The Washington herald., 1922-02-15
Lightweight Limit Is
Becoming More and More
Difficult for Champ.
By ROBERT EDGREN.


1t will not be very long before
the lightweight crown is tossed
into the arena again TO be picked
up by some new champion. Benny
Leonard Is far from through as 4
fighter. physically. but IL he has
any ring ambition now 1t is to col
lect a championship in larger
weight class.
Benny rather likes the notion of
becoming a king of all the welter-
weights. II he succeeds he will do
as many great champions have
done before him, and drop the title
in the lighter class. Making weight
Is becoming difficult for Leonard
II he NEEDED money be might be sat
.isfied to risk his health by keeping
down near the l35-pound notch, but
Benny doesn't need money. He has
plenty right now. He has reached
the point where good health means
mere to him thar the championship
or anything else, because he needs
good health to enjoy his good for
tune.
He has a vivid recollection of
what happened to Joe Cans. Packey
Mcfarland. and other great little
men who tried to keep down to ali
unnatural poundage by continual
hard training.
Joe Cans was forced to drop from
over 40 pounds to 1873 pounds In
his ring costume. to feht Battling
Nelson at Goldneld. Shortly after
the Goldneld battle Cans developed
tuberculosis, from which he died q
couple OF years later.
and fought in the lightweight class
for years. anxious to capture the
lightweight title. when he should
have been nghting as welter-
weight. As Ia result OF that long
struggle to stay light. Mcfarland
is now so fat that his old friends
have TO look at him three times
before they know him. He weighs
over 200 pounds. u - -. -
In nature, as we learned in
school, every action has its equal
and opposite reaction" Packey
trained of hundreds of pounds dur
ing the course of four or five ac-
tive years, and now ii looks as IL
all that weight Is trying to come
back.
Benny has a haunting fear OF tu-
berculosis, and he doesn't want to
become fat. Hence I doubt that he
will much longer make any active
attempt to defend his lightweight
title at the lightweight limit. He
may never make even 135 pounds
at . o'clock again. And. Of course.
he can't hold a title indefinitely
unless he is willing to make the
weight for a3y decision bout.
Benny IL Getting Broader.
Benny used to have a back wide
at the shoulders and sloping in
sharply at the waist. Now. while
he doesn't show any excess fat, his
waist has broadened, so that his
back is far less wedge-iilse in con-
tour. Altogether. LeonarS LOOKS .
little smaller above and little
heavier below than when he was
dghting often and keeping down
near the lightweight limit.
Leonard is noted among athletrS
as a moral. clean-living fellow. He
is in his prime. But he needs to
box in actual contests more often
IL he is to keep his fine lighting
form, and he can't do II as light
weight Lacking the urge OF ambi.
tion-which usually comes from .
need of money-Benny may not box
much more even as a welterweis
In that case IL won't be long be-
fore he retires to q business life.
for which he has shown some liking
already. ts
Jack Dempsey is another boxer
who is Likely to feel the effect Of
too little ring activity. Jack is in
the unfortunate position of out
all his rivals so far they
he can't get a match that would ip. >
Lerest the public more than about
once a year. 80
Jack Dempsey became great
lighter through fighting every
week. He was hard as steel when
he whipped willard. and his eve
was keen to measure distance. iais
brain lightning fast to 6eurs
chances and drive home his crash
ing blows. Dempsey doesn't care