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FROM THE BOOKS
Heywood Hale Broun called Benny
Leonard "the white hope of the orthodox." The famous essayist
believed that no performer in any art was ever more correct than
this Jewish-American from New York City.
"Benny follows closely all the best traditions of the past," Broun
commented in 1922. "His left-hand jab could stand without
revision in any textbook. The manner in which he feints, ducks,
sidesteps and hooks is unimpeachable. The crouch contributed by
some of the modernists is not in the repertoire of Leonard. He
stands up straight like a gentleman and a champion and is always
ready to hit with either hand."
Always the perfectionist, Benny's proud boast was that he'd never
had his hair ruffled in a prizefight, which was a fact. He wore
his hair plastered back, oiled so that it had the smooth shine
of a patent leather shoe-and it stayed that way through each
fight. To get Benny's goat, the moment they met in the middle of
the ring Leo Johnson reached over with his long left arm, glove
open, and deliberately rumpled Benny's hair. This annoyed Benny,
and he tore wildly into Leo with both arms pumping. He never
stopped banging away until Leo was flat on his back, counted out
in the first round.
John D. McCallum-The Encyclopedia Of World Boxing Champions
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