The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-01-04
LEONARD'S DISPUTE
WITH TEX RICHARD
PUzzLING TO FANS
By FRANK G. NIENKE

Everyone around Gotham parts
seems all steamed up over the quizz:
whats the real reason for the war
between Tex Richard and Benny Leon
ard?"
The lightweight champion has de-
clared that never again will be fight
under the promotion of Tex Richard.
He has doled out no full explanation
for his attitude. But this is the rea-
son-or, rather, the bulk of reasons
as breathed forth by a man who is
as close to Leonard as one is to his
own B. V. DIS:
"Rickard gave Leonard $4,000 for
one fight in the Garden last year and
$40, 600 for another. Then he began
squawking, saying that Leonard was
overpaid and that he wouldn't be a
sucker to pay Leonard any such mon
ey again. Leonards answer was that,
inasmuch as he had drawn Sl34,OO0
for one of the fights and $4,000 for
another, he figured he was entitled
to the purse he got. That retort did
not make Richard feel any too kindly
toward Leonard, and feeling of bit
| terness started.
"a little while later two very prom
inent Jewish men in New York, who
knew Leonard and were very fond OF
him, said that Richard had gone to
! them and was knocking Leonard be-
cause of his avarice. They told Benny
that Richard said a lot of unkind
| things about him-all of which got
Benny a bit sorer at Richard.
Doesn't Like Judges
| "Just about this time Benny, who
had studied the Judging system that
prevails around New York, declared
that a champion was something of a
i sap if he risked his title in the ring
with such a set of incompetents serv
ing as Judges. He said he would ven
ture his title against any man in the
world, but not with such judges al
work as had operated in Madison
j Square Garden.
| "a short time later Richard Offered
Leonard a fight with Rocky Kansas
! But Leonard wouldn't take tin New
York state. Leonard, however, agreed
! to fight Kansas in New Jersey under
another promoter than Richard.
! when Richard heard about it he
was mighty mad and he told Billy Glib
| son, manager of Leonard, that Leonard
never would fight in New Jersey-tha1
The would stop it. Richard wanted tt
bet $4,000 right then and there with
+! Gibson that Leonard never would fighf
| Kansas in Jersey. Then, according tt
! Gibson, this same Richard did go tt
Jersey and try to knock Leonard there
| to an extent where the fight would Dt
called Off But the effort failed ant
Leonard fought Kansas in New Jersey
Get Up New Rule.
con top of that the boxing commits
sion got into effect a rule that thu
main bout fighters were not to ge
guarantees any more-that they hav'
to fight for so percent of the receipts
II is the feeling of many including Glib
son and Leonard, that Richard had
lot to do with the creation of that rul
so a : to protect himself against givin!
big purses, thus making his own prof
its bigger.
Gibson and Leonard, upon learnin'
to what extremes Richard had gone t
block the fight in New Jersey and t
what extremes he went to harm Leon
ard otherwise, determined that Leon
ard never again would fight under tn
promotion of Richard. And that's tn
real story"
Richard, explaining the situation
says:
'The real reason seems to be that
: insist upon Leonard fighting at 10
hounds within Madison Square Care
en-
Copyright 1921 by King Features
|, SynSficafP. IncD