Benny boyle
riIed.. Can anyone imagine future
lightweight champion being handled
like a toy by mere featherweight
champion2 Leonard has taken UNI
bragg at Kilbane's remarks, and he
means to make the Clevelander
'swaller the woids." The only pos
sible way he can arrange for such a
circumstance is to meet kilbane IN
ring combat agail---and that is what
Benny has avowed to do, If II takes
him the rest OF the winter to do 1t,
Ready to Cut Weight.
Leonard is ready to acquiesce to
any reasonable weight imposition Kill
bane may demand Leonard, who Is
one of the few legitimate l33-pound
lightweights, will readily consent
to 1873 pounds for Kilbane. 1t is hard
to visualize Kilbane lodging meet
ing at this weight, for he took on
Leonard at 1870 pounds, and even then
handled him like toy"
Just at present no promoter has
offered to stage the return bout be.
tween Leonard and Kilbane How
ever, II would prove an interesting
match this time. as Leonard has i'm
proved some 500 per cent since the
last meeting, while Kilbane has not
deteriorated single percentage point.
As a matter of fact, he has since
shown that he Is one OF the greatest
fighters Of the generation, Judging
by the easy manner in which he &C.
complished the downfall OF George
Clancy, the Knockout King. The X.
O. King was KIDD. In just three
rounds.
A battle between Leonard and Kill
bane would also serve to settle, or
60 q long way toward settling, the
mooted question Of how Kilbane
would fare in a bout with Light
weight Champion Welsh, The uni
versal idea appears to be that Kill
bane would come close to knocking
ont Welsh, were he so disposed
Whether he would may be determined
before next spring, as Kilbane-
Welsh fight is beyond the incubation
stage and negotiations may be closed
even before the Kilbane-Leonard
match is clinched.
Met Welsh Twice.
Leonard has met Welsh twice il
ten-round bouts, for an average OIL
500. Benny won the first clash by I
wide margin, while the champion re-
versed the order in the second meet
ing. Leonard had the champion
primed for knockout but once in tn,
twenty rounds--in the fourth rounC
OF the first fight-but he lacked tn,
punch to finish off the title-holder.
Since the second tilt. LeeHard fisa
knocked OUT Ever Hammer, the hard.
Chicagoan, who few months pre-
vious had given Welsh sever
trouncing in twelve rounds. Leonar,
flattened the bristling blond in twelv
rounds, holding the upper hand all tn
way. So, 1t will be seen, comparison
are odious.
In his little talk to western theater
goers, Kilbane reveals some interest
ing facts. After taking his fall" on
OF Leonard, the featherweight kin
declares that the lesser lights OF tn
division have caused him infinitel
more trouble than the top-notcheri
Johnny Dundee, whom many conside
as efficient lightweight as there
in the world today, was quite cas-
4 for him, Kilbanc says.
"The toughest opponent ever err
countcred was, Eddie Wallace, tx
FOUNDER from Brooklyn. met hii
on two soccasions--once in Brooklyn
the other time in Montreal--and !
both bouts he made me miss r,
peatedly and jabbed my face as n
other fighter ever was able to do. H
even left a scar on my cheek, and TT
as | could, was liable to make hi
stop his annoying tactics"
Can it be that Johnny is anglin
for another Wallace bout!