The Washington herald., 1921-01-09
BY ROBERT EDGREN.


Light-weight Champion Benny
Leonard.
We were sitting in a room at
the New York Athletic Club talk
ing over Benny's career.
Yes" Benny went on, the day
of the boy with a strong back and
thick skull has gone by. You
have to be a student to get to the
top and stay there. I'm champion
and any other lightweight could
make a fortune by beating me, vet
nothing can induce the best Of them
to meet me in the ring. I'm in
funny position as a champion with
out a contender for his title. Tend
Ter, Jackson and the others know /
can beat them, but they don't know
why. They think it's because 1
have an awful kick They think
I'm bigger and stronger than l am.
They don't realize that l can beat
them because I'm a better studen Mt
When I began lighting as a boy
l used my legs at first instead OF
my brain, and l was called a
feather duster boxer because l only
danced around and tapped. But I
began to study, and I knocked out
Mandot. 1 met Welsh three times.
l learned a lot fighting Welsh. The
third time l knew enough to beat
him and win the title. I've gone
on studying ever since
| You have to study three things
to be a first class fighter First,
your opponents mind and habit OF
thought; second, your own mental
control Of timing and movement,
and last, physiology"
Here Benny Leonavd stopped and
thought for a moment, while l won
dered where he got his supply OF
language, which was rather novel
for a fighting man.
/ L learned about the importance
OF understanding physiology while
was in the army" said Benny
While I was boxing instructor al
Camp Upton. Lieut.. Smith was in
structor Gin Jiu Jitsu. which he
learned in Japan. We worked to-
gether, and he taught me Jiu Jitsu
learned lot of things about the
nerves and the vital organs.
DO you know what a knockout
is? It's simply a shock to a nerve
carried to the brain. There are three
knockout points on the head each
For instance, a straight blow on the
end of the chin isn't a good knock
out punch. But hit a man on either
side of the chin, an inch or so back
or above the eye tooth, and you de-
liver shock to a nerve connectine
with the brain. The nerve tele-
graphs the brain that you're knocked
out, and down you go. A Jiu Jitsu
expert can put a man out by dig
glng at certain nerves with his
thumb. 1t isn't necessary to deliver
a smashing blow.
Leonard's FavorIte Blow.
"One of my favorites is the blow
that started Welsh to defeat. It's
body blow, delivered with a liftine
twist. Sam Langford was a master
OF that lifting punch. 1t can be
short blow and not very hard, but
1t must lift or it's no good. A lift.
ing blow drives the intestines III
against the heart, causing a weak.
ening shock. The effect is only tenn.
porary, and isn't dangerous.
Men on whom l have used that
blow thought 1 was hitting a terri
nc punch, because it felt that way.
But l wasn't. l never considered il
anything but weakening blow that
would make an opponent leave an
opening for a knockout punch and
render him too slow to block it.
IF I haven't had a chance to
study an opponent before a fight 7
study him as we'll as 1 can in the
early rounds. First his mental linn
its and then his physical power. /
see how quickly he can think, how
quick he is to defend and how quick
to lead or counter. Then I look for
his weak spot. A funny thing. some
fellows you can't hurt with the
standard knockout punches. 1 re-
member one welter-weight / knocked
out almost by accident, and learned
something by it. I won't tell his
name because 1t would be a tip off
Of his weak spot to other fighters.
l hit him with every punch / had.
His body was covered with muscles
that made a solar plexus punch use
less.
Il couldn't catch him relaxed. He
didn't seem to feel a punch on the
chin or behind the ear. / accident
ally caught him on the temple and
he dropped. Now when I box a
! tough fellow whose nerves don't
respond to the usual treatment. 1