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BL

Benny Leonard

American boxer

1896 – 1947aged 51

Held the world lightweight boxing title for eight years, from 1917 to 1925, the longest reign in the division's history, at a time when Jewish fighters used the ring to answer street antisemitism directly. Multiple modern rankings still place him among the greatest lightweights ever fought, and he was inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

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