I've been very bad. I've promised @Jason Thomas I'd do this one on more than a few occasions, and I just haven't done it, and here it is 1940, and I'm getting to it. Here goes: This content is protected 1. The two were a stark contrast to one another. Leonard was cautious, holding his hands out in the open to catch any shots. McLarnin on the other hand was punching pretty fast and hard. The one similarity was that both were very mobile. However, McLarnin was punching more, but he would be the one who almost went down. As he lunged in, Leonard caught him with a right hook, and McLarnin's knees buckled, but they tied up, saving McLarnin from a KD imo. McLarnin came back to nearly put Leonard down later in the round, leaping in with a left hook that staggered Leonard into a corner. McLarnin typically punched more, but both men were clearly rocked in this first round, which was actually pretty eventful. McLarnin. 2. The round was going by quickly, with McLarnin doing the majority of the punching. He put Leonard down with a right cross, left hook combination. Leonard was clearly dazed (hence the shaking of the head), but like an old pro stayed down for as long as he could afford. McLarnin chased after Leonard frantically, but Leonard made McLarnin miss a lot with slick ducking, rolling, and slipping. McLarnin. 3. A pretty comfortable round for McLarnin. McLarnin. 4. Though McLarnin won this round, I thought he had a harder time imposing his will. I think the 2nd round knockdown was wearing off of Leonard. McLarnin. (Round 5 not included. I would assume McLarnin won it, but who knows.) 6. The round was going like all the others, being pretty even, until McLarnin threw a big roundhouse right and Leonard was clearly in trouble. He doubled over instantly and McLarnin went on the attack with a great two-fisted flurry. The ref stopped it as Leonard stumbled around as he got pummeled. Verdict: Not a classic fight imo, but it was a significant passing-of-the-torch fight for that era of lightweights. This is probably one of McLarnin's best wins, and Leonard, though past it, did not look washed-up. He just looked no longer the best. That's really a great testimony. I thought in this performance Leonard looked like a man who was clearly once a great, and who still possessed a certain measure of skill. I thought he gave an intelligent and skillful performance, showing good footwork, head movement, a good jab, and counterpunching ability.
Thanks for posting. Your description is excellent, and your evaluations spot on. "one of McLarnin's best wins" I think so. "Leonard looked like a man who was clearly once a great" Benny Leonard is the reason to watch this one. There is a film of his 1922 fight with Tendler, and perhaps if cleaned up and gotten to the proper speed, it would be more valuable as it shows him at his peak, but as currently way off speed, it leaves a lot to be desired. This one is an excellent film for 1932. Despite coming back after a seven year layoff, Leonard shows a lot. He still has great footwork and is very elusive. I don't think anyone looks as good as a pure boxer until Sugar Ray Robinson and Willie Pep were filmed around 1950. Leonard had a very quick and dangerous straight right to go with his boxing skills. It is fortunate we do have some footage of Leonard, unlike Harry Greb. The older generation back when I was a kid generally compared Robinson to Leonard as a p4p fighter. This footage justifies that. The one flaw that shows up, in comparison to Robinson, is a shaky chin. My guess is a prime Leonard was not hit that often. Hard to tell if his chin was ever quite a match for his general skill level. Again thanks for commenting on your reaction to Leonard.
Not remotely. Leonard retired as the lightweight champion and went away for 7 years without fighting. For this fight he was a mid 30s welterweight. He was on an excellent win streak though.
