Imperial Valley press., 1923-07-24
LEONARD STILL
KING; TENDLER
GETS BEATING
Lightweight Champion
Takes Challenger in
Easy Style
NEVER IN DANGER
Opponent Is First to
Congratulate His
CGnqUerOr
By HENRY L. FARRELL

NEW YORK, July 2i.-@-Just as
much champion as he ever was,
safer than he has ever been, Benny
Leonard, the idol Of Harlem, is
still the ruling monarch of the
lightweights.
By margin wide enough to con
vince Il blind man and so wide
that his opponent was the first to
admit his defeat, Leonard won
fifteen round decision from Lew
Tender, the Philadelphia challenger
in the Yankee Stadium last night.
While 10000 spectators were on
their feet shouting n din of Long
live the king Tender, his face
puffed and swollen,' his mouth re-
leasing little crimson tricklets from
the corners, walked wearily to the
champion ana gave him You sure
did win.
The official decision of the judges
and the referee was not needed. 1t
WIS taken for granted from the
first round that Leonard would win
by ii milee and when the gong ended
the fight the demonstration reached
such vocal proportion that an
nouncer had to flash the decision
by uplifting the hand of the cham
pion.
Better Than knockout
Even knockout could have
given Leonard no more Impressive
and convincing a victory than he
earned. Tender might have fallen
back on the "lucky punch alibi,
had he been stopped, but no one
can blame any luck on the terrific
beating that the challenger took for
fifteen rounds.
Leonard never looked better in
his whole career. He was i'll splen-
did condition and from the very
first bell it was apparent that he
had learned well the way to stand
off and beat the awkward left hand
style of his opponent.
In his timing and Judgment of
distance Leonard was perfect. In
his boxing he was picture. In
his generalship he was master.
Perhaps some of the kick was miss
ing from his right hand that land
ed at least twenty times on the jaw,
but Tender is not of the fragile jaw
breed.
Tender also was in perfect shape
and it was only his rugged physique
and stout heart that enabled him
To withstand a bombardment that
at all times was severe and many
times cruel.
Only One Round Doubtful
In the fifteen rounds the best
that Tender could get was an
even round in the seventh and it
was stretching a point on charity
alone to take that round away from
the champion.
Leonard got going good in the
fourth round, when he rocked Tend
Ter to his heels with a right upper
cut. From then on a left hook to
the head and body right hook T."
the jaw and right. WH". "n' 'o
the same place had fcH'ee o '"i'''
he was not sure Whor. at N.'.
From the twelfth round on Leon
ard had his opponent on the border
! of knockout. In the thirteen Il
right hand smash to the jaw start,
ed Tender to the floor but he fell
on the shoulders of the champion
and held for dear life, Some of
the crowd thought Leonard was
4 holding him up and they shouted .
protest.
In the fourteenth and fifteenth
rounds the mob was ON its feet
shouting frantically for knock
/ out, but while the champion landed
flush on the jaw and the body, he
could not respond to the demand,
This second meeting between the
/ two leaders of the class was no
thing to compare to last summe 5 al
fair in Jersey City. Leonard was
twice as good as he was then and
Tender was far away from his
form. Perhaps Tender might have
been just as good, and Leonard st
much better that comparison was
impossible,
Estimates of the receipts were
$500,000. 1t was said Leonard
would draw 35 per cent of the
gate while Tenders part was Il
! nar oapt