Benny Leonard v Jack Britton Rematch?

He hasn't posted here since late last October, but may well have discussed that bout previously. He was certainly one of the many guys I rely on here to learn new factual minutia about historical events, fascinating details I wanted to express by sharing his rebuttal to my repeating of the Greb-Flowers legend. (For all I know, he killed Bert Sugar by confronting him with all the falsehoods Bert perpetuated with such colourful enthusiasm over the years, but I think I'll always smell Sugar's cigar smoke when I see, listen and read him tell those bedtime stories. Bert's the storyteller a boxing fan falls asleep to tall tales from, like Pep winning a round without throwing a punch. Klompton's the cold splash of water and strong coffee which helps that fan wake up in the morning, while he pulls up the blinds to let bright sunshine in, and opens the windows to air out Sugar's stale cigar smoke. He's the guy who'll post the newspaper article documenting that Pep was indeed throwing plenty of shots in the third round of that match with Jackie Graves.)

 

You can't help but favour Leonard given Britton's age, but then again Britton managed to surprise everyone in their last fight by winning the vast most of the rounds before the DQ. I've seen some newspapers on this thread say that Britton won as much as 10 rounds in the fight.

 

I read a Benny Leonard biography last year. I don't recall reading anything about a 4th bout with Britton, but there was talk of a fighter with Mickey Walker following Leonard's final LW defence vs Lew Tendler. That would have been a mega fight.

 

Would you give Leonard a chance in that one, Greg?

 

At WW, yes, id give Benny a chance. I'd make the bigger Walker a clear favourite, but Leonard beat Britton 2 out of 3, won all of his last 91 fights contested in and around LW, whilst Walker lost to a couple of guys around WW I'd favour Leonard over.

The success Walker had moving up in weight, relative to WW, where he was very good but perhaps not an ATG, confounds all logic. Fighters who do well moving up are generally - 1) big framed relative to their weight and fill out, e.g. Hearns; or 2) rely on hitting and not getting hit, e.g. Whittaker.

At 5ft 7ins Walker was already a tank at WW and used his physical strength to pressure and bully fighters.

I'll never understand how a fighter like Walker could split a pair with Dave Shade at WW, yet beat Uzcudun and draw with Sharkey. If I'd have been around at that time, I'd have predicted those fights incorrectly.

At 160 or above, I'd give the brilliant Leonard no chance.