I'm interested if there was ever any talk of a rematch between these two? Was Britton beating Leonard so handily before the DQ that there was no talk of it? Any answers would be appreciated. I'm sure Burt Bienstock could shed some light on it. Cheers fellas.
from everything i read leonard was clearly winning the fight before the DQ. it was a rare and unusual DQ from leonard and i've never heard an explaination for what really occured
Same here. I read Leonard denies it was an illegal punch but most the press watching disagree, while the crowd just felt cheated with the outcome. I think it says as much on boxrec. I believed Leonard to be winning but read last week that infact Britton was winning and was doing a good job of smothering Benny and outmuscling him. I can't find the article now :roll:. I was just wondering with the controversy of the fight if there was much talk about a rematch? Anyone...
What I can add to this thread was that before Manny Seamon , Benny Leonard's trainer died, he told a boxing reporter that just before Benny Leonard entered the ring to fight Jack Britton Billy Gibson,Leonard's manager told Benny, "you can't win tonight Benny"...Leonard broke down in tears hearing this minutes before entering the Ring...Seamon died soon after he revealed this to the reporter..The fact that the peerless and brainy Leonard would run to the floored bigger Jack Britton, and smack Britton who was still on his knees , is so unlike the cool headed Benny Leonard, that Manny Seamon's asserion was most likely true...Leonard might have feared for his or his manager Billy Gibson's life, and thought that a disqualification was the only way out for Leonard after dropping Britton with a body shot in the 13th round...I believe this most probably happened and Leonard never answered his strange behavior, so untypical of boxing's braniest and cool headed thinker in the ring...Cheers
Interesting stuff, thanks Burt. With not much information around about this fight and the controversy surrounding it, this is a good explanation. Like you say it seems strange how a cool fighter such as Leonard could act so rash. Considering this i suppose a rematch would of been far from Benny's thoughts too. One more thing Burt do you know who was winning the fight? I thought it to be Leonard until i heard differently last week.
There is mixed opoinions of who was ahead up to the 13th round "disqualification". But in light of that STRANGE ending, most likely Leonard was holding back during the bout. Benny probably did enough to avoid suspicion during the bout, and knowing the fight was too close, in the 13th round a blow to Britton's stomache that dropped and badly hurt the WW Britton, Leonard had no choice but to scoot across the ring and cuff Britton on the side of the head, and the referee WITHOUT a warning disqualified Leonard for the only time in his career...To me this disclosure by Manny Seamon just before he died many years later most likely solved the puzzle...:hi:
Britton was clearly winning the fight on points. To save his face (losing a decision) Leonard chose to lose it on foul.
Ok, i just found out Leonard fought Britton in 2 no-contests earlier on in his career where he looked the 'stronger' man and obviously the better boxer. Which suggests that Benny was holding back in their title fight. In another article which summarizes Britton's career it simply says Leonard commited the foul because he didn't want to hold two titles. I found this quote from Dumb Dan Morgan: "Leonard was more powerful than people think. He'd tie you up and move you in close...Jack Britton came back to the corner once in a fight with Benny and said, 'Nobody ever lived as strong as this guy' ". Thanks Burt, it looks like your story could hold more truth than not.
@senya You maybe right, but with Leonard hurting Britton in the 13th and also Benny hurt him badly in the 12th, then even if he was losing then a champ such as himself would have seen this as a way back into the fight and to end it. It's a shame there is'nt anymore comprehensive info on the fight, it's definitely a strange one with mixed views.
You state Britton was clearly winning the fight, if so mate have you got some proof of this. Any info would be good.
S,with all due respect. If as YOU say, Britton was winning the fight on points and Leonard to SAVE face, fouled Britton. Why oh why would Leonard or any SANE fighter save face, when Britton was on the canvas terribly hurt from a vicious body blow . First off Britton might NOT have gotten up at the ten count, and even if he DID rise on shaky legs, Leonard who was a great puncher [70 kos] would have most likely stopped Jack Britton...Why would any man save face when you have your oponent badly hurt and the referee counting over him ? Then the normal motivation is to end the bout then and there... P.S. Why would Leonard "lose face" if he lost to one of the greatest WW's of alltime who OUTWEIGHED the lightweight Benny Leonard by about 8 pounds. ? If Roberto Duran or Ike Williams lost to WW Ray Robinson who outweighed them by 8 pounds, would these two lightweights lose face ? I think not...Plus when a man has his foe on the verge of a knockout, you don't foul out to save face. Common sense dictates that S, wouldn't you think.?
Not that its a comprehensive source but boxrec states that Britton was comfortably ahead although he has been staggered twice in the 12th. Apparently Leonard.was cut and slightly behind when he dropped Britton, with a bodyshot. Here's where things get tricky because people always say Leonard rushed across the ring and hit a prone Britton which is a fairly bizarre thing to do and probably backs up the idea of him throwing the match. The real question is if there was a neutral corner rule in effect. If there was then it seems fishy. However if there wasn't then its possible that Leonard saw Britton get to one knee and pounced assuming he was up. Leonard himself always insisted he didn't foul Britton which from his perspective he probably didn't. Britton was getting up and Leonard was frustrated; it happened to Roy Jones Jr it could've happened to Leonard. A conspiracy theory is probably unnecessary.
Why in hell would a Benny Leonard not foul Jack Britton during the fight if he was" frustrated" and fearful of losing ? Why in tarnation would he WAIT until he floored Britton finally, and had him hurt badly from a body blow would Leonard on the verge of koing Jack Britton,THEN try to "SAVE FACE" by rushing over to the prostate Britton and smack Britton on the side of his face whilst the referee was counting over Britton ? I believe what Benny Leonard's highly respected trainer Manny Seamon revealed before he died that Billy Gibson Leonard's manager told Leonard in Benny's dressing room before the bout..."Benny you can't WIN tonight ". Leonard cried, but he had no other choice, but to adhere to this warning by gangsters of that time... Years later an Ike Williams, a Jake LaMotta did dives too...
You're confusing me with someone else. I never said Leonard was afraid of losing. Britton had gotten up to one knee and Leonard carried away hit him. Why the hell did RJ smash Montell Griffin? Stuff happens. Leonard was pretty well connected with Hollywood types and politicians and popular in a way that LaMotta and Williams weren't. I'd doubt he had to throw many fights (carry opponents is another story). A sinless explanation is just as logical.
