Benny Gould
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Kid Gold |
| Nationality |  Canadian |
| Born | Benny Gould |
| Occupation | Boxer |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (165cm) |
| Weight | Featherweight |
| Boxing career | |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 64 |
| Wins | 24 |
| Win by KO | 5 |
| Losses | 27 |
| Draws | 12 |
Benny Gould, nicknamed Kid Gold, was a Russian-born Jewish-Canadian professional featherweight boxer who held the Canadian featherweight boxing championship from 1923 to 1924.
Benny Gould, a Jewish boy, was born in Russia before moving with his family to Toronto, Canada.[1]
Orphaned in his youth, Gould worked as a Toronto newsboy and became well known in the city.[2]
Amateur boxing career
Gould fought an amateur boxing match on January 12, 1918, in Pittsburgh.[3]
Professional career
Benny Gould started his pro boxing career in Guelph, Ontario, in 1919.[4] He came under the management of Phil "Darkey" Daniels.
In December 1920, he fought Canadian bantamweight champion Bobby Eber, who stepped in for Memphis Pal Moore on short notice for a catchweight bout.[5] He outpointed Eber in the 10-round bout.[4]
The Toronto fighter fought world bantamweight contender Joe Burman in November 1921. He was outpointed by Burman over 10 rounds.[4]
After splitting from manager Darkey Daniels in late 1921, he was matched against ex-stablemate Curly Wilshur, who fought under Daniels.[6] He lost a unanimous decision to Wilshur after going the distance in the main event at Toronto's Civic Arena on February 6, 1922.[4]
With backing from Toronto businessmen, he relocated to New York during the spring of 1922, where he began to rebuild his reputation.[2] He became part of Billy Gibson's stable and benefited from the guidance of Benny Leonard, the world lightweight champion who acted as his mentor.[6]
Taking the World Jr. featherweight championship, December 1922
Gould's performance against Frankie Edwards in September 1922 caught the attention of George Pagonis, who had amassed a fortune in the hair oil industry and sought to develop a world champion. Pagonis acquired Gould's managerial contract from Billy Gibson.[6] Backed by Pagonis, he challenged reigning champion Jack "Kid" Wolfe for a nominal purse of one dollar, with his sole aim being a shot at the world championship.[7] Gould claimed the world junior featherweight title after defeating Wolfe in Toronto on December 26, 1922.[1] With one judge scoring for Gould and the other declaring a draw, referee Lou Marsh rendered the final decision in Gould's favor.[8]
In April 1923, he fought Mike Dundee at the Pioneer Sporting Club in New York. Gould's jaw was fractured in the first round, but he continued on until an eighth-round technical knockout. He was taken to the hospital after the bout.[9] Gould's millionaire backer and manager, George Pagonis, secured treatment from a specialist for his damaged jaw, spending several hundred dollars on the repair. Gould spent two months drinking through a tube with his jaws wired shut, but by October he had resumed training.[10] He came under the training of Sammy Chapman, who was selected by Pagonis.[2] He trained at Stillman's Gym in New York.[11]
Taking the Canadian featherweight championship, November 1923
On November 2, 1923, the world junior featherweight titleholder faced Curly Wilshur in a rematch, with Wilshur's Canadian featherweight title at stake. He scored a ten-round decision over Wilshur before a crowd at the Toronto Coliseum.[4] He brought both titles back to New York with him.
Leading up to his next bout, the featherweight champion served as a sparring partner for Abe Goldstein, helping prepare Goldstein for his title fight against Joe Lynch while readying himself for his own title defense.[12]
Losing the Canadian featherweight championship, March 1924
He put his title on the line against former featherweight champion Leo "Kid" Roy on March 25, 1924. He suffered a ten-round decision loss in Toronto following his failure to make the agreed weight of 126 pounds.[4][13] The fight marked his last bout in Canada.[4]
He faced Joe Glick at the Camden Convention Hall on February 5, 1926.[4]
His last career fight resulted in a loss to Gene Johnson in May 1928 at Thompson Stadium in Staten Island.[4]