Johnny Buff
(John Lesky)

BORN June 12 1888; Perth Amboy, New Jersey
DIED January 14 1955; East Orange, New Jersey
HEIGHT 5-3
WEIGHT 110-118 lbs
MANAGER Lew Diamond
RECORD 29-12-3 (14 KO, 44 ND)

Buff was a capable, relentless, game fighter who feared no man; In 1921, he won both - the Bantamweight Championship of the World and the Flyweight Championship of America

Among those he defeated during his career were Tommy Gorman, Willie LaMorte, Midget Smith, Eddie O'Dowd, Frankie Mason, Frankie Dailey, Pete Herman, Abe Goldstein, "Young" Zulu Kid, Charles LeDoux, "Little" Jack Sharkey and Benny Schwartz

Both Nat Fleischer and Charley Rose ranked Buff as the #7 All-Time Flyweight; Herb Goldman ranked him as the #12 All-Time Flyweight

1919
Jan 28 Rocky Walker               Jersey City, NJ                  ND  4
Feb 18 Johnny Burns               Newark, NJ                       KO  1
Mar  4 Mickey Brown               West Hoboken, NJ                 ND  8
Mar 11 Dick Gotwalt               Trenton, NJ                      KO  4
Mar 25 Jimmy Sullivan             West Hoboken, NJ                 ND  8
Apr  4 Mickey Delmont             Trenton, NJ                      ND  6
Apr 11 Al Cook                    Bayonne, NJ                      ND  8
Apr 25 Mickey Russell             Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
May  5 Patsy Johnson              Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
May 13 Kid Troubles               Jersey City, NJ                  KO  4
May 27 Mickey Russell             Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Jun  5 Joe Ryder                  Newark, NJ                       ND  8
Jun 17 Mickey Russell             Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Jun 23 Johnny "Young" Rosner      Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
          -Some sources report 7/11/19
Jul  4 Al Cook                    Jersey City, NJ                  KO  6
Jul 18 Jack Eile                  Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
          -Some sources report "Jack Elie"
Jul 21 "Battling" Al Murray       Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
Aug  7 Patsy Wallace              Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Aug 25 Mickey Dunn                Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Sep  3 Harvey Crosby              Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Sep 13 Patsy Wallace              Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Sep 15 Willie Spencer             Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Sep 16 Mickey Russell             Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Sep 29 Tommy Gorman               Reading, Pa                      KO  2
Oct 27 Lew "Young" Angelo         Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
Nov  3 Johnnie Ritchie            Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Nov  6 Maxie Williamson           Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Nov 16 Mickey Russell             Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Nov 24 Pete "Kid" Herman          Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
Nov 27 Bobby Doyle                Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  6
Dec 25 Jack Eile                  Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
          -Some sources report "Jack Elie"

1920
Jan 15 "Little" Jackie Sharkey    Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Jan 26 Mickey Delmont             Jersey City, NJ                  LT  2
Feb 16 Earl Puryear               Trenton, NJ                      ND  8
Feb 29 Willie Spencer             Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Mar 18 "Memphis" Pal Moore        Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
          -Some sources report 3/19/20
Apr 15 Willie Spencer             Jersey City, NJ                  ND  8
Jun  8 Victor Ritchie             Jersey City, NJ                  KO  5
Jul  6 Abe Goldstein              Jersey City, NJ                  ND 12
Jul 26 Dummy Lamont               Jersey City, NJ                  KO  2
Aug 14 Willie LaMorte             Jersey City, NJ                  KO  6
Sep  6 Billy Bevan                Wilkes-Barre, Pa                 ND  8
Sep 27 Frankie Mason              Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  8
Oct 18 Mike Ertle                 Trenton, NJ                      KO  8
Oct 25 Tommy Murray               Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  8
Nov 15 Henry "Kid" Wolfe          Trenton, NJ                      TK  4
Dec 22 Midget Smith               New York, NY                      W 10

1921
Jan 10 Battling Murray            Trenton, NJ                      ND 10
          -Some sources report "ND 12" on 1/12/21
Jan 21 George Lee                 New Orleans, La                   W 15
Feb 11 Frankie Mason              New Orleans, La                   W 15
          -Flyweight Championship of America
Mar  2 Frankie Dailey             New York, NY                      W 12
Mar 31 Abe Goldstein              New York, NY                     TK  2
          -Flyweight Championship of America
Apr 16 "Young" Zulu Kid           Brooklyn, NY                      W 15
May  2 Eddie O'Dowd               New York, NY                      W 15
Jun  9 Harry Mansell              Jersey City, NJ                  KO  3
Jun 29 Frankie Dailey             Brooklyn, NY                      W 12
Aug  1 Jabez White                Jersey City, NJ                  ND 12
Aug 10 Charles Ledoux             Bronx, NY                         W 10
Sep  5 Indian Russell             Jersey City, NJ                  KO  5
Sep 23 Pete "Kid" Herman          New York, NY                      W 15
          -Bantamweight Championship of the World
Nov 10 "Little" Jackie Sharkey    New York, NY                      W 15
          -Bantamweight Championship of the World
Dec 15 "Memphis" Pal Moore        Milwaukee, Wi                    ND 10

1922
Jul 10 Joe Lynch                  New York, NY                     LT 14
          -Bantamweight Championship of the World
Sep 14 Pancho Villa               Brooklyn, NY                     LT 11
          -Flyweight Championship of America

1923
Jan 31 "California" Joe Lynch     Oakland, Ca                       L  4
Feb  6 Teddy Silva                Fresno, Ca                        D  4
Mar 26 Gene LaRue                 Detroit, Mi                      WF  8
Apr 11 George Murray              Fall River, Ma                    L 10
May 24 Patsy Wallace              Philadelphia, Pa                 ND  8
Jun 11 Patsy Wallace              Jersey City, NJ                  ND 12
Jul 17 Henry Catena               Long Island City, NY             LT 10
          -Some sources report "LT 9"

1924
Jan 22 Willie Woods               Jersey City, NJ                  ND 10
Feb 12 Frankie Ash                Jersey City, NJ                  ND 10
Mar  3 Emil Paluso                Trenton, NJ                      ND 10
Mar 17 Benny Schwartz             Baltimore, Md                     W 12
Mar 27 Harry Forbes               Columbus, Oh                     ND 10
          -Some sources report "W 10"
Mar 31 Johnny Lear                Hamilton, Ont, Can                L 10
Apr  8 Young Dencio               Boston, Ma                        W 10
May 10 Frankie DeMari             New Orleans, La                   W 15
Jun 11 Tony Carney                Providence, RI                    L 12
Jun 23 Amos "Kid" Carlin          New Orleans, La                  LT  9

1925
Feb  7 Gene "Kid" Payo            Los Angeles, Ca                  KO  5
Feb 14 Benny Diaz                 Los Angeles, Ca                   W  6
Feb 23 Frankie Novey              San Francisco, Ca                 D  4
Mar  5 Eddie Kelly                Petaluma, Ca                      D  6
Mar 12 Mickey Gill                San Jose, Ca                      L  6
Sep 23 Johnny Breslin             Bayonne, NJ                      LT  5
          -Some sources report 9/25/25

1926
May 13 Johnny Hamm                McKeesport, Pa                   LT  2

Review courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization