Benny Leonard "The Ghetto Wizard" Born Benjamin Leiner on April 7th 1896 in Manhattan,New York,USA,Benny learned to fight in the tough Jewish
ghetto,s at age 15 he turned pro where he began fighting in local clubs it was there he developed into one of the greatest lightweights of all time
and one of history's best pound for pound fighters. On May 28th 1917 age 21 Benny knocked out Freddie Welsh in round nine to
become lightweight champion of the world,Benny held the title for the next eight years from 1917 to 1925 and on January 15th 1925 retired as the
reigning world lightweight champ.Observe closely.In 1929 Benny lost most of his fortune in the stock market crash and had to
make a comeback in 1931 and won 21 of 23 bouts 1 draw and then came up against the hard hitting Jimmy McLarnin who TKOed Benny in six rounds,here,s
the fightBenny became a referee later on and on April 18th 1947 after refereeing the first six bouts of the night Benny had a
massive heart attack and died in the ring he was aged 51. "The Ghetto Wizard" 7th April 1896-18th April 1947. Extra
bonus:Some crystal of Benny in his prime with Charlie Chaplin
Jack Dempsey "The Manassa Mauler" Born William Harrison Dempsey on June 24th 1895 in Manassa,Colorado,U.S.A. A boxing icon since the 1920s
Dempsey was known as an aggressive power punching machine and with a record of 54 wins and 44 of them by K.O. states the
same,Dempsey won the heavyweight title on July 4 1919 when he pulverized Jess Willard in three rounds leaving Jess unable to come out for the
fourth,here,s the fight with added comedy value given by the commentatorJack Dempsey lost the title on September 23rd 1926 to
Gene Tunney on points over 10 rounds they fought a year later which involved the infamous long count and Jack lost a unanimous decision and then
retired from boxing after.The Dempsey Roll for ya.
James J. Braddock "The Cinderella Man" Born James Walter Braddock on June 7th 1905 in Hells Kitchen,New York City,U.S.A. James turned pro age 21 and
started fighting at lightheavy after the first three years of his career his record stood at 44-2-2 with 21 K.O s.James possessed a stiff jab,powerful
right hand and was granite tough. James earned a chance at the title but narrowly lost to Tommy Loughran in a 15-round
decision,James suffered a badly fractured right hand in that fight and as a result his record fell.In 1934 Braddock was given a fight with the highly
rated John "Corn" Griffin and although Braddock was only intended as a stepping stone for Griffins career James had other ideas and sparked Corn out
in 3 rounds,James beat two other highly regarded heavyweight contenders and was given a shot at title against the champion Max Baer.James trained hard
for the fight and won a unanimous decision. Here,s the fight Bonus from
haNZAgod: