Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-31
Big Season Looms
Before Champion IN
Lightweight Circles
Starting With Dundee, Leon
ard Will Get Plenty
of ACtiOH.
NEW CROP is LIGHT
By JACK vEIOCK.

International News Sports Editor.
NEW YORK, Jan. 31.-Nineteeu-tw
promises to be a mighty busy year for
Benny Leonard, dapper little boss of the
lightweight division, If ne chooses to
make 1t so. Leonard is in demand
everywhere, and while the present-day
crop of lightweight challengers is not
an imposing one by any means. there are
plenty of boys boxing around 1873 pounds
who are eager to mlngle with Ben
neh."
Johnny Dundee has first call and
Johnny will get another chance at the
champion in the near future. when the
late lamented twenty round affair, can
cmeled at New Haven, is pared TO eight
rounds and transferred to New Jersey.
TENDLER SOON
TO GET CHANCE.
Leonard says Dundee is the best OF
his many rivals But there are others
Lew Tender, the Philadelphia southpaw,
VIII get his chance at Benny before
many months have passed if he wants It
The Mitchell brothers. Richie and Pinkie:
! harley " hite Toe yelling and Willie
Jackson are also on the waiting list. and
! the promoters will have no trouble puk.
| ting zip into the lightweight division,
There's another lad who has Just Car
rived at the point where he Is demand
Ing recognition. His name is Eddie
, titzsimmons and he is a new York prod
uct. Eddie has been boxing more or
less since 1914, but he never attracted
great deal Of attention until he got IN
der Danny Morgan's wing. OF late be
mas cut some figure, with Morgan hurl
| Ing adjectfves in salvos and tossing Ed
! dies hat into the front yards Of all the
good lightwelghts from Leonard on
! down the line
You'll hear more Of F4tzsimmons II
we can coax these scarE 1S3-pounders
into into. the ring with blm,' says Danny.
trouble Is, they're all busy lodging
him. They claim he is not a legiti-
mate lightweight-that he can't make
l33. That Is all wrong. The trouble Is
/ that Eddie hits too hard. He isn't play
/ ful not even in a gymnasium. Ask John
/ ny Dundee. He knows"
Fitzsimmons' record as submitted by
Dumb Daniel proves that he. Is ready
! for the best boys in his division. Bio
! has scored knockkouts and won from
/ many good, tough boys over distances
varying from six to twelve rounds Re
! has beaten such boys as Phil Bloom
Johnny Drummie, oscar Gardner Paul
Doyle. Charlie White. Louie Bogash aud
Young Borrel and has knocked victories
I over Ray Rivers, Shaver O'Brien. Harry
/ Carlson and Patsy Cline.
If Fitz is what Danny claims he IS
and he sure looks like a conner from
/ this distance-he deserves his chance.
I The lightweight crop is none too brill
J liant, especially since Leonard stands
ard the advent Of a newcomer who has
! the earmarks OF class is generally vel
coined
FiStic mana gers throughout the coun-
! try are combing the gyms for light
weight material. Billy Gibson has ewes
gone so far as to put out a line for
+ boy Of promise who may step into LeOP-
ards shoes some day when the time ar
/ rives for his divorce from the title. 9Th
son has selected Joe Benjamin, fhe Cali
/ fornis lightweight, as a probable sue
2 49,
lot to learn, he is a boxerfof no mean
/ promise.
In far-on Australia they believe that
LEV Edwards, the Antipodean champion,
is better than Leonard. George Baillieu,
who visited this country. as we'll as Eng
land and France, in search Of boxers 70
appear at the stadium In sydney. saw
/ Leonard and Soldier Bartheld box at
Philadelphia and went back home with
/ the report that Edwards is by far the
4 better of the two. Snowy Baker. writing
i in the Sydney Evening News, tells OF
Baillieu's impressions AZ follows:
George Baillieu, the stadium's repre-
sentative, who returned to Sydney by
the Sonoma after his search for bo1er4
in America and England, saw Benny
Leonard, the worlds lightweight cham
pion, opposed TO Sergt. Bartheld in
/ ten-round no-decision bout. Before the
/ contest Mr. Baillieu had offered Leonard
/ a big sum TO visit Australia and meet
+ LEV Edwards in Sydney for the worlds
/ title. Up 10 that time he had never seen
/ Leonard in action, but knew of him only
/ through his record.
! SYDNEY LOSES
BIG TITLE BOUT.
after having seen him opposed 70
Bartheld he was more than ever con
vinced that Lew Edwards is at this mo
ment the best lightweight boxer in the
world. On this conviction he offered
Leonard $4,000 for two fights In Sydney
the first to be against Llew Edwards. the
second against any man whom he Sc
lected but Leonard wss not agreeable.
He was keener on the ten-round node
cision bouts than risking his title over
twenty so Sydney was robbed of seeing
what might have been one OF the great
est lightweight events in boxing his