The Washington herald., 1922-12-29


the South American fist wiggler. ,
Firpo continues to be what might
be termed the unknown quantity
OF pugilism." He never has had
a real test against a real fighter
and. therefore. no one known
positively just how good or how
bad he may be. But 1t is an un-
deniable fact that Firpo. in the
bouts against third raters in which
he figured here, demonstrated three
vital things:
Terrific punching power p
Ability to take a pile driven smash
on the chin-and then cone back
as strong as ever. 3-A physique
Of which champions are made.
F1RPO CAN TAKE 1T.
Beyond Jack Dempsey there is
no one who seems to be able to get
as much dynamic fury into a blow
as does Firpo. And beyond Demp-
sey and Bill Brennan, there in no
one in the heavyweight ranks who
ever has stood up after taking
punches such as were ratified off
the chin of the pride of South
America.
In physical makeup Firpo yields
TO none He has powerful arms,
marvellous legs. shoulders which be.
token his hidden power, a huge
chest and seems to be possessed
OF a natural fighting instinct. On
top Of all that he has courage, he
certainly has gameIiess and is
amazingly fast.
But Firpo has a fault-and a bad
one. Fortunately for him. it is a
tault which can be corrected by SIX
months OF teaching. And that fault
is that he has almost no defense
and so far has spurned, efforts to
teach him how to box He depends
upon the stoutness of his chin and
the toughness of his body to with
stand enemy assaults.
FtrpO has mingled in four or five
battles recently and won every one
with a knockout. His foemen all
would hit him sledgehammer blows
In every battle. and yet Firpo wasn't
knocked out and not merely sur.
vived the attacks, but punched and
pounded his way TO spectacular vic
tory. But all this happened when
Firpo was pitted merely against
men who are little more than medi-
ocre as heavyweights. 1t never
happened against n man like Demp-
sey or Wills or Brennan or Gibbons
or Miske. or any of the other top
notchers.
LACKS RING POLISH.
Firpo believes at this moment
that he has a chance against Demp-
sey. In hitting power. IN speed and
In ability to take II. he probably
isn't much inferior to the champion.
But where he Yields hugely-and
where his vital weakness has mani
Tested itself-is in his lack of box
ing skill.
II wouldn't take much more than
q round for Dempsey. Wills. Glib
bons or the others to tie up Firpo
into knots by outboxing and out
generating him. He wouldn't know
what it was all about until one OF
those fellows had crashed over
enough punches to flatten him.
But if E'irpo learned how 10 box.
cultivated the triCkery of defense, as
well as the science of attack. and
gathered in another six months or
q year of experience, there would he
every reason in the world to warrant
the prediction which they now make
In South America that:
'FirpO has chance with Demp-
sew"
At this moment Firpo has no
CildnFe against DEMPSEY
against Wills. none against Gibbons
and probably none against Bill Bren-
nan. And that's all because he has
not been tutored in boxing. and be-
cause he has not had enough expert
ence with tough men to season and
qualify him for a tussle with the
worlds champion.
When Firpo drops in upon these
American shores again il is likely
that he will decide to permit some
wise old man of the ring to school
him in the intricacies of boxing. II
he does that and is carefully and
skillfully matched through 1923, this
unknown battler of nine months ago
may push Wills. Gibbons. Brennan
and the others out of the spotlight
and cause himself to be acclaimed:
This is the man qualified to
battle for heavyweight champion
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