Despite his behavior outside of the ring, Lenny was a good hearted man. When I started training 13 years ago, he would often give me tips and advice on the fundamentals in boxing. Though he wasn’t a coach, he did spend a significant amount of time helping out the younger generation of fighters. His presence was always appreciated and his personality will always be missed.
Thank you for sharing that personal information, I appreciate it, I’m listening and watching this for the first time, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know who he is but I’m about to find out, thanks again
Hey Rich- that was Pete Brodsky in Lennys corner. I fought out of Brodsky’s Westbury PBC, ( I was an experienced amateur) in 1988, and sparred with Lenny for 3 rounds. He laid on the ropes ( with his hands up) for all three rounds! I was in awe of him -and in fear of opening up- so cautiously pitter- pattered. He did not throw one punch in return. The die had been cast, already. Lenny was a warrior and had taken many blows in some of the best boxing I’ve ever seen, but it was evident that he had some sort of dementia. He was a big dude. I was a middleweight also, but he seemed so much larger, larger than life even.
Great share. He's one of the biggest middleweights I've seen...Not just in height, but his physicality. A tip of the hat to you for getting in the ring with him.
I remember being a teenager and marveling at how giant he seemed for a middleweight. Giant torso for 160 pounds and it's not like he had super skinny legs.
Hey stonehands1170 no that was Pat LaCasa and Tom(Cheese) Fornarelli and no he didn't have any dementia he was in shape and he rather been knocked out or the fight stopped than take a dive or just quit many times he fought when he shouldn't have like the Collin's fight he had a fractured cheek bone but never mentioned it to anybody but Johnny Trombino and myself that's why his eye looked so bad John Collins could punch and he got hit by the way they cheated my the rule about getting hit after the bell is the fight hit after the bell gets as much time as needed he didn't get any time at all after the 1 minute between rounds I was just honest with you I appreciate if you don't talk shit when you don't know what your talking about
@@georgeelmerdenbrough6906He didn't say everyone, he said a lot of people. And for the record, I'm with you, glad I didn't 😂. My bad days at work don't involve getting beaten to concussion.
Another absolutely outstanding Documentary here. RTFH……. THE BEST Boxing Channel on YT. A gritty fighter Lapaglia. I remember reading about the Collins fight in KO Magazine Collins did not do a great deal beyond the Lapaglia fight. A decent win over Mark Holmes, a draw against Alex Ramos and then brutally knocked out by Tony Sibson, ending his career with a KO by 1 against Robbie Sims
Thank you for remembering Lenny..Time has passed by so swiftly..What I would give to go back,just to the 80's, when ESPN Boxing was just in its infancy..Great boxing & Lenny was the kind of fighter that was featured frequently.. Thank you Lenny,RIP Warrior & keep those hands up..We ALL know how tough you are!!
Rich, respect to you and your great work. Have been watching boxing since I was about 13 years old, I am now 65 and have watch as many fights as I have been able to. Before the internet if you were not able to see a fight on tv the chances of you seeing it were slim and I missed many fights but remember reading about LaPaglia in boxing magazines. May have seen his fight with Collins but did not remember it. In those days I looked at boxers as having to have it all -skills, toughness, will and endurance. If they had lost some fights or been ko, I ignorantly dismissed them as not having it. You either had to have championship potential or be a champion that had it all for it to really register with me. Yes, age teaches us a lot. Your videos constantly remind of the greatness of these fighters. I still get amaze by the skills, heart, will, power, chins and conditioning of these men. The look on Jimmerson at the end of fifth round was really something=like what? he is getting back up; I hope he quits. That was one heck of a fight, as were the ones vs Dewitt and Collins. Really enjoyed the video on Eddie Futch. Especially liked your commentary at the end about Futch going out with a smile of his face. That's the kind of touch that makes your work great. Wishing you and your loved one's health and happiness. RIP Lenny
I remember that fight with Jimmerson like it was yesterday, and I still don't have a clue why he was auditioning to be a heavy bag. It seemed like most of the worst damage he absorbed was when he was goofing around like that....crazy.
Although you have me beat by a couple of years, I like you watched all the great fighters of the early 1980's. I too used to think if a guy lost that was it. In fact even now that first L on a record is a bad blemish. But as I got older and began to study the sport and even box myself. I looked at the alltime greats and saw how many of them even lost their debut! They were tougher back then. It also baffles me how they made such a big deal about Floyd "breaking" Marciano's record. First of all Rocky was heavyweight champion second if you look at records of the greats Robinson, Armstrong, Moore and others have more KO's than Floyd has wins. I respect Floyd and this statement is not meant to downplay his acheivements. Its just a fact at how losses mean more than they really should.
@@chonqmonk Your statement about auditioning to be a heavy bag made me laugh, it really looked like that. Yes, it was crazy especially as he was able to take the head shots but kept getting knockdown with body shots. Perhaps his conditioning was poor, and he could not get away. Or maybe it was due the fact that Lenny was a puncher and as you know punchers can end fights with one shot and sometimes are willing to take punches in order to land a ko. He could have thought he was still in the fight. Once read that the great Ali (RIP Champ) said you had to be a little crazy to be a boxer, so yes crazy is the right word to describe Lenny's performance in this fight.
@@brianseneca3546 Through Rich's wonderful boxing channel, I have been able to see many of the greats from 40s to today and the incredible amount of damage they were able to take. I have seen many of these greats, take what seemed to be career ending punishment in one fight after another. Yet they continue to fight and in the long run ended up hurt for the rest of their lives. I think they were allowed to show their toughness over and over because they were in the hurt business, and it was understood that it really was up to the fighter to continue fighting or not. Some managers recognize when their fighters were shot and advised them to retire. Some fighters refused to retire, and other unethical managers and promoters took advantage of them and extended their careers. Not really sure but it does seem like the people in the past had tougher psyches and times were tougher for the poor. Maybe they were not as aware of the serious damage boxing can cause as the people of today or if they did not care as they just enjoyed watching the fights and it was not up to them to decide how a man chose to make a living as long as it was not crime. Either way I cannot remember fighters engaging in fights in which they took as much punishment in multiple fights the fighters of yesteryear. The only ones that remind me of the 40s and 50s are Ali, Saad Muhamad and Chacon (RIP Champs). They took too much punishment and should have retired before they did. I am sure there are others but right now can't remember. If any reader can name others, please do as they deserve recognition. Another factor that must be considered is the popularity of boxing back then and the amount of work boxers could get. Today if you are not a star you are not going to make that much money so it may not be worth staying in the sport. Yes, back in the day the economical aspect was the same but there may have been more venues in which one could have a chance to make it to the top and they did not have as many options to make a good living as today. The more they fought the better their toughness could be gaged. As far as how tough the fighters of today are in comparison to the ones of the past is impossible for me to answer. From what I see, today's fighters are as strong and skillful as the ones of the past, Toughness I cannot judge because what is allowed in boxing today is different than in those eras. Do not think fighters of today would be permitted to engage in multiple brutal wars without an intervention, we now have MRIs and other medical tests as well as more eyes on the sport. As far as Mayweather is concern, I am in total agreement with you, 50-0 is not as big a deal as it is made out to be. Other fighters have gone beyond 50-0 He was a great champion but to me he lost the first Castillo and that hoax he pulled with McGregor should have never counted. How could a multiple division champ with an official record of 49-0 fight a guy with a record 0-0-0 and that fight count toward his mythical record is a travesty. Some people who do not know better and even some people in boxing who should, call him the best defensive fighter in history or TBE. They need to study the records and defensive abilities of past champs and learn something. He was an above average defensive boxer who had a great chin, great hand speed as well as very respectable power, but how do I know that- I have seen most of his fights and seen him get hit plenty in some of them, but yes, he also blew out his opposition in others. You are 100% correct about how losses mean more than they really should. I do not know how tough people in general were before my times, but I know they were the ones that raised me and taught me a value system which by today's standards was too hard. I was a teenager during the 70s in NYC and the people around me were not willing to praise anyone that did not really deserved it, they did not believe in hype. The Gods do not give credit to those that win without merit.
The ref who disqualified the fighter for sticking out his tongue was former boxer Stanley Berg from Chicago. His record is on BoxRec. The Chicago boys were building Lenny and I’m sure Stanley shall we say helped. I was a member of the Chicago Health Club on the north side in the 60’s and 70’s as was Stan and spoke with him many times. He had great stories from the golden age of boxing in the 1930’s and 40’s
That being the case, you do realize that marginal record boxers are not on Boxrec because we would have to pay for the privelege? Correct? I'm so sick of people saying i can't find you on Boxrec. whatever!
Awesome documentary. I don't remember Laplagia, but he made me a fan just seeing this. He seemed to be a real decent and well spoken guy out of the ring. Hats off as well to Art Jimmerson of UFC 1 fame. He showed an iron will in their fight and you could tell he had made up his mind that he wouldn't break. Also, the LaPaglia - Jimmerson fight should be used as a training video for ref's today. That ref handled a rough and tumble fight beautifully instructing the boxers to fight out of clinches and knowing the spots to step in.
I remember Lenny I really thought he was going to be champion one day. It's to bad that the high life got a hold of him. The man could fight and he was good enough but it's so sad that they can't stay away from the evils a lot of fighters has that trouble. Thank you Rich you the man bringing these great videos I really appreciate it
Thank you for this fine feature, Rich. LaPaglia seems to be an example of a fighter who has one tough loss and can never get his edge back, winning some but coming up short in his big fights.
Thanks Rich I saw Lenny as well as Johnny Lira in Chicago. Melrose Park indeed is an Italian stronghold. The far west side of Chicago. As I remember Melrose Park is where the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is located. The first inductees were Italian fighters in 1977. Jake was there as was Basilio and Sammy Angott and Paddy DeMarco and Joey Giardello and many others. Unfortunately Rocky Graziano was not there. Jake told me Rocky did not like to leave NYC. It was funny there was a guy there selling jump ropes like fighters use. I walk into parking lot just outside the hotel and there is Carmen Basilio trying out the jump rope. The family of Primo Carnera was there. His wife was still alive. His son is/was an MD. He changed his name and I don’t recall if he told us what he changed to. He was very gracious. The banquet was held in a hotel in Melrose Park near OHare airport.
I think there was a stigma attached to that name at one time. The MD son was in his 40’s probably at the time I met him and maybe in his youth too maybe people knew the Carnera name.
RIP Warrior. One thing I noticed in Lenny's fights, he rarely clutched. That was also true for his opponents in the early years. That Collins fight is an example. Collins didn't clutch either. Just two native Chicago boxers showing their tremendous skills, heart, and pride. I'm certain that Lenny had suffered greatly later in life from injuries he suffered in the ring, as many boxers have. Hence, the drug and alcohol use which led to his death.
First boxing doco in 2023, not a bad way to kick things off, another gem Rich, thanks. Some incredibly evenly matched bouts right here, particularly enjoyed the one vs Collins.
That's a great guy to make a subject for every star n worldwide known champions u have so many more Lenny's. 👏 love it Freddie Roach v Tommy Cordava I remember watching either be good subjects espn Tues or Friday night fights in 83 84 85. Loved those days
I knew Lenny in his post fight life. I was too young to see him in his prime. I can tell you that there wasn't a nicer guy in the world. A really nice guy. I was heartbroken when he passed.
I remember after an exchange (collins fight) Lenny was connecting then the bell rang. He dropped his hands and Collins hit him with a hook (after the bell) and dropped him. The rest of the fight was good but I always thought that that was a turning point in that fight.
Great video! He was before my time, but I'm sure my dad heard of him. I can't wait to see you do a video on "The atomic bull" Oliver McCall. What a life filled with highs and lows. Arguably the best chin on a former heavyweight champ, and a prime Mike Tysons most durable sparring partner.
I remember just being in awe of his fights, my grandfather was a military boxer and MP so i grew up watching boxing and i remember thinking Lenny was made out of steel, his physique was like the comic book heros i was infatuated about. The punishment that man took was un-freaking-real, one of the toughest, most relentless to ever do it, he never tried to score points, he tried to finish you, all fight.
I grew up watching Lenny. He was in south Philly and Atlantic City for a time with Carmen. I was an amateur. Rich please do a show on Jerry Owens from south Philly. A great amateur that turned pro. His life was short but he was something to watch. A special Slick sharp boxer from south Philly.
I remember watching Lenny early on in his career and thinking this guy going to be champion someday! After his losses and bizarre behavior in the ring? I kinda lost interest. I wasn't sure what happened in his personal life after that, I was hoping for a happy ending to his life story. RIP Lenny ✌❤🙏
He lost to Jimmerson because he unloaded early and Art being a natural LHW took the shots and cleaned up on an exausted LaPaglia who probably didnt train right for that fight
Never heard of Lenny before watching "was before my time"... but, damn... What a warrior. My type of fighter.. I'm a huge fan now.. Wish he was still around..
Every single documentary you create is superb. We have books, newspaper articles and first hand anecdotes that are lauded over and tell us the stories of peoples lives. In a 100 years time, along side those revered paper written histories, people will be watching your videos. Your work brings to life the lives of legends, blessed that you are with video footage that previous generations didn't have, but no less important and impactful. In 100 years time, Rich the Fight Historian, will be known as a scholar in his field. And rightly so.
Great Post rich i remember reading about la pagilla in ring magazine in the mid 80s watching the dewitt fight I get the impression that his outside the ring partying caught up with him and took away that late round conditioning needed to beat the top level guys ,even so great heart and a tough tough Italian American ,I bet he was great company .
who was your dad? we used to go there as kids (we used to have ringside seats, it was amazing)! my dad and uncle were very close friends with lenny's trainer pat lacassa who passed recently. i'm 48 now so we're talking a looong time ago (davinci manor has been gone for at least 30 years).
Your brother was Jeff who went on to fight Duran. I met you at the Glendale Heights gym I believe when we were little kids. I met your brother through trainer Bob Foley. I was like 14. Your brother was an older guy I would see around the CYO. I didn't know him. He was a guy I would see at the CYO.
Hey Rich. I just wanna thank you and show some appreciation to this documentary you have created for Lenny. I was with him towards the end of his days. Probably the last person he took under his wing and I am so thankful to have spent the time that I did with him. I got to meet some interesting people and even got to meet John Collin’s at his funeral which was cool. Lenny no doubt was a wild card, hardcore bad ass warrior all the way to the end who had demons just like any other human being. He had a big heart if he loved you and definitely was trouble if he didn’t like you haha. Nevertheless he was amazing and taught me a couple things that have helped me through life such as being bold and resilient. In the sense of being able to dish back what a person dishes at me. It made me happy to see this video and know he is remembered and to that once again I say.. Thank you
Talent, speed, power and a good left hook to the body but his life outside the ring was turmoil. He reminds me of Bert Cooper, who became something of a darling of CBS boxing at the start of his career. His most spectacular performance on national TV, a second round KO of Willie DeWitt, and a $40,000 purse, was all Bert needed to go off the rails with women, coke and booze. I think Lenny had some of the same problems. It wasn't that he couldn't handle the bright lights...he couldn't handle the dim bulbs. He had a golden opportunity to skyrocket to instant fame but then, inexplicably, disappeared for 5 months and quit against a nobody in his next fight. It would be hard to find another story with that kind of swing from success to ultimate failure. This guy's life outside the ring must have been a train wreck. My guess is cocaine destroyed him. He wouldn't be the first fighter to have been taken down by it.
Boxing is a cruel, brutal sport. It attracts great men, and it attracts men with many demons. Rich, your work is second to none, and I have no idea why you don't have 500k subs by now.
Another great video . I enjoy your documentaries on all fighters so much, that I put them on while working out. Simply the best , when it comes to keeping boxers back in the day alive 👍..."Pops'#truschoolsports🥊🥊
In 2012 2013 Lenny would come to the gouin pk boxing gym in Franklin Park and hang around watch people train ,give a few tips to the younger boxers seemed liked he turned things around seemed 😊 happy.I didn't know him well but he was always nice and respectful to all of us in the gym. He left us at a young age but on GOD'S time 🙏 Trust JESUS .I
@@RichtheFightHistorian no problem brother. Most of the time when you hear from people it's a complaint. But there are a few amazing channels on here that love the sport and respect the fighters and you are one of them. Thank you for all your great videos and for taking the time to share with everyone else. I feel like younger fans don't appreciate boxing for what it is and just like it for the violence. And the violence is the last reason I like the sport.
Rich, the more I see of these momentous fights on your video's the more I respect these tremendous boxers, and the more I feel boxing fans are being short changed by the current, so called, superstars,
I watched Lenny fight twice........he had a lot of ability and a lot of skills.....he looked out of shape and undertrained when I saw the second fight. RIP warrior.
Wow!!!! Thank you some much Rich for these AWESOME documentaries...I'm a subscriber AWESOME- is the word that best describes your quality of videos! 👌👌👌👌👌
I wish I remembered some of the names that are commenting on here. I’ll bet we all remember the good old days of the neighborhood at Rocky’s or G&N’s. I only saw one fight of Lennys in person and it was over in one round by knockout. Although I thought he’d beat John Collins.
Its pretty obvious Lapaglia didnt train right for the Jimmerson fight. Lapaglia landed a lot early but Jimmerson was a natural 175 and could take the shots. Then Lapaglia gassed. The stretch between the Mack ko and the dec. loss to DeWitt was the best of Lapaglias career
once again thank you for shinning a light on these lesser known legends i been a boxing fan since a child and im not gonna sit here and act like i know half the guys you shine a ligth on bc alot of them are before my time im 90's baby so im very appreciative of what you do and the stuff i learn from a so called "sport" i love because of your videos i work my ass off in construction i hardly have time for my kids let alone take time to do research on boxing which i would very much love to do but as of now the time is just not there and that where ur videos come in so agian thank you
I remember my old man who worked in the fight game his whole life steaming about Art Jimmerson. "HOW DARE THIS (racial explitive) CALL LENNY A DIRTY GREASY F***** EYETALIAN!!!". I still laugh at the irony of that statement. Was great seeing Boom Boom in there for a minute as well. Probably the nicest best guy ever to enter the ring was Ray I miss that era of boxing the 80s and 90s were great
Theres this interesting boxer called terry krueger you should look into him apparently his power came from his “speed” he was a lanky heavyweight but has 35 win 34 kayos win
Despite his behavior outside of the ring, Lenny was a good hearted man. When I started training 13 years ago, he would often give me tips and advice on the fundamentals in boxing. Though he wasn’t a coach, he did spend a significant amount of time helping out the younger generation of fighters. His presence was always appreciated and his personality will always be missed.
Thanks for sharing that, Evan.
Not surprised he was always willing to help someone.
To me he looks the kind of person you just describe, He was also a Lion heart kind of fighter. RIP Lenny.
Thank you for sharing that personal information, I appreciate it, I’m listening and watching this for the first time, I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know who he is but I’m about to find out, thanks again
Hey Rich- that was Pete Brodsky in Lennys corner. I fought out of Brodsky’s Westbury PBC, ( I was an experienced amateur) in 1988, and sparred with Lenny for 3 rounds.
He laid on the ropes ( with his hands up) for all three rounds! I was in awe of him -and in fear of opening up- so cautiously pitter- pattered. He did not throw one punch in return. The die had been cast, already. Lenny was a warrior and had taken many blows in some of the best boxing I’ve ever seen, but it was evident that he had some sort of dementia. He was a big dude. I was a middleweight also, but he seemed so much larger, larger than life even.
Great share. He's one of the biggest middleweights I've seen...Not just in height, but his physicality. A tip of the hat to you for getting in the ring with him.
I remember being a teenager and marveling at how giant he seemed for a middleweight. Giant torso for 160 pounds and it's not like he had super skinny legs.
Good share, thanks.
Hey stonehands1170 no that was Pat LaCasa and Tom(Cheese) Fornarelli and no he didn't have any dementia he was in shape and he rather been knocked out or the fight stopped than take a dive or just quit many times he fought when he shouldn't have like the Collin's fight he had a fractured cheek bone but never mentioned it to anybody but Johnny Trombino and myself that's why his eye looked so bad John Collins could punch and he got hit by the way they cheated my the rule about getting hit after the bell is the fight hit after the bell gets as much time as needed he didn't get any time at all after the 1 minute between rounds I was just honest with you I appreciate if you don't talk shit when you don't know what your talking about
@@thomaslapaglia340 Thomas did Lenny not beat John in the past during the amateur days? I seem to remember this but it's been many years .
RIP. Warrior you did what a lot of people WISH they could do. Fight professionally.
I dunno . I am glad I didn't .
What happened to him?
@@georgeelmerdenbrough6906He didn't say everyone, he said a lot of people. And for the record, I'm with you, glad I didn't 😂. My bad days at work don't involve getting beaten to concussion.
Another absolutely outstanding Documentary here.
RTFH……. THE BEST Boxing Channel on YT.
A gritty fighter Lapaglia. I remember reading about the Collins fight in KO Magazine
Collins did not do a great deal beyond the Lapaglia fight. A decent win over Mark Holmes, a draw against Alex Ramos and then brutally knocked out by Tony Sibson, ending his career with a KO by 1 against Robbie Sims
Correct...simply the BEST.
Thanks, CTO. In watching Collins, he was better than I remembered. Pretty versatile, could box or slug.
Thank you, LMatters1
@@RichtheFightHistorian agree totally. Collins looked a darn good fighter.
RIP Lenny. You gave us lots of thrills. I remember as a young kid, the buildup to Collins/LaPaglia & the excitement among Chicago boxing fans.
Thank you for remembering Lenny..Time has passed by so swiftly..What I would give to go back,just to the 80's, when ESPN Boxing was just in its infancy..Great boxing & Lenny was the kind of fighter that was featured frequently.. Thank you Lenny,RIP Warrior & keep those hands up..We ALL know how tough you are!!
Rich, respect to you and your great work. Have been watching boxing since I was about 13 years old, I am now 65 and have watch as many fights as I have been able to. Before the internet if you were not able to see a fight on tv the chances of you seeing it were slim and I missed many fights but remember reading about LaPaglia in boxing magazines. May have seen his fight with Collins but did not remember it. In those days I looked at boxers as having to have it all -skills, toughness, will and endurance. If they had lost some fights or been ko, I ignorantly dismissed them as not having it. You either had to have championship potential or be a champion that had it all for it to really register with me. Yes, age teaches us a lot. Your videos constantly remind of the greatness of these fighters. I still get amaze by the skills, heart, will, power, chins and conditioning of these men. The look on Jimmerson at the end of fifth round was really something=like what? he is getting back up; I hope he quits. That was one heck of a fight, as were the ones vs Dewitt and Collins. Really enjoyed the video on Eddie Futch. Especially liked your commentary at the end about Futch going out with a smile of his face. That's the kind of touch that makes your work great. Wishing you and your loved one's health and happiness. RIP Lenny
I remember that fight with Jimmerson like it was yesterday, and I still don't have a clue why he was auditioning to be a heavy bag. It seemed like most of the worst damage he absorbed was when he was goofing around like that....crazy.
Although you have me beat by a couple of years, I like you watched all the great fighters of the early 1980's. I too used to think if a guy lost that was it. In fact even now that first L on a record is a bad blemish. But as I got older and began to study the sport and even box myself. I looked at the alltime greats and saw how many of them even lost their debut! They were tougher back then. It also baffles me how they made such a big deal about Floyd "breaking" Marciano's record. First of all Rocky was heavyweight champion second if you look at records of the greats Robinson, Armstrong, Moore and others have more KO's than Floyd has wins. I respect Floyd and this statement is not meant to downplay his acheivements. Its just a fact at how losses mean more than they really should.
Thanks so much, Jose. Have a great New Year.
@@chonqmonk Your statement about auditioning to be a heavy bag made me laugh, it really looked like that. Yes, it was crazy especially as he was able to take the head shots but kept getting knockdown with body shots. Perhaps his conditioning was poor, and he could not get away. Or maybe it was due the fact that Lenny was a puncher and as you know punchers can end fights with one shot and sometimes are willing to take punches in order to land a ko. He could have thought he was still in the fight. Once read that the great Ali (RIP Champ) said you had to be a little crazy to be a boxer, so yes crazy is the right word to describe Lenny's performance in this fight.
@@brianseneca3546 Through Rich's wonderful boxing channel, I have been able to see many of the greats from 40s to today and the incredible amount of damage they were able to take. I have seen many of these greats, take what seemed to be career ending punishment in one fight after another. Yet they continue to fight and in the long run ended up hurt for the rest of their lives. I think they were allowed to show their toughness over and over because they were in the hurt business, and it was understood that it really was up to the fighter to continue fighting or not. Some managers recognize when their fighters were shot and advised them to retire. Some fighters refused to retire, and other unethical managers and promoters took advantage of them and extended their careers. Not really sure but it does seem like the people in the past had tougher psyches and times were tougher for the poor. Maybe they were not as aware of the serious damage boxing can cause as the people of today or if they did not care as they just enjoyed watching the fights and it was not up to them to decide how a man chose to make a living as long as it was not crime. Either way I cannot remember fighters engaging in fights in which they took as much punishment in multiple fights the fighters of yesteryear. The only ones that remind me of the 40s and 50s are Ali, Saad Muhamad and Chacon (RIP Champs). They took too much punishment and should have retired before they did. I am sure there are others but right now can't remember. If any reader can name others, please do as they deserve recognition. Another factor that must be considered is the popularity of boxing back then and the amount of work boxers could get. Today if you are not a star you are not going to make that much money so it may not be worth staying in the sport. Yes, back in the day the economical aspect was the same but there may have been more venues in which one could have a chance to make it to the top and they did not have as many options to make a good living as today. The more they fought the better their toughness could be gaged. As far as how tough the fighters of today are in comparison to the ones of the past is impossible for me to answer. From what I see, today's fighters are as strong and skillful as the ones of the past, Toughness I cannot judge because what is allowed in boxing today is different than in those eras. Do not think fighters of today would be permitted to engage in multiple brutal wars without an intervention, we now have MRIs and other medical tests as well as more eyes on the sport. As far as Mayweather is concern, I am in total agreement with you, 50-0 is not as big a deal as it is made out to be. Other fighters have gone beyond 50-0 He was a great champion but to me he lost the first Castillo and that hoax he pulled with McGregor should have never counted. How could a multiple division champ with an official record of 49-0 fight a guy with a record 0-0-0 and that fight count toward his mythical record is a travesty. Some people who do not know better and even some people in boxing who should, call him the best defensive fighter in history or TBE. They need to study the records and defensive abilities of past champs and learn something. He was an above average defensive boxer who had a great chin, great hand speed as well as very respectable power, but how do I know that- I have seen most of his fights and seen him get hit plenty in some of them, but yes, he also blew out his opposition in others. You are 100% correct about how losses mean more than they really should. I do not know how tough people in general were before my times, but I know they were the ones that raised me and taught me a value system which by today's standards was too hard. I was a teenager during the 70s in NYC and the people around me were not willing to praise anyone that did not really deserved it, they did not believe in hype. The Gods do not give credit to those that win without merit.
The ref who disqualified the fighter for sticking out his tongue was former boxer Stanley Berg from Chicago. His record is on BoxRec. The Chicago boys were building Lenny and I’m sure Stanley shall we say helped. I was a member of the Chicago Health Club on the north side in the 60’s and 70’s as was Stan and spoke with him many times. He had great stories from the golden age of boxing in the 1930’s and 40’s
That being the case, you do realize that marginal record boxers are not on Boxrec because we would have to pay for the privelege? Correct? I'm so sick of people saying i can't find you on Boxrec. whatever!
Awesome documentary. I don't remember Laplagia, but he made me a fan just seeing this. He seemed to be a real decent and well spoken guy out of the ring. Hats off as well to Art Jimmerson of UFC 1 fame. He showed an iron will in their fight and you could tell he had made up his mind that he wouldn't break. Also, the LaPaglia - Jimmerson fight should be used as a training video for ref's today. That ref handled a rough and tumble fight beautifully instructing the boxers to fight out of clinches and knowing the spots to step in.
Thanks for remembering Lapaglia. Art Jimmerson( UFC fighter) was too big. Lapaglia was an awesome warrior. RIP.
I remember Jimmerson from the UFC. He wore 1 glove and lost to Royce.
I never knew LaPaglia's story, but had that fight with Jimmerson saved a long time ago, what a fight that was, incredible pace. Thank you, Rich.
Sure thing, Force.
RIP Warrior. Another classic installment. Thank you Rich from North-east England. Happy new Year.
Happy New Year, Stephen.
North East England here as well. New to the channel. Looks a belter so far.
Wow what a tough fighter. Thanks Rich, you always put the human angle on these stories
Always a pleasure zfid8485
4 Days Prior To My 8th Birthday. My Dad Took Me To The Pavilion To See This Fight 👊🏿.
What??
I'm not sure it's OK to bring a boy 8 years old to a boxing match.
@@nielskjr5432 hahaha what ever.
@@nielskjr5432 safe space boy.
That first comment threw me off i wish me n dad hit up some fights sooner
What do you remember?
I remember Lenny I really thought he was going to be champion one day. It's to bad that the high life got a hold of him. The man could fight and he was good enough but it's so sad that they can't stay away from the evils a lot of fighters has that trouble. Thank you Rich you the man bringing these great videos I really appreciate it
Always a pleasure, Ron, thanks.
Good to see you back Rich! Another tragic story of an ex-fighter. LaPaglia was a tough one!
Thanks, RE
Thank you for this fine feature, Rich. LaPaglia seems to be an example of a fighter who has one tough loss and can never get his edge back, winning some but coming up short in his big fights.
My pleasure, Charles.
You're right about the Collins fight breaking LaPaglia, a damn dirty shame the greedy Bastards made that fight.
Thanks Rich
I saw Lenny as well as Johnny Lira in Chicago.
Melrose Park indeed is an Italian stronghold. The far west side of Chicago. As I remember Melrose Park is where the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is located. The first inductees were Italian fighters in 1977. Jake was there as was Basilio and Sammy Angott and Paddy DeMarco and Joey Giardello and many others. Unfortunately Rocky Graziano was not there. Jake told me Rocky did not like to leave NYC. It was funny there was a guy there selling jump ropes like fighters use. I walk into parking lot just outside the hotel and there is Carmen Basilio trying out the jump rope.
The family of Primo Carnera was there. His wife was still alive. His son is/was an MD. He changed his name and I don’t recall if he told us what he changed to. He was very gracious. The banquet was held in a hotel in Melrose Park near OHare airport.
Great share, James. I have some fights on Lira. Curious as to why Carnera's son would change his name.
I think there was a stigma attached to that name at one time. The MD son was in his 40’s probably at the time I met him and maybe in his youth too maybe people knew the Carnera name.
Thanks. Cool story.
I remember watching Lenny, fight on TV back in the day, loved his fight name, the Rage! It fit him well. RIP Warrior!
That Collins fight was one of the best I’d ever seen
That LaPaglia-Jimmerson fight should be in one of those "When Showboating Goes Wrong" videos.
Actually it is on one of those type videos on RUclips. LaPaglia is an excellent fighter. Just didn't get the breaks & got caught up
@@mongoslade277 Much of his getting caught up was self-induced
RIP Warrior.
One thing I noticed in Lenny's fights, he rarely clutched. That was also true for his opponents in the early years. That Collins fight is an example. Collins didn't clutch either. Just two native Chicago boxers showing their tremendous skills, heart, and pride. I'm certain that Lenny had suffered greatly later in life from injuries he suffered in the ring, as many boxers have. Hence, the drug and alcohol use which led to his death.
First boxing doco in 2023, not a bad way to kick things off, another gem Rich, thanks. Some incredibly evenly matched bouts right here, particularly enjoyed the one vs Collins.
Thanks, Nick. Lapaglia was a winger.
That's a great guy to make a subject for every star n worldwide known champions u have so many more Lenny's. 👏 love it Freddie Roach v Tommy Cordava I remember watching either be good subjects espn Tues or Friday night fights in 83 84 85. Loved those days
I knew Lenny in his post fight life. I was too young to see him in his prime. I can tell you that there wasn't a nicer guy in the world. A really nice guy. I was heartbroken when he passed.
That was the craziest round of boxing ever!!! Never heard of the guy and I’m an instant fan!!!
wow what fights! Great video about a great warrior!
Sorry for being m.i a for a while.
Hope you had a great Christmas and new years eve Rich. ( and fellow viewers )
🥊❤️🥊
Thanks, Love Boxing. Happy New Year.
La Paglia's left hook-right uppercut was a vicious combination..
Never heard of the bum LMAO
@@stanleyjackson5963 You were probably listening to boy bands and not paying attention.
@@frankd.506 We all know boybands but wtf is La Paglia lol
I watched the Collins fight on TV. It was brutal!!
I remember after an exchange (collins fight) Lenny was connecting then the bell rang. He dropped his hands and Collins hit him with a hook (after the bell) and dropped him. The rest of the fight was good but I always thought that that was a turning point in that fight.
Great video! He was before my time, but I'm sure my dad heard of him. I can't wait to see you do a video on "The atomic bull" Oliver McCall. What a life filled with highs and lows. Arguably the best chin on a former heavyweight champ, and a prime Mike Tysons most durable sparring partner.
I heard of his chin, only saw his Lewis fights, are there other good ones?
Absolutely. Check out his fight with Awkinwande, you will enjoy the end. Also, his fight with Maskaev.
@@brocklanders3616 and with Damiani, whom he retired.
I see him from time to time in chicago in the ingle wood area. Hes a nice guy, def seen some hard times.
Thank you for another great video brother. Have a great year.
Sure thing, nyquil. Happy New Year to you.
I remember just being in awe of his fights, my grandfather was a military boxer and MP so i grew up watching boxing and i remember thinking Lenny was made out of steel, his physique was like the comic book heros i was infatuated about. The punishment that man took was un-freaking-real, one of the toughest, most relentless to ever do it, he never tried to score points, he tried to finish you, all fight.
Awesome video Rich I enjoyed this one 😉💯🦾
Thanks, Anthony
Great video great story sad
Great video coverage Rich I wish you peaceful prosperous healthiest enjoyable Happy New Year and kudos for all of the hard work that you do
Thanks, Samuel. Happy New Year to you as well.
I grew up watching Lenny. He was in south Philly and Atlantic City for a time with Carmen. I was an amateur.
Rich please do a show on Jerry Owens from south Philly. A great amateur that turned pro. His life was short but he was something to watch. A special Slick sharp boxer from south Philly.
I'll have to look up Jerry Owens. I don't think I have any media on him.
@@RichtheFightHistorian by the way rich. Great show. It’s awsome!!!
@@johnnyh5969 Thanks,Johnny
I remember watching Lenny early on in his career and thinking this guy going to be champion someday! After his losses and bizarre behavior in the ring? I kinda lost interest. I wasn't sure what happened in his personal life after that, I was hoping for a happy ending to his life story.
RIP Lenny ✌❤🙏
Wow what great fights the fights of the 60s 70s and 80s were truly the best fights in the history of boxing these boxers were real hard men
I remember Lenny from TV fights and then he just disappeared, this doc explains the mystery. Thanks
Holy crap never thought I’d see this! The rage!!!! I love this!!
I dont understand how he lost to Jimmerson? That left to the body in the first hurt him BADLY! Should have won by KO easily. Another great one Rich
Thanks, Brian.
He lost to Jimmerson because he unloaded early and Art being a natural LHW took the shots and cleaned up on an exausted LaPaglia who probably didnt train right for that fight
Fascinating career.. R.I.P..
How'd he die?
Thanks rich
Sure thing, Lyman
Never heard of Lenny before watching "was before my time"... but, damn... What a warrior. My type of fighter.. I'm a huge fan now.. Wish he was still around..
Thanks Rich.
Sure thing, Joey.
Never seen that fight with collins! Wow what a fight!
Thank you Rich
Sure thing, Nicholas.
Seen Lenny vs Carlos Tite, i think it was at the Hammond Civic Center.
Those were the days my friend!
Every single documentary you create is superb.
We have books, newspaper articles and first hand anecdotes that are lauded over and tell us the stories of peoples lives. In a 100 years time, along side those revered paper written histories, people will be watching your videos. Your work brings to life the lives of legends, blessed that you are with video footage that previous generations didn't have, but no less important and impactful.
In 100 years time, Rich the Fight Historian, will be known as a scholar in his field. And rightly so.
You're very kind, Mariann. Thank you.
Rich is by far my favorite fight historian, just great stories.!
Thanks, John.
Great Post rich i remember reading about la pagilla in ring magazine in the mid 80s watching the dewitt fight I get the impression that his outside the ring partying caught up with him and took away that late round conditioning needed to beat the top level guys ,even so great heart and a tough tough Italian American ,I bet he was great company .
Wow ive never heard of this legend, his toughness and iron jaw reminds me of the raging bull. Thanks for the video 💯💯👍
My pleasure.
Rich you thought about a doc on livingstone bramble??
Sure, he's upcoming.
Lenny good boxer he was gonna fight my brother but that never happened ,Lenny also boxed on my fathers cards at Di Vinci Manor .
who was your dad? we used to go there as kids (we used to have ringside seats, it was amazing)! my dad and uncle were very close friends with lenny's trainer pat lacassa who passed recently. i'm 48 now so we're talking a looong time ago (davinci manor has been gone for at least 30 years).
Your brother was Jeff who went on to fight Duran. I met you at the Glendale Heights gym I believe when we were little kids. I met your brother through trainer Bob Foley. I was like 14. Your brother was an older guy I would see around the CYO. I didn't know him. He was a guy I would see at the CYO.
This was really good. I gotta check out the rest of the channel.
Incredible documentary!
Looks great this guy . Some amazing fighters on this channel im amazed id never heard off .
Wow this the quickest I've caught a new video drop ! 10 mind ago, cool.
Wishing you all the very best for the new year Rich.
Thanks. Happy New Year, Techno Mick
RIP old friend! 🙏🥊
Thanks for the amazing video Rich
My pleasure, John.
Another great upload Sir. Could of, should of would of. Cheers
Thanks, Mr T
Hey Rich. I just wanna thank you and show some appreciation to this documentary you have created for Lenny. I was with him towards the end of his days. Probably the last person he took under his wing and I am so thankful to have spent the time that I did with him. I got to meet some interesting people and even got to meet John Collin’s at his funeral which was cool. Lenny no doubt was a wild card, hardcore bad ass warrior all the way to the end who had demons just like any other human being. He had a big heart if he loved you and definitely was trouble if he didn’t like you haha. Nevertheless he was amazing and taught me a couple things that have helped me through life such as being bold and resilient. In the sense of being able to dish back what a person dishes at me. It made me happy to see this video and know he is remembered and to that once again I say.. Thank you
Truly my pleasure, Danny. Thank you.
Thank you for making this! His fights are unbelievably entertaining
My pleasure, Kamil.
Love this boxer ❤️🔥🥊
What a fights you put here!!!!! Thanks!
My pleasure.
Talent, speed, power and a good left hook to the body but his life outside the ring was turmoil. He reminds me of Bert Cooper, who became something of a darling of CBS boxing at the start of his career. His most spectacular performance on national TV, a second round KO of Willie DeWitt, and a $40,000 purse, was all Bert needed to go off the rails with women, coke and booze. I think Lenny had some of the same problems. It wasn't that he couldn't handle the bright lights...he couldn't handle the dim bulbs. He had a golden opportunity to skyrocket to instant fame but then, inexplicably, disappeared for 5 months and quit against a nobody in his next fight. It would be hard to find another story with that kind of swing from success to ultimate failure. This guy's life outside the ring must have been a train wreck. My guess is cocaine destroyed him. He wouldn't be the first fighter to have been taken down by it.
Such as almost the entire 80’s heavyweights? Aaron Pryor... oh hell the list is endless
@@serenityinside1 Aaron did enough blow for all of them. Half of Pablo Escobar’s income was from Pryor.
Good documentary 👍💯😎
Thanks, Donnell
How precious is LaPaglia's corner in the Jimmerson fight? Who the f is Jimmy lol.
haha, I was hoping someone would catch that.
Boxing is a cruel, brutal sport. It attracts great men, and it attracts men with many demons. Rich, your work is second to none, and I have no idea why you don't have 500k subs by now.
Hey thanks, Jake.
Another great video . I enjoy your documentaries on all fighters so much, that I put them on while working out. Simply the best , when it comes to keeping boxers back in the day alive 👍..."Pops'#truschoolsports🥊🥊
Thanks, 2Short1968.
In 2012 2013 Lenny would come to the gouin pk boxing gym in Franklin Park and hang around watch people train ,give a few tips to the younger boxers seemed liked he turned things around seemed 😊 happy.I didn't know him well but he was always nice and respectful to all of us in the gym. He left us at a young age but on GOD'S time 🙏 Trust JESUS
.I
Loved this, best drop so far, thanks for making the effort Rich.
Brilliant brilliant channel 👏
Thank you, T G
another gem
Thanks, Edward.
The Mack upset was surprising. Marvin was a very good super middleweight
Great documentary Rich. Yours is 9ne of the best channels along with boxing life.
Thanks, Matthew
@@RichtheFightHistorian no problem brother. Most of the time when you hear from people it's a complaint. But there are a few amazing channels on here that love the sport and respect the fighters and you are one of them. Thank you for all your great videos and for taking the time to share with everyone else. I feel like younger fans don't appreciate boxing for what it is and just like it for the violence. And the violence is the last reason I like the sport.
LaPaglia being trained by Graziano....I wonder if they were LaCosa Nostra connected.
Rich, the more I see of these momentous fights on your video's the more I respect these tremendous boxers, and the more I feel boxing fans are being short changed by the current, so called, superstars,
art jimmersion has 2 gloves on ... crazy
Lmaooooo niceee!
They robbed my uncle Stacy in Atlantic city to set up Lenny against Dewitt.
I watched Lenny fight twice........he had a lot of ability and a lot of skills.....he looked out of shape and undertrained when I saw the second fight. RIP warrior.
Do 1 on Art Jimmerson,he fought in UFC 1 &was in this video beating Lapaglia.
His Fight with John Collins was a throwback Irish vs. Italian scrap. RIP.
Wow!!!! Thank you some much Rich for these AWESOME documentaries...I'm a subscriber AWESOME- is the word that best describes your quality of videos!
👌👌👌👌👌
I appreciate the support, Rigo, thanks so much.
Chicago History
Great, well-edited fight footage throughout...
Rich is a straight up boss
I wish I remembered some of the names that are commenting on here. I’ll bet we all remember the good old days of the neighborhood at Rocky’s or G&N’s. I only saw one fight of Lennys in person and it was over in one round by knockout. Although I thought he’d beat John Collins.
Its pretty obvious Lapaglia didnt train right for the Jimmerson fight. Lapaglia landed a lot early but Jimmerson was a natural 175 and could take the shots. Then Lapaglia gassed. The stretch between the Mack ko and the dec. loss to DeWitt was the best of Lapaglias career
once again thank you for shinning a light on these lesser known legends i been a boxing fan since a child and im not gonna sit here and act like i know half the guys you shine a ligth on bc alot of them are before my time im 90's baby so im very appreciative of what you do and the stuff i learn from a so called "sport" i love because of your videos i work my ass off in construction i hardly have time for my kids let alone take time to do research on boxing which i would very much love to do but as of now the time is just not there and that where ur videos come in so agian thank you
My pleasure, Woody. Thanks for the support.
Rich you're the best. Would like to see more of your work.
Thank you, more on the way.
I remember my old man who worked in the fight game his whole life steaming about Art Jimmerson. "HOW DARE THIS (racial explitive) CALL LENNY A DIRTY GREASY F***** EYETALIAN!!!". I still laugh at the irony of that statement. Was great seeing Boom Boom in there for a minute as well. Probably the nicest best guy ever to enter the ring was Ray
I miss that era of boxing the 80s and 90s were great
35:01 "We ran into Lenny and his Rat Pack, Jimmerson said. They all looked greasy and dirty, even after taking showers. It was in their blood."
Lenny didn’t beat many names with winning records, but he was a fighter deserving of respect
Another great video. You are coming after the 50k subs and its more than deserved.
Thanks, Florian. Almost there.
Love love this channel, awesome stories 👍🏾
Hey thanks, Eugene.
John Collins was rough. Unfortunately he didn't get the attention he warranted. A very good Chicago fighter.
He was a warrior!!!
Chicago guy too!
Theres this interesting boxer called terry krueger you should look into him apparently his power came from his “speed” he was a lanky heavyweight but has 35 win 34 kayos win
Know of him, yes. I just don't think I have enough visual media on him to make it interesting.
@@RichtheFightHistorian ah the only thing i found of him was pictures and somthing on a magazine