1917-05-10 Benny Leonard W-TKO6 Eddie Shannon [Clermont Sporting Club, Brooklyn, NY, USA]

1917-05-11 New-York Tribune (New York, NY) (page 14)

Benny Leonard Still In Winning Mood

Benny Leonard maintained his unbroken string of victories last night by practically knocking out young Eddie Shannon in the main bout at the Clermont Sporting Club of Brooklyn, last night.

The sixth round had hardly gone a minute, before Benny started his man on the road to defeat with three savage left hooks to the stomach. As Shannon caved in and fell forward, Leonard caught him squarely on the chin with a wicked uppercut and Shannon dropped to his hands and knees. Just as Referee Sullivan began to count, Shannon's seconds tossed a sponge in the ring and it was all over.

In the first two rounds, particularly in the second, Shannon made a fine showing, shooting a fast left jab to Leonard's nose and crossing several times with stiff rights to the eye. Beginning the third round, however, Benny's left hooks to the body weakened Eddie badly.


1917-05-11 The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, NY) (page S2)

Leonard's New Knockout Record Proves Him Real Rival for Welsh
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Benny Leonard, the crack Harlem lightweight, made his record of knockouts four straight by disposing of Eddie Shannon, a California youngster, in the sixth round at the Clermont Sporting Club last night. Shannon was not by any means a "set-up," and forced the clever New York boxer to show his wares throughout. The fans were well pleased with the contest.

Leonard fought in a manner that proved beyond all doubt he would make a worthy opponent for Freddy Welsh in a battle for the lightweight championship. Displaying remarkable footwork and a powerful left to the stomach, the New Yorker wore his inexperienced opponent down and dropped him for a short count in the sixth, after which Shannon's seconds threw in the sponge.

For the first three rounds Shannon gave Leonard a merry battle. The Californian's style was awkward and he kept shooting out a straight right that greatly bothered the Eastern man. In the second round Shannon twice drove Leonard to the ropes with hard rights to the face. Benny's face and right eye were puffed at the finish of the session. This was the only round won by Shannon.

Near the end of the third round Leonard started the blood from Shannon's nose and it flowed freely for the remainder of the contest. Rights to the face and lefts to the body weakened Shannon to a great extent and it was a human thing for his seconds to throw in the sponge in the sixth. Though beaten, Shannon was far from disgraced. He will be heard from. The weights were: Leonard, 133½ pounds; Shannon, 136¼.

In the semi-final Georgie Adams, 124 pounds, a promising youngster from Chicago, stopped Jack Lester, 127 pounds, in the fifth round. The preliminaries resulted as follows: Joe Leonard shaded Jack Eil. Young Willard won from Bobby Matthews, and Tommy Young and Mike Dixon boxed a draw.


1917-05-11 The Evening Telegram (New York, NY) (page 12)

BENNY LEONARD STOPS SHANNON IN THE SIXTH ROUND
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Benny Leonard stopped Eddie Shannon, of California, in the sixth round of the scheduled ten-round bout at the Clermont Athletic Club last night. A left hook brought Shannon to his knees and as he got up in a groggy condition his second tossed a sponge into the ring as a token of defeat.

The Californian made a good showing for two rounds. He had more than the average amount of ring science, a good left jab and met Leonard half way in every exchange. It was Leonard's fourth straight decisive victory and his second of the week.


1917-05-11 The New York Times (New York, NY)

LEONARD GAINS VERDICT.
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Shannon's Handlers Throw Sponge in Ring in Sixth Round.

Benny Leonard, the Harlem lightweight, making his first metropolitan appearance since he recently annexed the American lightweight championship, last night punctured the championship bubble of Eddie Shannon, a California lightweight, in the sixth round of their scheduled ten-round bout at the Clermont Sporting Club of Brooklyn. In this session, while the Californian was down on his knees from a hard left hook followed by a grazing right hand uppercut, Shannon's handlers humanely threw in a sponge into the ring as a token of defeat. The action was wise and timely, for the visiting boxer would have been cleanly knocked out had the bout progressed.

Although beaten, the Californian was by no means disgraced. Coming to this city practically unknown, with his only claim to prominence being a creditable showing against Johnny Kilbane, the featherweight champion, Shannon furnished considerable of a surprise. In the early rounds he acquitted himself admirably and had Leonard flustered. From the third session on, however, Leonard beat a steady attack on Shannon's stomach with clean left hand hooks which the Californian boxer could not prevent, and it was these blows which resulted in his downfall.


1917-05-11 The Sun (New York, NY) (page 13)

LEONARD LANDS AGAIN.
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Scores Fourth Consecutive Knockout at Expense of Eddie Shannon.

Benny Leonard scored his fourth consecutive knockout last night when he stopped Eddie Shannon in the sixth round at the Clermont Sporting Club. Leonard weighed 133½ and Shannon 136¾ pounds.

Shannon had been sent to his knees by a right hander to the jaw in the sixth and had arisen without taking a count when a sponge flew into the ring from the beaten man's corner.

Shannon, who is said to have given a hard battle to Johnny Kilbane, made a surprisingly good battle for two rounds and gave Leonard a puffed and cut eye. Shannon had the better of the second round, but Leonard solved his style in the third and thenceforth Shannon was a punching bag.