This is one of my favorite fighters, Vicente Saldívar, "El Zurdo de Oro", all-time great 1960s and 70s featherweight champion. I don't even know what to say about Saldivar, dude was a mofo beast, damn near unbeatable. He was a very patient pressure fighter who was adept at breaking his opponents down as a fight wore on. In boxing, stamina is an extraordinarily important aspect of a fighter’s conditioning, and no fighter in the history of the sport had greater stamina than the great Mexican southpaw, Vicente Saldivar. Blessed with an unusually slow heart and pulse rate, Saldivar never punched himself out, always recovering quickly, and started each round as fresh and eager as though he were answering the opening bell. He KO’d many an opponent in the late rounds thanks to his stamina and the staggering pace he could maintain. He was often compared to a "subtle storm" because he could appear slow and minimalist in the ring, but he was constantly analyzing his opponent's actions, then would suddenly erupt with a flurry of patented combinations and a complete disruption of rhythm, similar to how a quiet prelude can be followed by a powerful storm. This deceptive approach made him incredibly difficult to fight, as he would subvert expectations and overwhelm opponents with bursts of unexpected aggression after a period of apparent calm. I'll let the brilliant boxing analyst Matt McGrain break him down for you.
As I’ve written before, the term “cleared out the weight division” is perhaps the most abused in boxing. This is because it almost never happens; there’s always someone out there.
That being said, Vicente Saldivar perhaps came as close as any man to achieving the mythical clearout; he roared through the featherweight division of the 1960s with few left behind to tell the tale of his passing unscathed.
The road to the world title was opened up in a fascinating contest between future greats as he was matched with the soon-to-be lightweight champion Ismael Laguna. That fight was not without its controversies and there were some in attendance who believed Laguna was good for the nod. Highlights of that contest can be found on the McGrain boxing channel on YouTube; what is available shows a close contest but certainly not one that would lend itself to serious objections. Whatever the detail, Saldivar got the nod and in his next contest he met with Sugar Ramos for the featherweight crown.
Ramos, a 2-1 favorite, was cloaked in an unfortunate aura of danger since he took the life of Davey Moore in claiming the title, and he oozed confidence as he entered the bull-ring that held the fight-ring where he was to make his fourth defense. Early, he had success with a long jab to the body, and some rushing, wild hooks. Saldivar, poisonous, squat, compact, studied Ramos in turn and as the fight progressed, he began to find him. Saldivar had learned this wonderful habit, but when he found a fighter it tended to be all at once. Suddenly Saldivar, who had been trying to open up his victim with a jab, a one-two, a sometime body-attack, could suddenly be found throwing eight punch combinations. How the fight might progress would, in the main, be decided by how the opponent dealt with such terror and Ramos did not deal with it well. Through the tenth and eleventh rounds, Saldivar achieved rare heights, even for a championship ring, finding seamless squads of punches thrown in neat, compact bunches, all the while, dipping and sliding the increasingly desperate winging blows coming his way in return. These two rounds – and the sick punishment that preceded it – may have been the absolute peak of Saldivar’s career, but we have plenty to choose from. When Ramos failed to answer the bell for the twelfth, a new and violent era was begun.
Raul Rojas, the world’s #2 contender, was thrashed and stopped in fifteen; the gutsy Howard Winstone, also a top contender, was crushed twice on his home soil and once in Mexico; Floyd Robertson, who had been involved in a rather bizarre fifteen round split decision loss to Sugar Ramos, was blasted out in two; the #1 contender Mitsunori Seki was outpointed, rematched for the temerity he showed in going the distance, then slaughtered in seven.
Saldivar retired after the third Winstone fight, but returned and after being dropped for a count in the third, battered the new #1 contender, Jose Legra, with a body attack before restoring himself to title honors with a victory over Johnny Famechon.
Saldivar was an insidious force of nature, someone who built his fight-plan from the bottom and delivered the knockout when he was ready and not before. As for the possibility of his being out-pointed, he was a brilliant technician with superb speed and a patience matched only by that of Salvador Sanchez. Age caught up to him in the form of the inexhaustible Kuniaki Shibata but by that point two stints as world champion and a record of 9-0 in featherweight title fights against excellent competition had already guaranteed his immortality.
Other Top Fifty Featherweights Saldivar Defeated: Jose Legra (50), Johnny Famechon (38), Howard Winstone (37), Sugar Ramos (18).
Just want to say RIP to Joe Bugner, heard he passed away. Born József Bugner in Hungary, he fled the country as a child refugee with his family and settled in the UK, where he became a celebrated British and European heavyweight, he later also became an Australian citizen. He was a warrior, he fought in the Golden era of heavyweight boxing all the way up to 1990s, brave as hell, there was no quit in him. He went the distance twice with Ali and once with Frazier. He also had a good run in the 80s when he beat James "Quick" Tillis, Greg Page, and David Bey. He also beat British national treasure Henry Cooper and was never forgiven for it by the English media and a lot of British boxing fans.
Jose Legra, featherweight in the 1960s and 70s, Two-time WBC featherweight champion. He was called the "Pocket Cassius Clay" because his style reminded people of a young Cassius Clay. Indeed if you watch Legra on film, he reminds you of a young Ali, very slick boxer, elusive, his opponents often found out how nauseating it was to catch him, great jab and technical skills, also packed a pretty good punch. Legra was tall for a featherweight at 5'8", he was skinny and had these long arms and legs and he used them to his advantage, he had a nasty long reach. Legra was never an easy night's work for anyone, he was one of those poisonous globetrotters who make it their job to make others' job hell. Great fighter, his career record is 133-12-4. I have to say, it's a damn shame he's not in the Hall of Fame, because he certainly deserves to be.
Pete Ranzany, excellent welterweight contender in the 1970s. Most people probably remember him for his two KO losses to Sugar Ray Leonard and Pipino Cuevas which is a shame because Ranzany is really what the definition of a fighter is, he was what this sport is all about. You get knocked down, you get back up and keep fighting, keep putting in the work, you don't give up. He did just that and he carved out a respectable career. Here's a post from Boxing Forum 24 that describes Ranzany to a T, brilliant post. I love hanging around that forum, you pick up so much brilliant knowledge.
When Steven Bass and Harold Lederman produced and hosted their syndicated "Cavalcade of Boxing" program in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they aired a number of Pete's winning bouts, giving him some much deserved positive national exposure. During the late 1970s, he was labeled by some writers as, "the best 'club fighter' in the United States."
Pete needed a little time to get going, but once he warmed up, his jab looked more like a machine gun's than that of anybody else I've ever seen (and "Machine Gun" would have been an excellent nickname given his style of jabbing and punching).
Excellent high guard and superb conditioning. After Bass and Lederman showed what he looked like when winning against Randy Shields and Rafael Rodriguez, few of those viewers were surprised when Ranzany then outpointed O'Grady . Sean was able to beat Kenty when Hilmer was ill with walking pneumonia, but the "Bubblegum Bomber" was never truly a world class fighter, while Ranzany very definitely was a gatekeeper to the upper echelons. (Take a good look at, and compare their records sometime. Pete took on and beat far tougher opposition much more regularly.)
Ranzany handed Adolfo Viruet and Bruce Finch their first defeats. As an NABF WW titleholder, he was a solid second tier champion in the late 1970s. For a seven year period, only a peaking Cuevas, prime SRL, peaking Benitez and prime Muniz (between shots at Palomino) were able to beat him. Cuevas, SRL and Benitez are in the IBHOF, while Muniz is in the WBHOF. (And if Mando had not been flagrantly robbed of the undisputed WW title by Jose Sulamain's desperately sleazy ringside machinations at the end of his first shot at Napoles, maybe he'd be in the IBHOF today as well.)
Palomino-Ranzany would have been an excellent scrap, guaranteeing fans their money's worth. Both were slow starters with terrific stamina. Pete never lost over the 12 round distance, and Carlos had legendary endurance. While I think Palomino would have been too much for Ranzany, I doubt that anybody would be disappointed or feel shortchanged when it was over.
Great, great boxing photo right here of Pete Ranzany in his corner with that look in his eyes, that look you get when you're in that place, when you're right in the middle of a war with another gladiator, it's like a world of it's own, a place separate from planet Earth. Only a boxer can understand it. And you can ask a lot of cornermen how hard it is to talk to a fighter when he's in that place.
And I just want to say something here right fast, I heard someone on this forum call Leon Spinks a bum a while back. There's no such thing as a bum in boxing, it takes balls to step into the ring and risk your health, your life, for this sport. A boxer died just a few weeks ago from injuries to his head, this sport ain't no joke. More people have died in boxing than any other sport, you're talking about a sport that revolves around, that deals in blows to the head, the brain. Boxing isn't a game, it isn't tennis, you make a mistake in tennis it's 15-love, you make a mistake in boxing it's your a$$.
One of the best ever right here, Benny Leonard, "The Ghetto Wizard", one of the greatest lightweights in history, Benny Leonard won the world lightweight title at the age of 21 and held it for seven years, from 1917 to 1925. That should tell you all you need to know about how great he was at lightweight. When discussing the greatest lightweights in history, it usually comes down to Duran and Leonard as the top Two, and depending on what day you ask me, what mood I'm in, I might pick Leonard as the greatest lightweight. Leonard was a brainy boxer, a master at mental chess, always outthinking his opponents. He was called "The Ghetto Wizard" because of his background on New York's impoverished Lower East Side (the "ghetto") and his exceptional, intelligent, almost magical approach to boxing, which centered on outthinking opponents rather than brute force. His masterful blend of footwork, blocking, feinting, and countering allowed him to "hit without getting hit," a skill that seemed so uncanny it was compared to sorcery. Be that as it may, Leonard could bang, he had good power, and if the opportunity presented itself, he would take you out, he iced 70 opponents during his career. Great story about Benny Leonard, he was famous for his slicked-back hair that remained perfectly in place during a fight, a point of pride that underscored his defensive mastery and ability to outhink his opponents. A key part of Leonard's persona was his claim that his superior defensive skills would prevent any opponent from landing a punch solid enough to muss his neatly combed hair. After winning a fight, he would proudly smooth his coiffure with a hand to show that it was still perfectly intact, much to the delight of his fans.
Cox's Corner Profiles
Benny Leonard, The Ghetto Wizard…“The Brainiest of All Boxers”
By: Monte D. Cox
Benny Leonard was not only one of the greatest lightweights of all time, he was one of history’s greatest pound for pound fighters. Benny, a Jewish boxer born Benjamin Leiner, turned pro at age 15. He won the World Lightweight Championship at age 21 and held it for nearly 7 years between 1917-1925 when he retired unbeaten as champion while at the peak of his power. His official record is 85-5-1 121 No Decisions with 69 knockouts. His record with newspaper verdicts, according to one source, is 180-21-6-6ND 69 Ko’s.
Al Bodner stated, "Leonard had a truly remarkable record. He was one of the greatest master boxers of all time."
The Ghetto Wizard was a fleet footed mobile boxer with a strong punch and liked to set a fast pace. He had excellent hand speed and was a clever two-handed hitter. He had a piston like left jab, a classic right cross and was an accomplished combination puncher. Leonard also loved to train and never entered the ring in less than top condition. He made a real science of the sport studying feints, shifts, and defensive moves for hours at a time in the gym. He was master who rarely lost a round in the vast majority of his fights.
Gilbert Odd wrote, “Leonard was coolness itself in the ring, finishing off a beaten opponent with cold fury, recovering quickly when hurt and talking himself out of trouble. Because he punched correctly he never suffered a hand injury; because he knew how to defend himself, he usually left the ring unmarked, because he kept himself in peak of condition he could travel ten fast rounds and look as fresh as when he started.”
His competition reads like a who’s who of the great fighters of the teens and twenties including; Johnny Dundee (Featherweight champion 1922-1923, 1923-1924 and Jr. Lightweight champion 1921-1923 and 1923-1924), the great rope fighter whom he met 8 times; Freddie Welsh (Lightweight champion 1914-1916) from whom he won the title, clever former champion Willie Ritchie (lightweight champion 1912-1914), Johnny Kilbane (Featherweight Champion 1912-1923), hard hitting Rocky Kansas (Lightweight champion 1925-1926) and the great southpaw Lew Tendler who is considered one of the best fighters to have never won a title. Leonard also defeated top lightweight contenders such as Ritchie Mitchell, Patsy Cline, Joe Welling and left hook artist Charley White.
Leonard was in many ways the Muhammad Ali of the 135-pounders, defeating what Nat Fleischer called, “a field of the greatest lightweights that ever appeared at one time in the division.”. When Leonard was fighting there were nearly 90 fight clubs in New York State and 20 fight cards a week in New York City. Boxing in the teens and twenties, along with baseball, was the most popular sport in America. There were more competitors and therefore a larger talent pool. Leonard came along when the lightweight division was stacked full of highly skilled fighters and punchers and he was the best among them. He fought them all and fought often. The year he won the title he fought 29 times. Leonard was a very smart, clever, and experienced fighter.
Jersey Jones agrees saying Ring Magazine Jul. 1947), “Leonard was one of the all time greats of the ring. A magnificent boxer, a deadly puncher, a brilliant ring strategist, and an extraordinary showman, Benny had to be a real champion in every sense of the word, to rule over the most formidable array of challengers in the annals of the lightweight division.”
One of Leonard's toughest opponent's was the great southpaw slugger Lew Tendler. On July 27, 1922, 60,000 screaming fans watched the two great fighters go at it in a 12 round non-title bout. In the first round a powerful left rocked Leonard. In the third Leonard's nose was bleeding. In the 8th Lew dropped Benny to one knee. Leonard was in trouble but Benny started talking to him and convinced him he wasn't hurt. Lew hesitated and Benny survived the round. It went the distance to a 12 round no-decision but Leonard would later say that Lew gave him "the worst licking I ever had in my life the first time we fought." In the rematch, for the championship the following year, Leonard proved he had learned his lesson.
Hype Igoe, wrote, NY World Jul. 25, 1923, “Benny Leonard is the brainiest of all boxers.” In the second Tendler fight, penned Igoe, "Leonard worked in circles around and toward the back of Tendler’s southpaw left so that Tendler was always shifting to get set again.” Leonard kept the southpaw off-balance and then countered effectively. “It was the finest job from any angle of boxing that this writer ever saw…and I don’t expect to see it duplicated.” Leonard easily won the 15 round decision and retained his title.
Ray Arcel, one of the greatest trainers of all time, concurs on Leonard’s ability to out-think his opponent’s, Peter Heller's In The Corner, “Boxing is brains over brawn. I don’t care how much ability you got, if you can’t think your just another bum in the park. People ask me who’s the greatest boxer I ever saw pound for pound. I hesitate to say, either Benny Leonard or Ray Robinson. But Leonard’s mental energy surpassed anyone else’s.”
Arcel continued, “Benny Leonard was a picture. He was the one fighter who I felt could name the round with anybody. He could make you do the things you didn’t want to do. If you were a counterpuncher he would make you lead. If you were aggressive he would make you back up. He knew were to hit you…If you look at his record you will see he always fought good fighters. If you didn’t know how to fight, nobody would match you with Benny Leonard” .
Nat Fleischer agrees, "Leonard had a hair-trigger brain. As he shifted about the ring, the fans could almost read his thoughts as he mapped out his plans of attack. An opponent had to be ever on the alert to avoid a quick knockout. Leonard knew his trade; knew it so thoroughly that almost invariably he could "call his shots," if and when the occasion warranted."
Bob Mee adds, "Benny was a master boxer, a genius who completed his art and yet still went on re-inventing it. His simple message was "Think. Learn how to think!"
No opponent could ever make a mistake with Benny, for one mistake often meant a sudden end. Leonard in a bout against Featherweight champion Johnny Kilbane noticed in their first meeting that, “Johnny’s a great boxer, tricky as they make them. But I know just how and when to beat him. He has a double feint shift, but he leaves himself open for a flash of a second and that’s when I’ll get him.” Benny nailed him in the third and took Kilbane just as he predicted. It was the first time the clever Featherweight champion had ever been knocked out.
What Leonard could do when he turned on the heat was aptly demonstrated in his bout with Leo Johnson, one of the best black lightweights of the era. Leonard took a lot of pride in going through an entire bout without ever having his hair messed up. Someone suggested to Johnson that he go right up to Leonard and put his hand on his head and mess up his hair in order to infuriate him and get him off his game plan. Johnson did just that as the fighters met at ring center. When Johnson recovered consciousness he was told that it was one of the quickest knockouts of Leonard’s career.
One time heavyweight threat Harry Wills said, Ring Magazine May 1948, “Benny Leonard was the best little man I ever saw. He liked to show his speed and outbox the other fellow. He also had a natural right hand… I picked Benny to beat Freddie Welsh, who was a very clever boy, Benny woke up to his right that night and knocked Welsh out.”
Many of his opponent’s commented that they were surprised by his hitting power. He won the title against Freddie Welsh on a 9th round knockout. It was the only time in 167 pro fights that Welsh was ever knocked out.
Perhaps his epoch battle against Richie Mitchell best defined his career. Leonard went right after Mitchell flooring him 3 times in the first round. Leonard, perhaps understandably, was a bit over-confident and let his guard down. Mitchell nailed him with a desperate, hurricane of a left hook right on the button. Benny crashed to the canvas. Leonard was hurt and barely beat a ten count. Richie moved in for the kill, but Benny covered up and rolled with the punches and survived to the bell.
Budd Schulberg described what transpired in the next round as Mitchell attacked Benny who was still hurt and on his bicycle. “As he retreated his was talking to Mitchell (shades of Ali a half century later!), “Is that the best you can do? I thought you hit harder than that? I’ll put my hands down, what do you want to bet you can’t hit me? Come on if you think you got me hurt, why don’t you fight? You look awful slow to me Richie”. Mitchell swung wildly missing and began to wear down by rounds end. In the fifth Leonard was up on his toes snapping Mitchell’s head back with left jabs and right crosses. Leonard floored Richie at the end of the round. In the following session Leonard gave Mitchell quite a beating and knocked him out to retain his title.
Leonard also challenged fighters above his normal weight winning a newspaper verdict over welterweight Ted “Kid” Lewis and challenged for the welterweight title against Jack Britton in 1922 flooring the bigger man in the 13th, and then in his eagerness knocked out Britton while he was down, thus losing on a disqualification.
Benny retired as lightweight champion in 1925 having bested all the topflight fighters of his class. The stock market crash of 1929 hurt his investments and he was forced to make a comeback in 1931. He won 18 in a row with only one draw when he ran into the young, fast and hard-hitting future welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin who stopped him in 6. It was his last fight.
Leonard died on April 17, 1947 while refereeing a boxing match in New York. Gerald Suster wrote a fitting epitaph when he said, “He left behind him an astonishing legend of hard punching and ring cleverness. Decades went by in which aficionados argued over whether Benny Leonard or Joe Gans was the greatest pound for pound fighter of all time.”
Nat Fleischer considered Benny Leonard the # 2 all time lightweight in 1958. Charley Rose rated him # 1 in 1968. Herbert Goldman rated him # 1 in 1987. Cox’s Corner rates him at # 2 among all time lightweights.
The fight footage of Benny Leonard is scarce, wish we had more. The only footage we have of Leonard is from a 1922 bout with the great "Lefty" Lew Tendler, that was Leonard at his peak, but the quality of the film leaves a lot to be desired. The other footage we have of Leonard is from his bout with Jimmy Mclarnin in 1932, which is the last fight of Leonard's entire career, he was way past his prime and coming back after a seven year layoff. But the footage from the Mclarnin fight is really good, and Benny Leonard is the reason to watch this one. It 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. As far as Leonard's performance in this film, 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, even though Leonard was way past his prime, he looked like a man who was clearly once a great. I guess we should be lucky we have any footage of Benny Leonard at all, considering that a lot of footage from the early days has been lost to history. Here are some highlights from both the 1922 fight against Lew Tendler, and the 1932 fight against Jimmy Mclarnin.
Another personal favorite of mine, Argentina's former light-welterweight world champion and one of the greatest defensive fighters in history, Nicolino Locche, was born in Tunuyán, in Argentina's wine-growing Mendoza province, in 1939.
Nicknamed the "El Intocable" – "The Untouchable" because he was damn near impossible to hit cleanly, and "Chaplin", because of his quick feet. He was also known as one of the first great showmen of the ring, mocking opponents by dancing around with his guard down, and chatting to ringside reporters during the fight. As a result of a heavy smoking habit, believed by doctors to have hastened his death, he was often known to puff on a cigarette, shielded by his trainer's towel, in between rounds.
After racing through the amateur ranks, losing only five of 122 fights, he turned professional in 1958. His greatest moment was winning the world light-welterweight title in Tokyo in 1968, stopping Paul Takeshi Fuji of Hawaii. Asked by a reporter how he felt after the fight, he lit a cigarette and replied: "What fight?"
He retired in 1976 with a final record of 117-4-14 (14 KOs).
Nicolino Locche was something else. He was a notorious chain smoker and even smoked cigarettes in between rounds during his fights, he was lazy when it came to training, didn't matter, he'd still make you look like a fool. His fight with Paul Takeshi Fuji is legendary. Fuji was a murderous puncher who had been obliterating everything in his path, dangerous fighter who had lead-heavy hands, and Locche showed up as his usual self, devil-may-care attitude, smoking his cigarettes, and took Fuji to school. I still get chills watching Fuji pin Locche up against the ropes, throwing bombs at Locche, and Locche slipping every punch, Fuji could barely lay a glove on him. Locche was a defensive genius.
I collect a lot of boxing cards and photos that come from other countries, Canada, France, Argentina, etc. and it looks like I'm going to have to start going through this every time.
Rocky Graziano, "The Rock", one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, also one of the most popular fighters in boxing history. Graziano himself had no trouble explaining his tremendous popularity with the public: “All this happens to me because I got a hard, fast right punch, because I’m a mean, wild bastard in the ring and a guy who likes everybody outside the ring.” To the sportswriters of the 1940s, he was a gift: the most exciting middleweight since Stanley Ketchel, a former New York street hoodlum whose vivid life and brawling style could fill any editorial space as easily as his wars with Tony Zale packed ballparks. Looking back decades later on Graziano’s violent rise to the title, the sportswriter W.C. Heinz called it “An event that involved me as did none other among the hundreds I covered in sports.”
Georges Carpentier was called "The Orchid Man" because he was known for wearing orchid corsages with his custom-made suits, a distinguishing fashion accessory that reflected his elegant, gentlemanly image outside the boxing ring. This nickname captured his sophisticated persona, which contrasted with the ruggedness and brutality of the boxing world, as he was also a well-known figure in film and stage, as well as a WW1 pilot and war hero for France. The Frenchman was one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in boxing history, having fought in every weight division from flyweight to heavyweight, he carried thunder in his right hand. Many people including myself consider him to be one of the greatest European fighters of all-time.
Georges Carpentier: The Fighting Frenchman
The Orchid Man
“Carpentier was fast. He could punch with both hands, and was a KO puncher…he had terrific footwork…when we fought he was over the hill, but he was still a dangerous puncher…I think he was one of the greatest of all.”– Boxing Hall of Famer Tommy Loughran on Georges Carpentier
Most people remember the great French multi-division champion Georges Carpentier for the beating he suffered at the hands of the immortal Jack Dempsey in boxing’s first Million Dollar Gate back in 1921. This is in fact quite unfair, as the “Orchid Man” was actually one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing, pound for pound. He is regarded by many as the greatest European boxer ever. Carpentier was a quintessential “boxer-puncher”, meaning he had the refined skills and technique of a master boxer, but could back it up with a tremendous wallop, especially in his right hand. Georges fought many of the best fighters of his era, all in multiple weight divisions. Some of the men he fought were fellow Hall of Famers Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Tommy Loughran, Tommy Gibbons, Ted “Kid” Lewis, and Billy Papke. Stiff competition to say the least.
Stylistically, Carpentier was a hard nut to crack, as his attacks were often unpredictable and he was noted for being very creative in the ring. He was also quite responsible defensively, and was rarely defeated via knockout. While the majority of his notoriety as a puncher was due to his right hand, he had a tremendous left hook and he was a master at finding unique ways to land power punches from every conceivable angle. Carpentier was quite adept at utilizing momentum to chain his punches to generate huge power. Incredibly, Georges kept his power in every weight class he competed in. This is a testament to the ongoing refinement of his skills that coincided with him growing into a full Light Heavyweight fighter. Carpentier even rung the great Dempsey’s bell with a right hand in their historic 1921 fight. Before the 5’11 Frenchman developed into a top of the food chain Light Heavyweight, he started his career at the tender age of fourteen as a bantamweight.
Born in France in 1894, Carpentier was the son of a coal miner, and like many other young men with humble beginnings, turned to the manly art of fisticuffs to further himself. Almost immediately, young Georges proved a natural, winning the French Welterweight title at the age of 17, and later winning the European title in that division later in 1911. Just a few months later, he moved up to 160lbs and captured the European Middleweight belt. This set the stage for his first high-profile fight against World Middleweight Champion Billy Papke. The eighteen-year-old Carpentier gave the veteran Papke a solid fight through 15 plus-rounds, but by the 17th (out of 20 scheduled rounds), young Georges was being beaten and was cut badly. The fight was stopped in the 18th.
Following his match with Papke, Carpentier was earning enough money that he could slow down his fight schedule a little as he had been competing at an average of nineteen times per year during his first four years as a professional. At this point, Carpentier began fighting at around 170-175lbs, and started testing himself in the Heavyweight division. After capturing the European Light Heavyweight title against Dick Rice in 1913, Georges closed the year out by defeating Bombardier Billy Wells of England on two occasions for the European Heavyweight title. He beat the bigger man both times by vicious knockout, showcasing that the Frenchman carried his power all the way up to Heavyweight. By the age of nineteen, Carpentier had captured European titles in a staggering four separate weight divisions. You might think this is fairly commonplace, as most of the top fighters in recent years have belts in multiple divisions. Here’s the rub: in 1914, there were only eight divisions. Even though Carpentier’s titles were European and not world titles, he was still not even twenty years old.
Carpentier continued his dominance throughout 1914, defeating nearly all comers in the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions. The lone defeat during this stretch was a disputed decision to the great Joe Jeannette. Also in 1914, the twenty-year old Carpentier added the “White” Heavyweight championship by defeating Gunboat Smith. Carpentier made a tremendous amount of money for this fight by taking in 9,000 pounds Sterling (equivalent to nearly one million dollars today). However, just as the Frenchman’s career was about to hit the stratosphere, World War One broke out and he joined the French Air Force. Georges Carpentier did not fight professionally for nearly five years, missing what would have been the peak of his career. Highly decorated during the war for valor, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Upon his return in 1919, The Orchid Man won the World Light Heavyweight title, defeating Battling Levinsky by knockout. Over the next year, he proceeded to defend his belt on five occasions, winning all by stoppage. For good measure, Georges recaptured the European Heavyweight title by trouncing British champion Joe Beckett, knocking him out in one round. All this success combined with his status as a war hero contributed to Carpentier’s great popularity, and despite his five-year layoff, he was in top form. This led to the demand for a fight against the feared, but (then) unpopular Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey.
Unlike the commonly accepted views that fighters were all brutish ruffians, the handsome Carpentier (along with Gene Tunney later on) brought an air of refinement and gentlemanly behavior to the sport, giving it a credibility with the masses it lacked beforehand. This, in combination with his status as a war hero, helped make him enormously popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Carpentier’s persona clashed with the public perception of Dempsey’s reputation as a “slacker” and an uncouth beast who massacred his opponents rather than outbox them. In reality, the two men had a lot in common. They each had incredibly humble beginnings and were both rough characters in the ring. This set the tone for boxing’s first Million Dollar Gate, held in New Jersey on July 2, 1921. Despite the massive hype by promoter extraordinaire Tex Rickard, and the Orchid Man’s bravery and skill, Carpentier was mauled by Dempsey and knocked out cold in the 4th round. He stunned Dempsey at one point with a hard right but could not finish the job. Dempsey was fully in his prime and in reality, as great as he was, Carpentier could at best hope for a brave showing before he got laid out. Carpentier had other high-profile fights after, but was not the same fighter, despite being only 27 years old. By 1926, he was retired, having lost three bouts to Gibbons, Tunney, and Loughran, men who he might have beaten had he been at his best. All three men said even in his faded twilight, Carpentier was among the greatest fighters they had ever faced.
After retiring, Carpentier parlayed his dynamic personality and reputation into many successful endeavors. He wrote, performed as a song and dance man in Vaudeville, acted in movies, and owned a successful restaurant in Paris called “Chez Georges Carpentier”. Throughout his long life, Carpentier remained good friends with Jack Dempsey, and they met to commemorate the anniversary of their 1921 fight. In regard to his legacy, he should be remembered along with other all-time great pound-for-pound fighters like Mickey Walker, Henry Armstrong, and Roberto Duran. Carpentier was that good, and he is due the respect now that he had when he was alive. The Orchid Man was World Light Heavyweight Champion and also European Champion at 147lbs, 160lbs, 175lbs, and at Heavyweight, despite never weighing above 175lbs for a fight. He finished his career with an impressive 92-14 record, with 60 by way of knockout. Most of his losses came at the very beginning of his career, when he was practically a child, and at the end, when he was past his best. While in his prime, very few Middleweights and Light-Heavies could match him. Georges Carpentier passed away at age 81 in 1975.
George's Carpentier was a boxing prodigy, he turned pro at the age of 14, which is insane. One of the things I like about Carpentier, in almost all of the photos of him, he is smiling. Here are a couple of photos of him and he's wearing his famous orchid corsage on his jacket. "The Orchid Man" is such a cool nickname, I wish I had that nickname.
My favorite fight of George's Carpentier is his fight with the great Jack Dempsey in 1921, it was the equivalent of Ali-Frazier at that time, it was the first million dollar gate in boxing history, that's how big a fight it was. Dempsey was a f'ing savage, a destroyer of men, and even though Carpentier lost the fight, he really took the fight to Dempsey despite being outweighed by 20 pounds, and even rocked him at one point. Carpentier showed phenomenal skills in this fight, good movement, solid fundamentals, and great punching power. These are two original fight posters from that fight, one on the top featuring Carpentier on the front and the other Dempsey.
Arturo "Thunder" Gatti takes a knee after absorbing a brutal left hook to the liver from "Irish" Micky Ward in the epic 9th round of their first fight in 2002.
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Len Harvey holding a display with all of his belts across three weight divisions, he was a great pound-for-pound fighter.
This is one of my favorite fighters, Vicente Saldívar, "El Zurdo de Oro", all-time great 1960s and 70s featherweight champion. I don't even know what to say about Saldivar, dude was a mofo beast, damn near unbeatable. He was a very patient pressure fighter who was adept at breaking his opponents down as a fight wore on. In boxing, stamina is an extraordinarily important aspect of a fighter’s conditioning, and no fighter in the history of the sport had greater stamina than the great Mexican southpaw, Vicente Saldivar. Blessed with an unusually slow heart and pulse rate, Saldivar never punched himself out, always recovering quickly, and started each round as fresh and eager as though he were answering the opening bell. He KO’d many an opponent in the late rounds thanks to his stamina and the staggering pace he could maintain. He was often compared to a "subtle storm" because he could appear slow and minimalist in the ring, but he was constantly analyzing his opponent's actions, then would suddenly erupt with a flurry of patented combinations and a complete disruption of rhythm, similar to how a quiet prelude can be followed by a powerful storm. This deceptive approach made him incredibly difficult to fight, as he would subvert expectations and overwhelm opponents with bursts of unexpected aggression after a period of apparent calm. I'll let the brilliant boxing analyst Matt McGrain break him down for you.
As I’ve written before, the term “cleared out the weight division” is perhaps the most abused in boxing. This is because it almost never happens; there’s always someone out there.
That being said, Vicente Saldivar perhaps came as close as any man to achieving the mythical clearout; he roared through the featherweight division of the 1960s with few left behind to tell the tale of his passing unscathed.
The road to the world title was opened up in a fascinating contest between future greats as he was matched with the soon-to-be lightweight champion Ismael Laguna. That fight was not without its controversies and there were some in attendance who believed Laguna was good for the nod. Highlights of that contest can be found on the McGrain boxing channel on YouTube; what is available shows a close contest but certainly not one that would lend itself to serious objections. Whatever the detail, Saldivar got the nod and in his next contest he met with Sugar Ramos for the featherweight crown.
Ramos, a 2-1 favorite, was cloaked in an unfortunate aura of danger since he took the life of Davey Moore in claiming the title, and he oozed confidence as he entered the bull-ring that held the fight-ring where he was to make his fourth defense. Early, he had success with a long jab to the body, and some rushing, wild hooks. Saldivar, poisonous, squat, compact, studied Ramos in turn and as the fight progressed, he began to find him. Saldivar had learned this wonderful habit, but when he found a fighter it tended to be all at once. Suddenly Saldivar, who had been trying to open up his victim with a jab, a one-two, a sometime body-attack, could suddenly be found throwing eight punch combinations. How the fight might progress would, in the main, be decided by how the opponent dealt with such terror and Ramos did not deal with it well. Through the tenth and eleventh rounds, Saldivar achieved rare heights, even for a championship ring, finding seamless squads of punches thrown in neat, compact bunches, all the while, dipping and sliding the increasingly desperate winging blows coming his way in return. These two rounds – and the sick punishment that preceded it – may have been the absolute peak of Saldivar’s career, but we have plenty to choose from. When Ramos failed to answer the bell for the twelfth, a new and violent era was begun.
Raul Rojas, the world’s #2 contender, was thrashed and stopped in fifteen; the gutsy Howard Winstone, also a top contender, was crushed twice on his home soil and once in Mexico; Floyd Robertson, who had been involved in a rather bizarre fifteen round split decision loss to Sugar Ramos, was blasted out in two; the #1 contender Mitsunori Seki was outpointed, rematched for the temerity he showed in going the distance, then slaughtered in seven.
Saldivar retired after the third Winstone fight, but returned and after being dropped for a count in the third, battered the new #1 contender, Jose Legra, with a body attack before restoring himself to title honors with a victory over Johnny Famechon.
Saldivar was an insidious force of nature, someone who built his fight-plan from the bottom and delivered the knockout when he was ready and not before. As for the possibility of his being out-pointed, he was a brilliant technician with superb speed and a patience matched only by that of Salvador Sanchez. Age caught up to him in the form of the inexhaustible Kuniaki Shibata but by that point two stints as world champion and a record of 9-0 in featherweight title fights against excellent competition had already guaranteed his immortality.
Other Top Fifty Featherweights Saldivar Defeated: Jose Legra (50), Johnny Famechon (38), Howard Winstone (37), Sugar Ramos (18).
Saldivar was such an f'ing beast.
Vicente Saldivar, the subtle storm.
Just want to say RIP to Joe Bugner, heard he passed away. Born József Bugner in Hungary, he fled the country as a child refugee with his family and settled in the UK, where he became a celebrated British and European heavyweight, he later also became an Australian citizen. He was a warrior, he fought in the Golden era of heavyweight boxing all the way up to 1990s, brave as hell, there was no quit in him. He went the distance twice with Ali and once with Frazier. He also had a good run in the 80s when he beat James "Quick" Tillis, Greg Page, and David Bey. He also beat British national treasure Henry Cooper and was never forgiven for it by the English media and a lot of British boxing fans.
Jose Legra, featherweight in the 1960s and 70s, Two-time WBC featherweight champion. He was called the "Pocket Cassius Clay" because his style reminded people of a young Cassius Clay. Indeed if you watch Legra on film, he reminds you of a young Ali, very slick boxer, elusive, his opponents often found out how nauseating it was to catch him, great jab and technical skills, also packed a pretty good punch. Legra was tall for a featherweight at 5'8", he was skinny and had these long arms and legs and he used them to his advantage, he had a nasty long reach. Legra was never an easy night's work for anyone, he was one of those poisonous globetrotters who make it their job to make others' job hell. Great fighter, his career record is 133-12-4. I have to say, it's a damn shame he's not in the Hall of Fame, because he certainly deserves to be.
You can see how freakishly long Legra's arms and legs were.
Legra had a beautiful jab, long reach, he used those long arms and legs to his advantage.
Legra wearing the WBC featherweight title.
Legra carried good power.
This is one of my favorite photos of Legra.
Jose Legra, the "Pocket Cassius Clay."
Pete Ranzany, excellent welterweight contender in the 1970s. Most people probably remember him for his two KO losses to Sugar Ray Leonard and Pipino Cuevas which is a shame because Ranzany is really what the definition of a fighter is, he was what this sport is all about. You get knocked down, you get back up and keep fighting, keep putting in the work, you don't give up. He did just that and he carved out a respectable career. Here's a post from Boxing Forum 24 that describes Ranzany to a T, brilliant post. I love hanging around that forum, you pick up so much brilliant knowledge.
When Steven Bass and Harold Lederman produced and hosted their syndicated "Cavalcade of Boxing" program in the late 1970s and early 1980s, they aired a number of Pete's winning bouts, giving him some much deserved positive national exposure. During the late 1970s, he was labeled by some writers as, "the best 'club fighter' in the United States."
Pete needed a little time to get going, but once he warmed up, his jab looked more like a machine gun's than that of anybody else I've ever seen (and "Machine Gun" would have been an excellent nickname given his style of jabbing and punching).
Excellent high guard and superb conditioning. After Bass and Lederman showed what he looked like when winning against Randy Shields and Rafael Rodriguez, few of those viewers were surprised when Ranzany then outpointed O'Grady . Sean was able to beat Kenty when Hilmer was ill with walking pneumonia, but the "Bubblegum Bomber" was never truly a world class fighter, while Ranzany very definitely was a gatekeeper to the upper echelons. (Take a good look at, and compare their records sometime. Pete took on and beat far tougher opposition much more regularly.)
Ranzany handed Adolfo Viruet and Bruce Finch their first defeats. As an NABF WW titleholder, he was a solid second tier champion in the late 1970s. For a seven year period, only a peaking Cuevas, prime SRL, peaking Benitez and prime Muniz (between shots at Palomino) were able to beat him. Cuevas, SRL and Benitez are in the IBHOF, while Muniz is in the WBHOF. (And if Mando had not been flagrantly robbed of the undisputed WW title by Jose Sulamain's desperately sleazy ringside machinations at the end of his first shot at Napoles, maybe he'd be in the IBHOF today as well.)
Palomino-Ranzany would have been an excellent scrap, guaranteeing fans their money's worth. Both were slow starters with terrific stamina. Pete never lost over the 12 round distance, and Carlos had legendary endurance. While I think Palomino would have been too much for Ranzany, I doubt that anybody would be disappointed or feel shortchanged when it was over.
Great, great boxing photo right here of Pete Ranzany in his corner with that look in his eyes, that look you get when you're in that place, when you're right in the middle of a war with another gladiator, it's like a world of it's own, a place separate from planet Earth. Only a boxer can understand it. And you can ask a lot of cornermen how hard it is to talk to a fighter when he's in that place.
And I just want to say something here right fast, I heard someone on this forum call Leon Spinks a bum a while back. There's no such thing as a bum in boxing, it takes balls to step into the ring and risk your health, your life, for this sport. A boxer died just a few weeks ago from injuries to his head, this sport ain't no joke. More people have died in boxing than any other sport, you're talking about a sport that revolves around, that deals in blows to the head, the brain. Boxing isn't a game, it isn't tennis, you make a mistake in tennis it's 15-love, you make a mistake in boxing it's your a$$.
One of the best ever right here, Benny Leonard, "The Ghetto Wizard", one of the greatest lightweights in history, Benny Leonard won the world lightweight title at the age of 21 and held it for seven years, from 1917 to 1925. That should tell you all you need to know about how great he was at lightweight. When discussing the greatest lightweights in history, it usually comes down to Duran and Leonard as the top Two, and depending on what day you ask me, what mood I'm in, I might pick Leonard as the greatest lightweight. Leonard was a brainy boxer, a master at mental chess, always outthinking his opponents. He was called "The Ghetto Wizard" because of his background on New York's impoverished Lower East Side (the "ghetto") and his exceptional, intelligent, almost magical approach to boxing, which centered on outthinking opponents rather than brute force. His masterful blend of footwork, blocking, feinting, and countering allowed him to "hit without getting hit," a skill that seemed so uncanny it was compared to sorcery. Be that as it may, Leonard could bang, he had good power, and if the opportunity presented itself, he would take you out, he iced 70 opponents during his career. Great story about Benny Leonard, he was famous for his slicked-back hair that remained perfectly in place during a fight, a point of pride that underscored his defensive mastery and ability to outhink his opponents. A key part of Leonard's persona was his claim that his superior defensive skills would prevent any opponent from landing a punch solid enough to muss his neatly combed hair. After winning a fight, he would proudly smooth his coiffure with a hand to show that it was still perfectly intact, much to the delight of his fans.
Cox's Corner Profiles
Benny Leonard, The Ghetto Wizard…“The Brainiest of All Boxers”
By: Monte D. Cox
Benny Leonard was not only one of the greatest lightweights of all time, he was one of history’s greatest pound for pound fighters. Benny, a Jewish boxer born Benjamin Leiner, turned pro at age 15. He won the World Lightweight Championship at age 21 and held it for nearly 7 years between 1917-1925 when he retired unbeaten as champion while at the peak of his power. His official record is 85-5-1 121 No Decisions with 69 knockouts. His record with newspaper verdicts, according to one source, is 180-21-6-6ND 69 Ko’s.
Al Bodner stated, "Leonard had a truly remarkable record. He was one of the greatest master boxers of all time."
The Ghetto Wizard was a fleet footed mobile boxer with a strong punch and liked to set a fast pace. He had excellent hand speed and was a clever two-handed hitter. He had a piston like left jab, a classic right cross and was an accomplished combination puncher. Leonard also loved to train and never entered the ring in less than top condition. He made a real science of the sport studying feints, shifts, and defensive moves for hours at a time in the gym. He was master who rarely lost a round in the vast majority of his fights.
Gilbert Odd wrote, “Leonard was coolness itself in the ring, finishing off a beaten opponent with cold fury, recovering quickly when hurt and talking himself out of trouble. Because he punched correctly he never suffered a hand injury; because he knew how to defend himself, he usually left the ring unmarked, because he kept himself in peak of condition he could travel ten fast rounds and look as fresh as when he started.”
His competition reads like a who’s who of the great fighters of the teens and twenties including; Johnny Dundee (Featherweight champion 1922-1923, 1923-1924 and Jr. Lightweight champion 1921-1923 and 1923-1924), the great rope fighter whom he met 8 times; Freddie Welsh (Lightweight champion 1914-1916) from whom he won the title, clever former champion Willie Ritchie (lightweight champion 1912-1914), Johnny Kilbane (Featherweight Champion 1912-1923), hard hitting Rocky Kansas (Lightweight champion 1925-1926) and the great southpaw Lew Tendler who is considered one of the best fighters to have never won a title. Leonard also defeated top lightweight contenders such as Ritchie Mitchell, Patsy Cline, Joe Welling and left hook artist Charley White.
Leonard was in many ways the Muhammad Ali of the 135-pounders, defeating what Nat Fleischer called, “a field of the greatest lightweights that ever appeared at one time in the division.”. When Leonard was fighting there were nearly 90 fight clubs in New York State and 20 fight cards a week in New York City. Boxing in the teens and twenties, along with baseball, was the most popular sport in America. There were more competitors and therefore a larger talent pool. Leonard came along when the lightweight division was stacked full of highly skilled fighters and punchers and he was the best among them. He fought them all and fought often. The year he won the title he fought 29 times. Leonard was a very smart, clever, and experienced fighter.
Jersey Jones agrees saying Ring Magazine Jul. 1947), “Leonard was one of the all time greats of the ring. A magnificent boxer, a deadly puncher, a brilliant ring strategist, and an extraordinary showman, Benny had to be a real champion in every sense of the word, to rule over the most formidable array of challengers in the annals of the lightweight division.”
One of Leonard's toughest opponent's was the great southpaw slugger Lew Tendler. On July 27, 1922, 60,000 screaming fans watched the two great fighters go at it in a 12 round non-title bout. In the first round a powerful left rocked Leonard. In the third Leonard's nose was bleeding. In the 8th Lew dropped Benny to one knee. Leonard was in trouble but Benny started talking to him and convinced him he wasn't hurt. Lew hesitated and Benny survived the round. It went the distance to a 12 round no-decision but Leonard would later say that Lew gave him "the worst licking I ever had in my life the first time we fought." In the rematch, for the championship the following year, Leonard proved he had learned his lesson.
Hype Igoe, wrote, NY World Jul. 25, 1923, “Benny Leonard is the brainiest of all boxers.” In the second Tendler fight, penned Igoe, "Leonard worked in circles around and toward the back of Tendler’s southpaw left so that Tendler was always shifting to get set again.” Leonard kept the southpaw off-balance and then countered effectively. “It was the finest job from any angle of boxing that this writer ever saw…and I don’t expect to see it duplicated.” Leonard easily won the 15 round decision and retained his title.
Ray Arcel, one of the greatest trainers of all time, concurs on Leonard’s ability to out-think his opponent’s, Peter Heller's In The Corner, “Boxing is brains over brawn. I don’t care how much ability you got, if you can’t think your just another bum in the park. People ask me who’s the greatest boxer I ever saw pound for pound. I hesitate to say, either Benny Leonard or Ray Robinson. But Leonard’s mental energy surpassed anyone else’s.”
Arcel continued, “Benny Leonard was a picture. He was the one fighter who I felt could name the round with anybody. He could make you do the things you didn’t want to do. If you were a counterpuncher he would make you lead. If you were aggressive he would make you back up. He knew were to hit you…If you look at his record you will see he always fought good fighters. If you didn’t know how to fight, nobody would match you with Benny Leonard” .
Nat Fleischer agrees, "Leonard had a hair-trigger brain. As he shifted about the ring, the fans could almost read his thoughts as he mapped out his plans of attack. An opponent had to be ever on the alert to avoid a quick knockout. Leonard knew his trade; knew it so thoroughly that almost invariably he could "call his shots," if and when the occasion warranted."
Bob Mee adds, "Benny was a master boxer, a genius who completed his art and yet still went on re-inventing it. His simple message was "Think. Learn how to think!"
No opponent could ever make a mistake with Benny, for one mistake often meant a sudden end. Leonard in a bout against Featherweight champion Johnny Kilbane noticed in their first meeting that, “Johnny’s a great boxer, tricky as they make them. But I know just how and when to beat him. He has a double feint shift, but he leaves himself open for a flash of a second and that’s when I’ll get him.” Benny nailed him in the third and took Kilbane just as he predicted. It was the first time the clever Featherweight champion had ever been knocked out.
What Leonard could do when he turned on the heat was aptly demonstrated in his bout with Leo Johnson, one of the best black lightweights of the era. Leonard took a lot of pride in going through an entire bout without ever having his hair messed up. Someone suggested to Johnson that he go right up to Leonard and put his hand on his head and mess up his hair in order to infuriate him and get him off his game plan. Johnson did just that as the fighters met at ring center. When Johnson recovered consciousness he was told that it was one of the quickest knockouts of Leonard’s career.
One time heavyweight threat Harry Wills said, Ring Magazine May 1948, “Benny Leonard was the best little man I ever saw. He liked to show his speed and outbox the other fellow. He also had a natural right hand… I picked Benny to beat Freddie Welsh, who was a very clever boy, Benny woke up to his right that night and knocked Welsh out.”
Many of his opponent’s commented that they were surprised by his hitting power. He won the title against Freddie Welsh on a 9th round knockout. It was the only time in 167 pro fights that Welsh was ever knocked out.
Perhaps his epoch battle against Richie Mitchell best defined his career. Leonard went right after Mitchell flooring him 3 times in the first round. Leonard, perhaps understandably, was a bit over-confident and let his guard down. Mitchell nailed him with a desperate, hurricane of a left hook right on the button. Benny crashed to the canvas. Leonard was hurt and barely beat a ten count. Richie moved in for the kill, but Benny covered up and rolled with the punches and survived to the bell.
Budd Schulberg described what transpired in the next round as Mitchell attacked Benny who was still hurt and on his bicycle. “As he retreated his was talking to Mitchell (shades of Ali a half century later!), “Is that the best you can do? I thought you hit harder than that? I’ll put my hands down, what do you want to bet you can’t hit me? Come on if you think you got me hurt, why don’t you fight? You look awful slow to me Richie”. Mitchell swung wildly missing and began to wear down by rounds end. In the fifth Leonard was up on his toes snapping Mitchell’s head back with left jabs and right crosses. Leonard floored Richie at the end of the round. In the following session Leonard gave Mitchell quite a beating and knocked him out to retain his title.
Leonard also challenged fighters above his normal weight winning a newspaper verdict over welterweight Ted “Kid” Lewis and challenged for the welterweight title against Jack Britton in 1922 flooring the bigger man in the 13th, and then in his eagerness knocked out Britton while he was down, thus losing on a disqualification.
Benny retired as lightweight champion in 1925 having bested all the topflight fighters of his class. The stock market crash of 1929 hurt his investments and he was forced to make a comeback in 1931. He won 18 in a row with only one draw when he ran into the young, fast and hard-hitting future welterweight champion Jimmy McLarnin who stopped him in 6. It was his last fight.
Leonard died on April 17, 1947 while refereeing a boxing match in New York. Gerald Suster wrote a fitting epitaph when he said, “He left behind him an astonishing legend of hard punching and ring cleverness. Decades went by in which aficionados argued over whether Benny Leonard or Joe Gans was the greatest pound for pound fighter of all time.”
Nat Fleischer considered Benny Leonard the # 2 all time lightweight in 1958. Charley Rose rated him # 1 in 1968. Herbert Goldman rated him # 1 in 1987. Cox’s Corner rates him at # 2 among all time lightweights.
Benny Leonard ruled the lightweight division for almost a decade.
Benny Leonard in his prime.
Leonard past his prime, poses during training at the famous Stillman's Gym in New York, I actually own the original type 1 photo of this image.
The fight footage of Benny Leonard is scarce, wish we had more. The only footage we have of Leonard is from a 1922 bout with the great "Lefty" Lew Tendler, that was Leonard at his peak, but the quality of the film leaves a lot to be desired. The other footage we have of Leonard is from his bout with Jimmy Mclarnin in 1932, which is the last fight of Leonard's entire career, he was way past his prime and coming back after a seven year layoff. But the footage from the Mclarnin fight is really good, and Benny Leonard is the reason to watch this one. It 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. As far as Leonard's performance in this film, 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, even though Leonard was way past his prime, he looked like a man who was clearly once a great. I guess we should be lucky we have any footage of Benny Leonard at all, considering that a lot of footage from the early days has been lost to history. Here are some highlights from both the 1922 fight against Lew Tendler, and the 1932 fight against Jimmy Mclarnin.
Look at this, I was going to purchase this Benny Leonard photo on eBay and got this message when I went to buy it, that stinks.
Another personal favorite of mine, Argentina's former light-welterweight world champion and one of the greatest defensive fighters in history, Nicolino Locche, was born in Tunuyán, in Argentina's wine-growing Mendoza province, in 1939.
Nicknamed the "El Intocable" – "The Untouchable" because he was damn near impossible to hit cleanly, and "Chaplin", because of his quick feet. He was also known as one of the first great showmen of the ring, mocking opponents by dancing around with his guard down, and chatting to ringside reporters during the fight. As a result of a heavy smoking habit, believed by doctors to have hastened his death, he was often known to puff on a cigarette, shielded by his trainer's towel, in between rounds.
After racing through the amateur ranks, losing only five of 122 fights, he turned professional in 1958. His greatest moment was winning the world light-welterweight title in Tokyo in 1968, stopping Paul Takeshi Fuji of Hawaii. Asked by a reporter how he felt after the fight, he lit a cigarette and replied: "What fight?"
He retired in 1976 with a final record of 117-4-14 (14 KOs).
Nicolino Locche was something else. He was a notorious chain smoker and even smoked cigarettes in between rounds during his fights, he was lazy when it came to training, didn't matter, he'd still make you look like a fool. His fight with Paul Takeshi Fuji is legendary. Fuji was a murderous puncher who had been obliterating everything in his path, dangerous fighter who had lead-heavy hands, and Locche showed up as his usual self, devil-may-care attitude, smoking his cigarettes, and took Fuji to school. I still get chills watching Fuji pin Locche up against the ropes, throwing bombs at Locche, and Locche slipping every punch, Fuji could barely lay a glove on him. Locche was a defensive genius.
I collect a lot of boxing cards and photos that come from other countries, Canada, France, Argentina, etc. and it looks like I'm going to have to start going through this every time.
Nicolino Locche was such a great defensive fighter, he would stand right in front of you and dare you to try to hit him.
Not a bad career for a guy who chain smoked and hardly trained. Locche is a freaking legend.
Great shot of Nicolino Locche when he did train.
The genius of Nicolino Locche.
Rocky Graziano, "The Rock", one of the hardest punchers in boxing history, also one of the most popular fighters in boxing history. Graziano himself had no trouble explaining his tremendous popularity with the public: “All this happens to me because I got a hard, fast right punch, because I’m a mean, wild bastard in the ring and a guy who likes everybody outside the ring.” To the sportswriters of the 1940s, he was a gift: the most exciting middleweight since Stanley Ketchel, a former New York street hoodlum whose vivid life and brawling style could fill any editorial space as easily as his wars with Tony Zale packed ballparks. Looking back decades later on Graziano’s violent rise to the title, the sportswriter W.C. Heinz called it “An event that involved me as did none other among the hundreds I covered in sports.”
Georges Carpentier was called "The Orchid Man" because he was known for wearing orchid corsages with his custom-made suits, a distinguishing fashion accessory that reflected his elegant, gentlemanly image outside the boxing ring. This nickname captured his sophisticated persona, which contrasted with the ruggedness and brutality of the boxing world, as he was also a well-known figure in film and stage, as well as a WW1 pilot and war hero for France. The Frenchman was one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in boxing history, having fought in every weight division from flyweight to heavyweight, he carried thunder in his right hand. Many people including myself consider him to be one of the greatest European fighters of all-time.
Georges Carpentier: The Fighting Frenchman
The Orchid Man
“Carpentier was fast. He could punch with both hands, and was a KO puncher…he had terrific footwork…when we fought he was over the hill, but he was still a dangerous puncher…I think he was one of the greatest of all.”– Boxing Hall of Famer Tommy Loughran on Georges Carpentier
Most people remember the great French multi-division champion Georges Carpentier for the beating he suffered at the hands of the immortal Jack Dempsey in boxing’s first Million Dollar Gate back in 1921. This is in fact quite unfair, as the “Orchid Man” was actually one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing, pound for pound. He is regarded by many as the greatest European boxer ever. Carpentier was a quintessential “boxer-puncher”, meaning he had the refined skills and technique of a master boxer, but could back it up with a tremendous wallop, especially in his right hand. Georges fought many of the best fighters of his era, all in multiple weight divisions. Some of the men he fought were fellow Hall of Famers Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Tommy Loughran, Tommy Gibbons, Ted “Kid” Lewis, and Billy Papke. Stiff competition to say the least.
Stylistically, Carpentier was a hard nut to crack, as his attacks were often unpredictable and he was noted for being very creative in the ring. He was also quite responsible defensively, and was rarely defeated via knockout. While the majority of his notoriety as a puncher was due to his right hand, he had a tremendous left hook and he was a master at finding unique ways to land power punches from every conceivable angle. Carpentier was quite adept at utilizing momentum to chain his punches to generate huge power. Incredibly, Georges kept his power in every weight class he competed in. This is a testament to the ongoing refinement of his skills that coincided with him growing into a full Light Heavyweight fighter. Carpentier even rung the great Dempsey’s bell with a right hand in their historic 1921 fight. Before the 5’11 Frenchman developed into a top of the food chain Light Heavyweight, he started his career at the tender age of fourteen as a bantamweight.
Born in France in 1894, Carpentier was the son of a coal miner, and like many other young men with humble beginnings, turned to the manly art of fisticuffs to further himself. Almost immediately, young Georges proved a natural, winning the French Welterweight title at the age of 17, and later winning the European title in that division later in 1911. Just a few months later, he moved up to 160lbs and captured the European Middleweight belt. This set the stage for his first high-profile fight against World Middleweight Champion Billy Papke. The eighteen-year-old Carpentier gave the veteran Papke a solid fight through 15 plus-rounds, but by the 17th (out of 20 scheduled rounds), young Georges was being beaten and was cut badly. The fight was stopped in the 18th.
Following his match with Papke, Carpentier was earning enough money that he could slow down his fight schedule a little as he had been competing at an average of nineteen times per year during his first four years as a professional. At this point, Carpentier began fighting at around 170-175lbs, and started testing himself in the Heavyweight division. After capturing the European Light Heavyweight title against Dick Rice in 1913, Georges closed the year out by defeating Bombardier Billy Wells of England on two occasions for the European Heavyweight title. He beat the bigger man both times by vicious knockout, showcasing that the Frenchman carried his power all the way up to Heavyweight. By the age of nineteen, Carpentier had captured European titles in a staggering four separate weight divisions. You might think this is fairly commonplace, as most of the top fighters in recent years have belts in multiple divisions. Here’s the rub: in 1914, there were only eight divisions. Even though Carpentier’s titles were European and not world titles, he was still not even twenty years old.
Carpentier continued his dominance throughout 1914, defeating nearly all comers in the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions. The lone defeat during this stretch was a disputed decision to the great Joe Jeannette. Also in 1914, the twenty-year old Carpentier added the “White” Heavyweight championship by defeating Gunboat Smith. Carpentier made a tremendous amount of money for this fight by taking in 9,000 pounds Sterling (equivalent to nearly one million dollars today). However, just as the Frenchman’s career was about to hit the stratosphere, World War One broke out and he joined the French Air Force. Georges Carpentier did not fight professionally for nearly five years, missing what would have been the peak of his career. Highly decorated during the war for valor, he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
Upon his return in 1919, The Orchid Man won the World Light Heavyweight title, defeating Battling Levinsky by knockout. Over the next year, he proceeded to defend his belt on five occasions, winning all by stoppage. For good measure, Georges recaptured the European Heavyweight title by trouncing British champion Joe Beckett, knocking him out in one round. All this success combined with his status as a war hero contributed to Carpentier’s great popularity, and despite his five-year layoff, he was in top form. This led to the demand for a fight against the feared, but (then) unpopular Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey.
Unlike the commonly accepted views that fighters were all brutish ruffians, the handsome Carpentier (along with Gene Tunney later on) brought an air of refinement and gentlemanly behavior to the sport, giving it a credibility with the masses it lacked beforehand. This, in combination with his status as a war hero, helped make him enormously popular on both sides of the Atlantic. Carpentier’s persona clashed with the public perception of Dempsey’s reputation as a “slacker” and an uncouth beast who massacred his opponents rather than outbox them. In reality, the two men had a lot in common. They each had incredibly humble beginnings and were both rough characters in the ring. This set the tone for boxing’s first Million Dollar Gate, held in New Jersey on July 2, 1921. Despite the massive hype by promoter extraordinaire Tex Rickard, and the Orchid Man’s bravery and skill, Carpentier was mauled by Dempsey and knocked out cold in the 4th round. He stunned Dempsey at one point with a hard right but could not finish the job. Dempsey was fully in his prime and in reality, as great as he was, Carpentier could at best hope for a brave showing before he got laid out. Carpentier had other high-profile fights after, but was not the same fighter, despite being only 27 years old. By 1926, he was retired, having lost three bouts to Gibbons, Tunney, and Loughran, men who he might have beaten had he been at his best. All three men said even in his faded twilight, Carpentier was among the greatest fighters they had ever faced.
After retiring, Carpentier parlayed his dynamic personality and reputation into many successful endeavors. He wrote, performed as a song and dance man in Vaudeville, acted in movies, and owned a successful restaurant in Paris called “Chez Georges Carpentier”. Throughout his long life, Carpentier remained good friends with Jack Dempsey, and they met to commemorate the anniversary of their 1921 fight. In regard to his legacy, he should be remembered along with other all-time great pound-for-pound fighters like Mickey Walker, Henry Armstrong, and Roberto Duran. Carpentier was that good, and he is due the respect now that he had when he was alive. The Orchid Man was World Light Heavyweight Champion and also European Champion at 147lbs, 160lbs, 175lbs, and at Heavyweight, despite never weighing above 175lbs for a fight. He finished his career with an impressive 92-14 record, with 60 by way of knockout. Most of his losses came at the very beginning of his career, when he was practically a child, and at the end, when he was past his best. While in his prime, very few Middleweights and Light-Heavies could match him. Georges Carpentier passed away at age 81 in 1975.
George's Carpentier was a boxing prodigy, he turned pro at the age of 14, which is insane. One of the things I like about Carpentier, in almost all of the photos of him, he is smiling. Here are a couple of photos of him and he's wearing his famous orchid corsage on his jacket. "The Orchid Man" is such a cool nickname, I wish I had that nickname.
My favorite fight of George's Carpentier is his fight with the great Jack Dempsey in 1921, it was the equivalent of Ali-Frazier at that time, it was the first million dollar gate in boxing history, that's how big a fight it was. Dempsey was a f'ing savage, a destroyer of men, and even though Carpentier lost the fight, he really took the fight to Dempsey despite being outweighed by 20 pounds, and even rocked him at one point. Carpentier showed phenomenal skills in this fight, good movement, solid fundamentals, and great punching power. These are two original fight posters from that fight, one on the top featuring Carpentier on the front and the other Dempsey.
Carpentier had brutal power in both hands, especially his right. This is his knockout of Joe Beckett in 1919.
Carpentier was a big-time celebrity in France, he was their hero over there, he was like Elvis to French people.
This is one of my favorite images of Carpentier, it was used on his 1927 Greiling Zigaretten card.
George's Carpentier was a pilot for France during WW1, he lost three years of his prime due to the war.
Georges Carpentier in his pilot's uniform.
The infamous Carpentier smile.
Carpentier knocks out the great Ted "Kid" Lewis in 1922.
One last photo I like of Carpentier.
The great Georges Carpentier, "The Orchid Man."
Arturo "Thunder" Gatti takes a knee after absorbing a brutal left hook to the liver from "Irish" Micky Ward in the epic 9th round of their first fight in 2002.