Lew Tendler boxer

"Lefty" Lew Tendler (September 28, 1898, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 5, 1970, in Atlantic City, New Jersey) was an American boxer. He is generally considered one of the best boxers to never have won a world title, though he was a top rated contender for both the world light and welterweight championships. Statistical boxing website BoxRec lists Tendler as the #10 ranked lightweight of all time, while The Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer placed him at #9. He is a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame.Lew Tendler was born in the South Philadelphia Jewish ghetto on September 28, 1898. His father died of a long illness only two years after he was born, leaving the family in desperate financial straits. At only six, he started selling newspapers on a city street corner, using his fists to defend his territory against tough competition. He began boxing as an amateur around twelve, often competing in tournaments at local burlesque houses. Turning pro in 1913 at the age of fifteen, he began his career as a bantamweight. His first bout on November 6, 1918, against Mickey Brown, was arranged by Phil Glassman and the Philadelphia Newsboy Association.In an important early career win, Tendler decisively defeated future world bantamweight champion Pete Herman on February 28, 1916, in six rounds, repeatedly scoring points with his right. Herman had difficulty mounting an effective defense, and bled from his nose through much of the bout where he caught frequent rights from Tendler. Herman would take the world bantamweight championship the following year and hold it almost continuously for four years.On October 1, 1917, Tendler defeated future world junior lightweight champion Johnny Dundee in a close six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia. Tendler took the lead in most of the fighting, used his reach advantage to dominate at long range, and landed more blows to take the decision. He finished strong in the sixth. On March 26, 1917, Tendler had previously defeated Dundee in another very close six-round newspaper decision of two Philadelphia papers, though one reporter felt the power of Dundee's blows to the head and body should have won him the decision.Future world lightweight champion Rocky Kansas fell to Tendler on October 29, 1917 in a somewhat decisive six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia according to a decision of the Philadelphia Record. Tendler scored with straight lefts, upper cuts and right crosses, and had the better of much of the fighting. In a closer first round, Kansas landed a powerful right to Tendler's ear. In two other meetings with Kansas, Tendler won a ten-round newspaper decision on New Years Day, 1919, but dropped a fifteen-round points decision on October 21, 1921 at New York's Madison Square Garden.Tendler first decisively defeated Willie Jackson, a leading contender for the lightweight title in a six-round newspaper decision in Philadelphia, on January 7, 1918. Tendler forced the fighting from the opening round, showed better defense, and gave Jackson a beating in nearly every round. Jackson was able to score only when coming out of clinches at close range. Tendler defeated Jackson again that year in a fifteen-round points decision in New Haven, and continued to gain victory over Jackson in Philadelphia and Milwaukee by newspaper decisions once a year from 1919 to 1921.