Benny Leonard vs. Henry Armstrong

Hmm, I understand your point....
People knew Leonard as a very adaptable fighter, so maybe he would be a very good fight for any style.....

 

Benny Leonard seems a little cagey about discussing his chances with Armstrong, but i certainly dont think complacency would be a problem. He ranked Armstrong very highly it seems.

http://news.google.com.au/newspaper...+armstrong+benny+leonard+fight+greatest&hl=en

 

Armstrong was unparalleled under his guise of boxing; he's the one fighter in history who can claim to have forced you into his world better than a Rocky Marciano or Roberto Duran.

Leonard, however, possessed, to Ted Spoon liking, boxing’s skeleton key. As suffocating a proposition as Armstrong was, Leonard would exact certain moves and punches to subtely encase him a losing battle.

The quick, silky movement, the grand ability to spin his man, a stabbing jab and a measured uppercut would be installed to a traceless rhythm. Through much of this Armstrong would bore-in and dedicate himself to closing the distance, but he would soon discover how painfully hard it was to make Leonard order as he slips away into secret parts of the ring.

Leonard is set to land the cleaner work. He isn't going to dictate to a man like Armstrong, someone who absolutely refuted the idea of being tamed, but he'll slowly befuddle the bull with a sustained and calculating grace over 15, capturing a close but clear decision.

 

Very well put. as i have posted before, Benny Leonard was by all who saw him in his prime championship years supreme, alongst with Joe Gans. Leonard ruled for SEVEN years as champion,outclassing the best assortment of
135 pound challengers as Johnny Kilbane, Freddie Welsh,Johnny Dundee,
Lew Tendler, Charley White,Richie Mitchell, Rocky Kansas, Joe Welling,
Ever Hammer,Soldier Bartfield etc. He beat them all,and was considered
unbeatable as the WW Ray Robinson,25 years later was also considered.Henry Armstrong was a great, great fighter with his swarming in your face style.
But I think that if a Lou Ambers,a great infighter,sans hitting power, gave
Armstrong much trouble in their two fights, a Benny Leonard who was just as clever [more so],and could hit hard with pin-point accuracy, would do what
a less talented Fritzie Zivic accomplished against Henry, ripping uppercuts into Armstrong and stopping Henry.It would be the bull against the matador,
and the matador wins in this case, Benny Leonard...

 

I think the Great Bennah wins this one. Armstrong has the style edge, but I just thjink that in his prime Benny was too smart to just be run over. And too good. I think Bienstock has the right of it, he'd use a hit-and-away rhythm to accomplish one of the greatest smash and grabs in boxing history.

 

You must remember little Benny from when he was a whippersnapper eyy Burt?

 

Before that DB. I boxed with his dad, before Benny was born.