Battling Levinsky

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Battling Levinsky

Barney Williams (better known as Battling Levinsky; born Barney Lebrowitz June 10 1891 – died February 12 1949 in Philadelphia, PA) was light heavyweight

Light heavyweight

In boxing, the light heavyweight division is the boxing weight classes between cruiserweight and super middleweight. The light heavyweight class has produced some of boxing's greatest champions: Muhammad Ali , Tommy Loughran, Billy Conn, Joey Maxim, Archie Moore, Bob Foster, Michael Spinks, Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr....
boxing champion of the world.

Boxing career
World Light-Heavyweight Champion from 1916 to 1920, Battling Levinsky began his boxing career under the name Barney Williams. However, he received little attention until he took on a manager named “Dumb” Dan Morgan in 1913, who changed Barney’s name and his boxing fortunes.

True to his new name, Battling Levinsky fought 37 times in 1914 — 9 times in the month of January alone.

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Encyclopedia

Barney Williams (better known as Battling Levinsky; born Barney Lebrowitz June 10 1891 – died February 12 1949 in Philadelphia, PA) was light heavyweight

Light heavyweight

Boxing career

World Light-Heavyweight Champion from 1916 to 1920, Battling Levinsky began his boxing career under the name Barney Williams. However, he received little attention until he took on a manager named “Dumb” Dan Morgan in 1913, who changed Barney’s name and his boxing fortunes.

True to his new name, Battling Levinsky fought 37 times in 1914 — 9 times in the month of January alone. In January 1915, he began the year with two 10-round bouts on New Year’s Day — 1 each in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is one of the five Borough of New York City, located at the western end of Long Island. An independent city until its consolidation with New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York City's most populous borough, with 2.5 million residents, and second largest in area....
, New York City

New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
and 12 round bout in Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River Valley, 33 miles southwest of Hartford, Connecticut....
.

After two title-match losses to Light Heavyweight Champion Jack Dillon, (April 1914 and April 1916), Levinsky wrested the crown from Dillon on October 24, 1916. Fifty-nine bouts later, almost four years to the day, he lost his championship to France’s Georges Carpentier.

In an era when boxing titles changed hands only because of a knockout — non-KO championship fights were labeled “no decision” — Levinsky fought all comers, including heavyweight champions to-be Gene Tunney

Gene Tunney

James Joseph "Gene" Tunney was the List of Heavyweight Champions from 1926-1928 who defeated Jack Dempsey twice, first in 1926 and then in 1927....
and Jack Dempsey

Jack Dempsey

Jack "Manassa Mauler" Dempsey was an United States boxing who held the List of heavyweight boxing champions from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history....
(losing both matches). Levinsky loved to fight, although his claim to having fought as many as 500 bouts is impossible to substantiate.

His official professional record: 287 bouts -- won 192 (34 KOs), lost 52, drew 34, 9 no-decisions.

In his early career, Levinsky was managed by Fred Douglas (1910-11) and Jack Hanlon (1911-13). Al Lippe managed him in his comeback, 1926-29.

Hall of Fame

Levinsky was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame

International Boxing Hall of Fame

The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York....
.

Levinsky, who was Jew

Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame was opened July 7, 1981, in Netanya, Israel. It is located on the campus of the Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sport....
in 1982.