South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-02-23
BENNY LEONARD IN
LINE FOR BATTLE
WITH Weller BOSS
Lightweight Boss Seeks Brit
tons Crown-Shows Class
Against Kansas.
- HENRY y. FARRELL.

thing as being too good is no nice
way 20 be. II has its compensation,
but 70 also has its back slaps.
Benny Leonard, worlds light
weight CHAMPION says the rewards
Of greatness are nothing compared
70 its penalties.
I'm lauded 10 the skies one min
ute and put On the pan the next.
The panning IS what hurts, because
the knocks come from my best
friends. They all want me 10 win
but If 7 don't get a victory by a
knockout they roast me-" the dap
per lightweight king says
Around police headquarters when
ever Leonard is announced in a
bout they get the reserves ready.
The young champion perhaps has
more real friends and "a bigger fol-
lowing in New York than any other
boxer Harlem and the Bronx are
with him TO a man and they con-
slider him their own Whenever
he boxes, they swoop down TO the
ringside en- masse, loaded with
money In their over-ze alousness
they expect him 20 knock any OPP
ponent kicking in a round or two.
and when some fortunate hapr ems
To stay the distance with him, they
cry.
Great Against Kansas.
Leonard fought one OF his great
est fights recently against Rocky
Kansas. After getting away 10 a
bad start, he showed his class as a
real champion by winning a de-
cisive decision.
The fans. however. growled-'He
didn't knock i'm out. He's going
back"
They didn't stop TO consider that
Kansas never has been knocked out;
that he has ribs Of steel and jaw
OF iron; that he - so awkward he
has clever fighting style and he is
one of the most dangerous light
weights in the ring.
They figured only that Leonard
is one OF the greatest hghtweights
of all time and that he didn't knock
his man out.
Early in the bout. the champion
looked bad. lie missed frequently,
his footworl5 was not up TO stan
dard and above all his hair got
mussed and his face was smeared
with crimson. But he had the
class that quality which character
ICES the great I'm any profession
the ability 10 rise up and strike
back when il looks dark and things
are going bad.
IT is only an exaction Of nature
that Leonard might be going back
a little. He is still a young man,
but he has been in the ring a long
time and he may have reached his
prime. Perhaps he never Will be
any better than he is now but there
is no reason to believe that he will
slip fast Heris still g. great cham
pion and worthy Of mis- title.
Lack of Work Cause.
II the champion was off form
against Kansas, IL was due more
than anything else 10 lack of work.
He hadn't had a real hard fight
since the great bout with Richie
Mitchell a year ago. If he had
trained on a couple Of good bouts
there is no doubt that he would
have gotten away better instead OF
using five or six rounds TO get go
ing.
Since he has so convincinly
shown his superiority in the light
weight division, it is a fair conclu-
sion that he Will start his long
planned drive for the welterweight
championship. A Britton-LeOnard
bout for the welter crown has been
popular talk for several months
and it is very likely that it will be
staged in the Jersey City arena this
summer. II would be a wonderful
exhibition between two great mas
tiers and with the following that
both boast in New York. the big pine
stadium would be at least half filled
for the contest.
For more than year there has
been talk OF Leonard's plan 10 re-
tire. During his regime as cham
pion, he is said to have made more
than $500, 900. OF course he hasn't
been able 70 save that much. He
says IL costs him for than $40, 900
a year TO live. with all the financial
demands that his title burdens him
with. However. he has enough laid
aside and invested TO make his fu-
ture anything but uncertain.