The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-05
LIGHTWEIGHTS HUNGER
FOR LEONARD MATCH;
THINK CHAMP SLIPPING
by FRANK a.. MENKE

Everybody wants to take a sock at
Benny Leonard these days.
Based on the threats made by other
| fighters in the public prints and in the
public cateries and other public spots,
| it seems hardly safe for Benny to
wend around the boulevard without an
escort of cops.
IF I ever get another crack at Leon
ard I'll knock him for row of butter
cups" chortles Johnny Dundee.
"Lemme at that bird-just femme
at him" pleads Lew Tender. I'll
| bust him up"
! All that l want in this wide, wide
world is to meet Leonard" signs
, Charlie White, Wow. what I'll do tc
/ him"
! I'll punch him to death if we meet
| again" bowls Friedman.
All this uprising stuff has come
about during the past few melancholy
! afternoons-since Leonard essayed a
brace of recent "comebacks," to be
| exact.
All the boys more or less respected
| the champion of the lightweights from
| all corners and sent most of them
| home in the custody of Red Gross
nurses of mythical beauty They al
opined they could whip him-maybe-
| If they get a chance. But none was
| brave enough TO chase Leonard
! through a few alleys and begin slug
ging with him just for the exercise
| they might though the venture.
| pIlf oil 10
King Took Vacation.
The king remained away from til,
| war zone through the summer, large
ly because of a busted digit. Event
ually he announced that he was goin;
to make his 1922 debut against Sail
or Friedman, the rough, tough birt
from the wilds of Chicago. Everybod
murmured:
Soft stuff-for Benny"
But what a surprise was occasione
when the boys began wiggling fists a
each other,
Only an exhibition Of great ring gel
eralship saved Leonard from utter d,
feat that night. He started off brisl
l ly enough, but tired along about tn
: fourth or fifth round And then o
came Friedman like a western tOrni
do. He swept Leonard all around til
| ring, put him wholly on defense, bus
? ed up Benny's complexion and starte
: him bleeding here there and ever,
I where
/ After it was all over the populac
/ rose up and asked itself
: rs Friedman better than we though
Or has Leonard shielded that much
Then came the Leonard clash wit
4 George Ward, a fair lightweight. o
;. form. Leonard was figured to anih
5 late Ward. But he did nothing of tn
/ sort.
Something Wrong.
5 Leonard demonstrated in that bOu
Z as he did in the tilt with Friedman
! that something is wrong with him. II
5 timing was miserable; his foOtwOr
eplorable-for Leonard. There W.
E not much snap or power in the drive
Z he did land. Ward, slow puncher tn;
he is. didn't experience any gre;
trouble driving through Leonard
| guard
Ever since the jury has been tryn
to decide whether Leonard really h5
gone back long, long way-or whet
er he is just a bit stale and will r
turn to normally and everything liz
that with little more gym wOrk-aT
a few more soft fights.
While the sport public pOnderS II
II case. the fighting clan has arrived
" its decision. And its this:
a Leonard has seen his best day
4 The next good fighter who gets hi
q will take him"
It And that's why all the boys, WI
1, used to take to the zones of safe
whenever Benny began to brow
d around in search of prey, sudden
d have become brave and bold and sd
q age and are shouting:
/, oh, femme at him.!
~ Copyright 1921 by King Features
Syndicate, lnc.l