Benny Leonard

Benny Leonard (born April 7, 1896, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died April 18, 1947, New York) was an American world lightweight (135-lb [61.2-kg]) boxing champion from May 28, 1917, when he knocked out Freddy Welsh in nine rounds in New York City, until Jan. 15, 1925, when he retired. He is regarded as one of the cleverest defensive boxers in the history of professional boxing. (Read Gene Tunney’s 1929 Britannica essay on boxing.) A professional fighter...