Benny Leonard...Welterweight Champion?

Got this one wrong-sorry 'bout dat-no...,Leonard wasn't winning the title fight with Britton(he apparently had the edge on Britton in their two previous fights-6/25/1918&10/19/1917-boxrec.com).Anyway,this is from Ronald K. Fried's excellent book,'Corner Men'(p.246-248:"The greatest mystery of Leonard's career remains his behavior in a June 1922 challenge of welterweight champion Jack Britton.Britton was thirty-seven at the time,and Leonard was favored to beat him easily.Leonard didn't seem to be himself in the early rounds,but in the thirteenth,he floored Britton with a left to the midsection.When Britton claimed he'd been fouled,Leonard did something very peculiar.He walked across the ring and swatted Britton on the head,though Britton had not yet gottem to his feet.Leonard lost the title on a foul.
Next to his listing of this fight in his notes,Seamon(Mannie Seamon was Leonard's trsiner at the time) wrote simply,"What a story".Fortunately,Seamon told his version of the story in the Sunday Empire News in 1948:'Leonard trained hard and was in great shape for the Britton fight,and I am sure he would have won.But for some reason which I do not know to this day he just didn't have to(win).After the weigh-in,Benny's manager,the late Billy Gibson,told Leonard:I'm sorry I've got to say this,but you can't win this fight tonight."Benny didn't ask questions,and neither did I.Those were the instructions.Whether or not Gibson had made a bet I don't know,but this is something even the opposing camp,including Britton and his manager,Dan Morgan,had no knowledge...Leonard started to cry and said,"Gib,I'm in such great condition,and I know I can win.And my friends are betting on me.It's a terrible thing."I'm sure that if Gibson had told him earlier there would have been no fight.But at the New York Velodrome in the Bronx that night we had the awful sight of the clever Leonard having to stand flat-footed and let Britton jab him.Leonard looked so bad that as he was going out for the thirteenth round I said,"Benny,you're a little too flat-footed.It looks too bad.You've got to get on your toes and hit this fellow a few punches."
Leonard walked out,hit Britton a vicious body shot and Britton went down.The referee counted seven. Britton tried to get up,but it was obvious he couldn't.
Then Leonard realized that he had to lose.Ice-cool,he walked over,and when the referee said "Nine" with Britton still on the floor,he hit Britton a right to the head and lost on a foul.Whatever else he had done,he had saved his friends,because ninety-nine percent of the wagering was on terms of "Foul,no bet."

 

BIG DEE HERE= I have always thought that Leonard threw the fight to Britton as Britton by that stage couldn`t hit Leonard in the ass with a handfull of rice. In all my years as a historian of the sport this is the first I have ever
heard Manny Seamon admit to a dive as I admit I haven`t read his book
but I am now thanks JAY EXCELLENT POST AS I VERY RARELY LEARN FROM POSTERS AS I HAVE STUDIED THE GAME FOR 44 YRS. GREAT POST ONE OF THE BEST I HAVE EVER SEEN AT EASTSIDE ON ANY SITE.

 

Thanks Big Dee;you duh man..