F. Daniel Somrack
The Great Benny Leonard is the story of one of the most celebrated professional fighters of all-time. Born Benjamin Leiner to Jewish immigrants in 1896, Leonard fought his way out of New York’s Lower East Side to become the Lightweight Champion of the World in 1917.
During the Roaring Twenties, Benny Leonard was a boxing superstar and the most famous Jewish person in America. In an era when the country was rife with anti-Semitism, Leonard was an inspiration to Jews everywhere and proof that the American Dream was possible for all races and religions.
As one of the cleverest and most scientific boxers that ever lived, Leonard retired as the undefeated lightweight champion in 1925. Hard times forced Benny back into the ring six years later where he won nineteen straight fights. After losing to the future welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin, Leonard retired from the ring in 1932.
The Ring ranked Benny Leonard the greatest lightweight of all-time. Leonard was inducted into The Ring Hall of Fame in 1955, the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1988 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
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