The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-04

NO ONE WAS ANY more sur ceived the report that Larry Williams had been knocked out. We did not see Larry fight Norfolk at the Casino. for at the time we were in Toledo, but from persons who should know the local blonde heavyweight not only made the colored man look like novice, but he taught him a few pointers about the game that that battler did not know. Leo P. Flynn, himself later on admitted to me, in New York;. that Williams surprised him.
 And Norfolk surprised Williams the other night. He caught him flush on the jaw at a most unexpected time and down went Larry. But because he went down that night is no indl- cation that he is to keep himself go- ing down.
 We refuse to take seriously this rumor, because we give Larry Will Hams credit for having more brains than wanting to quit now. He has just begun his fight up the ladder And no real fighting man will quit a fight when 1t becomes hottest. Now is the time that Larry should button up and work harder than he ever did before.
 WE'RE IT NOT for the fact that there were a few real friends of Dempsey who talked and talked re- turning to the ring into his noble cranium, after he had failed miser- ably to make anything of himself in the New York ring, where would Jack have been today. He probably would ha hna hot 1ff+ !, three years ago-a common hobo, wandering here and there, with no particular ambition, just grabbing a dollar wherever he could.
 But Dempsey was talked to SC much that he began to believe him. self he was good, although his disap- pointments in New York disgusted him. He was forced to return to the ring. And look at what he has done? :? He has beaten every good heavy weight in the business. He has knock ed the best of them out. And why did he get along so well? Because he made up his mind to go out and sfrow those who had rebuked him, that it was in him; that he was no quitter and that he could come back and show his knockers thing or two The world loves a real fighter and Jack Dempsey is real fighter. That s one reason why three quarters of the fans of this country today are hop ing that he will be returned the win ner of today's championship battle. WE WON'T SAY that Larry Will Hams can do the same thing-but we can say he is no quitter We have known Larry too long. He is too good a fighter to quit at this stage of his career. He has still a future ahead of him. It is no disgrace to be licked by so tough a man as Kid Nor folk.
 And, by the way, there are not three tough white fighters in the heavyweight division who have the grit or the nerve to tackle Norfolk. They have all lodged him.
 So that knockout was. no discredit to Williams. It was a disappointment to hirn-and the friends who pulled so hard for him to come through the winner, but that's nothing
 Williams can COME BACK. He is one of the hardest hitting heavy weights in the game. He is game to the core; ambitious as he is few box CTS are. He can scrap as few of them can. For years Larry Williams sacri- feed his career training and prepar- ing his pals for ring battles. They made thousands while he contented himself for the few dollars he re. ceived as trainer. That's Larry Will liams-a generous, good-hearted ever ready -to-help- pal.
 Williams name is just beginning to be known. This Is a big club and New Jersey is not the only State that houses a boxing club. And we have it straight from Jersey City fans that they would welcome the opportunity of seeing Larry in action again. Keep p1ugging-and don't stop un- til you've reachAA 1eass aoAu