Omaha daily bee., 1922-05-07
.K.O. Of Leonard
May Be Avenged
by Brother Joie
Champs Younger Brother 10
Fight Brother Of Boxer
Who Stopped Benny
in 1912.
BY RAY PEARSON.

BY RAY PEARSON,
Take a slant at the iis,ic news a.
I, develops from day 10 day. then
open up the old record book and one
may eoneoet some mighty interest
ing dope, Perhaps j, might appear
doubtful conception. hut just the
same the near future may prove u
fact.
In order TO show how things nigh,
work out the writer has peeped into
the record book TO see what is said
about Benny Leonard, worlds light
weight champion. Among many
sensational performances, which ~
eluded the knockout of Freddie
Weleh. feat which enabled Benny
10 step in championship shoes, We
find tina, our present champion h'ri.
self knows how ], feels to be knocked
out.
Leonard Knocked Out.
Back in the Year 1912. which was'
Leonard's first year as fighting
man. he stepped into match with
young man by the name oi Joe
Shugrue. who halls from Jersey.
Shugrue at tina, time was a mighty
nifty glove weilder. aud besides be-
ing clever chap knew how 10 sock
merry wallop. He socked our pres
cnt lightweight champion one oi THIS
type OF punches IN the fourth round,
and Benny dropped 10 tic canvas,
completely knocked out. He re-
maincd there Tor several seconds, too,
after the 10 seconds spelling defeat
had been tollcd off.
That was the first time Leonard
ever had tasted tho knockout drops
that arc carried in glove fist, bu,
another young man later on also
found Bcnny's jaw with a knockout
force. this being frankie Fleming. \
Canadian. When Leonard got
through being knocked out by Flenl-
ing hc severed fistic relations with
that young Canuck and finished the
business OF being handed the fistic
anesthctic.
First x. O. of Benny.
We have heard from many scrap
pers that they never forget their first
knockout. and it is true OF Leonard
Ss we'll as OF others. Naturally
Benny hasn't forgotten what Mr..
Shugruc slipped him, and he prob
ably never will permit it to fade from
his memory. no matter how painful
the recollection.
This is the information that we get
out OF the record book. Now we
close it and write about things that
concern the present. Only the other
night we saw an account OF bout
staged in an eastern ring between
Johnny Dundee. the junior light
weight champion. and hoy namedS
John Shugrue. This bout was fought
at Worcester. Mass, and to the sur
prise of those present Shugruc not
only won the decision handily, but
gave the Scotch Wop" an artistic
lacing.
Johnny Shugrue Joe's Brother.
Now this Johnny Shugruc is none
other than young brother of the
Joe Shugrue who knocked out Ben
ny Leonard 10 years ago. 1t is said
that Johnny is better fighting man
than his brother Joe. and we arc in
clined to accept this, for we know
that anyone who can paste Dundee
around the ring and win off by ,',im-
self must be some shucke in this
fighting game.
One may wonder what interesting
connection might result from this
knockout of Eeoard by Joe Shugrue
and tho entry into big time Of young
Shugrue. but that is easily explained
by the fact that just now Champion
Benny Leonard is grooming
younger brother named Joie for fis-
tic honors. Joie also is a lightweight.
and according to information from
New York he is developing into a
scrapper of real class.
Joie Leonard a Fighter.
Benny even goes so far as TO say
that Joie is better fighter than he
Benny ever thought of being. OF
course, that statement must be ac-
ceptcd as an exaggeration, but just
the same Benny's brother must be
considered pretty good glove
wielder.
Now, what could be more natural
than for Benny and his manager,
Billy Gibson, who also is going to ~
handle Joie. to go out and match "
Joie with Johnny Shugrue? That
would be one way for the lightweight
champion to square accounts with
the Shugrue, family-if Joic could
soak a knockout jolt to Johnny's
jaw. That match is very likely to
become reality before long, now
that Johnny Shugrue already has
made good and Joie Leonard is max
ing good.
So we find the past and present
have ! rather intimate relation in the
glove game.