Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; April 17, 1896—April 18, 1947) was an American boxer. He was named as number 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
The "Ghetto Wizard" as he was known was born and raised in the Jewish ghetto, which was then located in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York City, on whose streets he learned to fight.
Leonard was known for his speed, excellent boxing technique and ability t...
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Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; April 17, 1896—April 18, 1947) was an American boxer. He was named as number 8 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.
The "Ghetto Wizard" as he was known was born and raised in the Jewish ghetto, which was then located in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York City, on whose streets he learned to fight.
Leonard was known for his speed, excellent boxing technique and ability to think fast on his feet. He also was a hard hitter, who scored 69 KOs out of his 157 wins. Leonard was defeated 11 times and was held to a draw on 5 occasions. As was common in the era in which he fought, Leonard engaged in several no-decision matches and is believed to have fought 213 bouts.
Besides being lightweight champion, Leonard challenged welterweight champion Jack Britton for his title on June 26, 1922. He lost the fight when he was disqualified for hitting Britton when Britton was down in the thirteenth round.
Leonard retired from...
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