New-York tribune., 1921-11-23
Chicago Boxer
In Hard Bout
With Champion
Stockyards Fighter Misses
Great Opportunity 10
Capture Lightweight Title
By w. ]. Macbeth

Leonard, lightweight champion Of the
world, successfully defended his title
and his honor against Sailor Friedman
Of Chicago. in sensational eight-round
bout at the Ice Palace here this eve.
ming. but there was little occasion for
any lusty cheering on the part of the
modern and pale Joe Cans when it was
all over.
The boy from the Stock Yards, one
of the toughest of the tough. that the
the Windy City has produced in gem
Grafton, had the pride of Harlem pretty
we'll blown and very leg weary when
it was all over This was not q cham
pioEship battle in the strictest sense
of the word. for the men fought at
catchweights. but Knockout of the
champion by Friedman might have es-
tablished his claim to the crown in the
eyes of the sporting world. At least
he rad the opportunity of his lifetime
to gain the distinction of knocking out
one of the greatest lightweights the
American prizering has ever known. put
evidently had too wholesome a respect
for Benny's we'll known pile driving
mitts to take unnecessary chances.
Friedman Follows Instructions
In the early rounds it appeared very
much as if Friedman were following
instructions to stick the limit at any
cost. and in these rounds Leonard piled
up tremendous advantage, though
plainly showing he was miles off the
prove rbial Leonard form because of his
long layoff But after he had taken
many of Benny's clouts to the button
the Chicago sailor in the last couple
of rounds, cut loose with all he had
end he kept the champion as busy as
bird pup in stubbie avoiding terrlnc
hooks and swings
The fine opportunity presented Fried
man is not likely to fall to the lot OF
any other lightweight in many day.
Make no mistake of what has gone
before. Leonard has not gone back one
iota. He is as good to-day as he ever
was, perhaps just little better, be.
cause of his further experience and
Judgment But tonight he was far
from his best.
Can you imagine Benny Leonard
missing openings by foot or more on
a fellow much slower than himself !?
Can YOU picture the slower man feint-
ing Leonard into Knots?
Well, that's what happened, but it
was simply because Leonard had done
no boxing to speak of since he broke
his thumb in training for Lew Tender
weeks ago, Leonard's last previous ap-
rearance was against Rocky Kansas,
June Is last.
Late in Starting
Leonard. who positively will appear
against George Ward at Madison
Square Garden next Monday night Che
himself stands sponsor for this state
ment), besides being handicapped in
Judgment of distance, seemed some-
what timorous of his hands. At first
his punches, but toward the end he
realized how tough his opponent was
and then cut loose in the real Leonard
fashion
He had the Sailor going several
times, and at the end of the seventh
round Friedman was 50 wabbly an
other good right probably would have
toppled him, but Friedman came back
after his minutes rest and fought the
champion to a standstill.
There was action every second. They
were cautious for about a minute, then
Leonard jabbed several times with
his left and crossed the right. Fried
man worked in close and landed to the
head with both hands. Benny missed
a wicked right for the jaw, but con-
nected with right to Jaw and left to
body. The Sailor got inside a right
FOR the jaw and stabbed Benny's face
with the left three times quickly.
Makes Monkey of Friedman
For the first two minutes Of the sec
ond round Leonard made monkey of
Friedman, iabbing him with lefts and
hooking both hands to the body. Benny
also had fine uppercut working over
time. but near the end Of the period
Friedman crossed right that caught
Benny flush on the nose and started
tho claret. The champion tore in
Nldly after his man then, and they
fought like wildcats for fully twenty
seconds after the bell before Referee
Billy Recap could PRIV them apart
good margin. He rushed Benny and,
working in close, peppered him with
short arm jolts to the face and body,
despite Leonards efforts to block.
The champion hurt the Sailor with a
wicked left over the heart and right
uppercut to the chin, but Freedmen
came back with three hard lefts to the
jaw that shook Benny. Twice he hung
q hard left to the face and right to
the jaw just before the bell.
The fourth was all Leonard's Benny
peppered, .Friedman's face with n
straight left, and every time the Sailor
crowded in rocked him back on
his heels with beautiful right upper
cut to chin or body. He also landed
several hard rights to the Kidneys.
Friedman scarcely laid glove on the
champion in this period.
But in the fifth Friedman again
turned the tables and set the crowd
wild. Time after time he rushed with
lowered head and simply swept the
champion before him. 1t did seem
that Leonard's legs were bothering him
here. The ring padding was very thick
and Benny had done no road work
whatever he said. In this round
FREEDMAN jabbed Leonard with the left
,repeatedly and several times stung
HIM with vicious right uppercuts.
Leonard Shows Real Glass
In the sixth and seventh. howaver
It was the old Leonard In front OF
friedman and repeatedly IL looked as
II II the sailor was about to join the
freddie Welshs and the Ritchio
\ Mitchelis. In these two rounds
Leonard was shooting straight and
true: he appeared to have finally CAL
euiated the range each time Friedman
was rocking on his heels at the he'll
put IN the eighth, as related above,
friedman came back again with fury
threw discretion to the winds and
rocked Benny with hard RIGHT To tha
jaw. '"'
They fought like wildcats from th.n
to the final gong When it was over
Leonard had won. but By the veritable