1939-06-15 — Page 25

THE CHINA MAIL, JUNE 15, 1989.

Fighting With Damaged Arm and Leg Before Hostile Crowd Made Leonard Think

M

NOT

A

IT'S

BEING

[OST boxers remember a con- Fervently Benny prayed that he would-

test waged under dramatic circumstances from both inside and outside the ring. Benny Leo nard, one time lightweight cham- pion of the world, will never for- get his battle with Charley White, one of the most famous left hook- ers ever seen in a ring.

The time was just after the war, and things were fairly tough in American fight circles. Lots of pieces of 'business' were pulled, and "fast ones'

3

galore surrounded championship fight, with rough men only too eager to relieve a cham- pion of his title.

n't discover the truth

[

In the sixth round, Leonard in a neutral corner, and shook White pinned

him with raking hooks to the jaw.. Desperately Leonard ducked, dodged, turned and twisted, but suddenly he walked right into a beauty! Down he went, and fell halfway through the ropes!

Almost before he hit the canvas, the referee started to count, as if his life depended on it! He could scarcely get the words out of his mouth quick enough.

Furthermore, while Leonard

knew his crown was tottering in the balance, that he was being given a 'fast' count, he had to do some lightning thinking, because his brother was trying to push him back through the ropes. This calls for instant disqualification, is an infringement of the rules which would have given the referee just the wanted. However, opportunity he Benny managed to give his brother a back-hander in the face which knock-

It

Therefore, it took considerable nerve on the part of Leonard to attempt the defence of his crown in Benton Har-

be bour, Michigan, near Chicago, cause this was White's home town, and the locals would be rooting for ed him into the laps of the ringsiders him in no uncertain way.

No sooner had the match been

before the referee noticed what

made than Benny encountered bad happening.

2

was

luck. He was starring in silent Managed To Beat Count movie in Hollywood, and, in sliding Amid the raucous din of the crowd down a rope, fell heavily, injuring his Benny somehow managed to beat the left leg. He had to lay off for quite count, and was battered around the a while, so that when he commenced ring like a punching bag for the rest serious training he was greatly over- of the round. weight. Leonard never cared much Battered, bleeding, paralysed and to for training in any case, and on this all intents a beaten man, Benny Leon- occasion he disliked roadwork more ard actually, knocked out Charley White than usual.

in the ninth round of this contest.

He used to set off in the morning with one of his sparring partners with a great show of energy. A few hun dred yards from the training camp he and his companion would flop down un- der a tree and kill a couple of hours reading or sleeping. Then they would go to a well, dowse themselves with water and tear back to the camp pant- ing like marathon runners

Became Suspicious

Leonard's trainer became somewhat suspicious, and at last insisted that they take the camp dog around. He thought he had them there, because, although they could throw water over him, they couldn't make him pant. That is, until Benny found the dog had a passion for sticks, and they would still lay under that tree, throw ing sticks for the pup, who chased them with such abandon that they mostly had to carry him back to the camp in an exhausted condition.

.

He pulled a punch from somewhere that lifted White off his feet and flung him to the canvas with a force that practically drove him through it.

With a horror-struck expression on his face, the referee started counting, He took thirty seconds to count ten!

By Leo Fuller

ALL FUN FIGHTER

And there were actually tears in his eyes when he finally wailed ‘ten'.

But the evening was. only just be- ginning. Leonard was owed a further nineteen thousand dollars, and when Gibson went to collect, he found the promoter had staged a disappearing act! Raving mad, Gibson went around Chicago and collected half 1. dozen 'muscle men' of his acquaintance, and started a search for the errant promo

ter.

The pursued would have had a bad time had they caught him early, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally

OLYMPIC GAMES FOR 1944

London, June 4.—Strenuous efforts to obtain the 1944 Olym- pic Games for London will be made by Lord Aberdare, Lord Burghley, and Sir Noel Curtis Bennett, the three British dele- gates to the meetings of the International Olympic Association, which the Duke of Gloucester is to open at St. James's Palace on Tuesday next, and which will continue daily at the Dofcester un- til Friday.

On the morning of the fight, Leon ard's manager learned through the underworld 'grape vine' that the re feree of the contest had a financial in-

The Olympic Games, which were let-Latour of Belgium, President of terest in White. He raved unavail- ingly, and, as they were in enemy ter- last held in Germany in 1936, were the International Olympic Commit- ritory, there was little to be done to have been held in Japan next tee, are expected over the week- about it. However, Gibson; the

year, but owing to the Sino-Japan- end. manager, insisted on his ten thousand dollar guarantee before Benny enter-ese War Japan had to decline the ed the ring.

honour. The 1940 Games will now For the first few rounds the clever be held in Finland, at Helsinki. Leonard made the hurricane-hitting White look like a child, His danger- ous left hook did little more than scorch the air. However, in the third round Benny, while executing a 'shift', suddenly felt a terrible pain run up his right leg.. He knew what it was. The injury sustained when falling from the rope had come back.

they went to his apartment, forced an entrance, and sat down to wait for him, with the lights out. At about five in the morning he returned, and to his shocked surprise found his flat occu- pied by a little group of hard-faced. glint-eyed men, and one battered world champion, who demanded an explana- tion.

Feebly 'he tried to explain, saying he had had to drive someone to catch a train.

Not Satisfied

That didn't satisfy Gibson. They took him forcibly by the arms and carried him downstairs to their car. Then they all drove back to Benton Harbour. There they knocked up the bank manager, pulled him out of bed, made him open the bank while the grey dawn streaked across the sky! The money was paid out in cash.

Leonard will never forget that drive back.

Their path lay through one of the toughest paths in Chicago, and in those early 1920's Chicago was a bri- gand city. There were men around who would have assassinated the American president for nineteen hun- dred dollars, never mind nineteen thousand!

hand. Two others had machine guns They thrust a revolver into Benny's lying across their knees; everyone was armed in some way or another. The driver trod on the gas, hopped the en- gine up to 80 miles an hour, and stay- ed at that speed until they screeched to a standstill safe and sound outside their hotel

seventeen hours, convinced

Benny went to sleep and slept for had made a vast mistake in taking up that he

a career of professional boxing !

(COPYRIGHT) Saturday.-Jimmy Johnston

GOLF

OL

Boxing's "Boy Bandit."

PENFOLD TOURNEY

London, To-day-Following is the re- sult of the Penfold Golf Tournament fifth series:

Cotton beat Padgham 4 and 3. Perry beat Alliss 2 up.

C. Whitcombe beat Rees 2 and 1. Gadd beat R. Whitcombe 3 and 2. King beat Burton 4 and 3. The sixth series resulted as follows:

Padgham beat Allis 3 and 1. Cotton beat Perry 1 up.

C. Whitcombe beat Gadd 3 and 2. R. Whitcombe and Rees halved. Adams beat Burton 3 and 2. King beat Lacey 3 and 2.-Reuter.

BRITISH TOURNEY

WOMEN'S

on

Following are the results of the Bri tish Women's Golf Championship the Royal Portrush course:-

Quarter-Finals

.

The opening of the meetings at St. James's Palace on Tuesday will be formal, and the business of the Delegates from twenty-eight Association will be conducted at countries, who will be represented subsequent daily meetings. at the meeting of the International The delegates to the International Olympic Association, are already Olympic Association meetings will beginning to arrive in London. The be entertained at a banquet at the Marquis Melchisr de Polignac, one Dorchester on Tuesday by the Bri- of the French delegates, has al- tish Olympic Association. Lord Por- ready arrived, and Prince Axel of, tal will preside, and among the Denmark, Prince François of guests will be the Lord Mayor and Clarrie Tiernan, the Curtis Cup play- Liechenstein, and Count de Bail- Lady Mayoress of London and Sirer, beat Mrs. J. B. Challen (Blackwell)

Alan Anderson M.P. for the City 2 and 1;

Pamela Barton, former British cham- - of London, the Earl and Countess of pion, beat Mrs. H. J. Percy (Alnmouth) Athlone, Lord Wigram, Lord Cam-2 and 1;. rose, and Mr. Rous, secretary of the Football Association.

He couldn't move fast, and it was then that White started pumping him terrific smashes, In the next round the challenger blazed from his corner, and, swinging mightily, landed with paralysing effect on the bicep of Leon; ard's right arm. So heavy was the FRENCH TENNIS blow, that Benny realised this was out of commission for the rest of

arm

the fight. He could scarcely lift it a U.S. Semi-

couple of inches!

Here was a lovely position. De- fending his title before a hostile crowd, against one of the hardest punchers who ever lived, with left leg and right arm practically use- less, and the referee hopelessly prejudiced in favour of the chal- tenger.....

Grimly Benny hung on, while White, sensing something was wrong, viled on pressure, and surged across the ring with a two-handed. attack. Charlie landed some rib-crushers to the body, but Leonard kept feinting with his useless right hand, for which glove the challenger bad the greatest respect!

Finalists

Paris, To-day-Following are the results of the quarter-finals in the French lawn tennis championships:

McNeill (United States) beat Pun-

- cec. (Yugo-Slavia) – 6

6-1

Cooke (United States) beat

ton (Great Britain) -

---Renter.

LIGHTWEIGHT MOTOR CYCLET.T.

Elsie Corlett (English champion) by Mrs. H. V. Newton (Birkdale) beat one hole

་

1.

Mrs. T. Marks (Malone) beat Mrs. Edmund, Fletcher (Hermitage) at the 21st.

Mrs. Bruce Burrell and Miss C. Mac- geagh, champions, of Wales and Ire- land, respectively, were beaten in the third round.

Miss Tiernan beat Jessie Edston, the Scottish champion, by one hole in the fourth round.---Reuter.

λ

Douglas (Isle of Man)The seconds at an average speed of 6, Englishman, Edward Mellors; ·rid-74.25 m.p.h.

ing an Italian Benelli machine, Kluge, of Germany, riding Billing-won the lightweight motor

cycle D.K.W., was second in 3 hours, 37 tourist trophy when he covered 264 minutes, 11 seconds at an average miles in 3 hours, 33 minutes, 26 of 72.79 m.p.h.-Reuter.