The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-05-09
Time FOR LEONARD
AND Tender FIGHT
HERE, SAYS MENKE
By FRANK q. MENKE

By FRANK q. MENkE
The time seems to have arrived for
Benny Leonard and Lew Tender to
fight or apply a muffler to their vocal
organs.
For more than year that pair has
been using the newspapers for pur-
poses little other than to vent mutual
contempt. It begins to look as If each
is prolonging the retort stuff mainly
for the purpose of keeping his name
in print.
The whole affair is beginning to
give off sniffy odor Both fighters
are losing prestige and public esteem.
If they don't get busy and fight soon,
the public will be forced to the con-
clusion that each is afraid of the 9TH
er; that both lack in the vital ring
element-courage
Even the stoutest defenders of
Leonard no longer can toot very
joyful bugle in his behalf. And that's
simply because of the two, Leonard
! has shown less disposition to fight
than has the coy and bashful Tender.
The latest zip in connection with
| the bout comes from Phil Glassman,
manager of Tender. He has an
/ nounced that if Leonard will fight
Tender in decision bout, Tender
will do battle on the winner-take-all
! basis, or, in case the Leonard guaran-
tee is bigger than Tenders, then
| Tender will bet his share at even
money against an equal portion from
Leonard's purse.
Sounds fair enough,
| Might Be Bluff.
/ But is it sincere-or is it simply
gas?
| If Glassman meant that sort of chal
lenge why doesn't he back it up? Why
not have a check certified for SEE, 00C
and deposit it with some boxing com
mission or reputable and unbiased
sport writer? That would prove hon
esty Of purpose and earnestness il
such challenge.
Until Glassman does that, no one
consistently can take his proposition
seriously.
Just how anxious is Tender to NEE
Leonard?
Reading the various Tender chal
lenges craates the belief that Tendlel
thinks he can whip Leonard withou
real trouble. If he really thinks tina
way, he ought to be willing to pay
about 100000 for the privilege o
fighting Leonard, for the simple rea
son that as lightweight champion b.
can earn 100000 or more.
Yet some time ago when Tendle
was offered crack at Leonard in ;
round decision bout in New York h
made the match practically impossible
by demanding $4,000 for his end
Such figure for Tender would hav'
, made Leonard ask for 100000, ant
the biggest gate Madison Square Gar
den could have drawn for that f1gh
would have been about $115,000.
If Tender would have accepted $25
600 for his end, the match would hav'
been made. But he stood pat on $50
000-and the fight therefore was kick
ed In to the discard.
Does anyone imagine that If Tend
Ter really thinks Leonard is soft,
that he (Tendler) would have passe,
up $4,000 and belt at the world
title?
But Tender hasn't been doing al
the trick stuff. The Leonard camp ha
been performing a bit itself Afte
Tender kicked himself out of tina
i Garden chance, he made real effort
( to get into the same ring with Leor
ard. He probably realized his blundel
Thereupon, Leonard and Billy Gibson
the manager, proceeded to do som
high and lofty stunts.
Glassman Gains Forfeit.
Leonard and Tender were matche
6 for eight rounds no decision in Phil;
E delphia last summer. Each side pos
' ed $4,000 appearance forfeit. Leonar
hurt hand in training and called Of
the bout, and Glassman collected Lee
r nard's $4,000 forfeit.
When Gibson learned of it, he WOW
/ ed that as long as he was Leonard
1 manager, he'd never let Benny figt
such an unsportsmanlike person &
Tender.
< Maybe it was unsportsmanlike I
). grab that S5,000-but it was bushes
The fight game is a businessmen
< sport. When Leonard posted tn;
;, $4,000 he said by that action: "If
fail to make my appearance at tn
& bout for any reason the $4,000 belong