Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-25
PROSPECT GOOD
FOR CHAMPION
HEAVY In RING
Number of Tentative Contests
in Sight Next Year for
Dempsey.

Jack Dempsey look good for he next
year. It is probable, SO far as can be
predicted at this time, that he may
| engage in three or four big fights dur
ing the coming year. According to
the original plan it was decided to save
Luis Firpo, the Argentine scrapper,
for another year or SO until he could
be built up for the right kind of at
traction against Dempsey, either in
New York or New Jersey where the
crowds are greater, the areas larger
| and the prices as high as, if not high
| err than, most other places. But re-
cent events have changed the sched-
ule.
Jack Kearns, business manager for
Dempsey, has about given up hope of
| avoiding a match with Harry Wills. 1t
is reported that a conference was held
| recently at which everything was made
O. K. for a Dempsey-Wills match here
next summer. Then ytIng Floyd
Johnson of California made such q hit
in his recent battering down of Fight
ing Bob Martin that kearns is of the
| impression that johnson may be ready
for a worlds championship go with
Dempsey by next September or early
| October. It looks as if Kearns was
right.
With two ripe pugilistic plums to be
picked in the garden Of pugiEsm here
next year, why wait any longer for
F'irpo? Why not strike while the
iron is hot and hit the trail right down
into Firpo's own hailiwiek in the Ar
gentine? There they think Senior
| Luis can lick anything on two feet, or
four feet for that matter. Dempsey?
Pouf!
Argentine Crazy About Firpo
Why take any risk Of nursing Firpo
along for a bout here a year or so
hence, when there is likely to be plenty
of bouts and money here anyway
The Argentine has gone crazy enough
| over Firpo. The South American giant
is ready for picking now. Buenos
Aires is a great metropolis: South
| America is full of sports. Why not
run down and get" Senior Firpo while
the getting is good?
One fly in the ointment, however, is
that Firpo is wanted here for bouts
| with Brennan. Willard and johnson.
The other insect in the salve is said
! to be O. contract signed by Firpo with
a group of American promoters who
have their own plans regarding the
Argentine giant.
These ring gentlemen may instruct
Senior Firpo not to hearken to any
| pIan for q Dempsey bout in Buenos
| Aires but to proceed along the lines
previously mapped out. which will as
sure Firpo considerable money II
building up contests and a ton OF
money. win or lose, with Dempsey here
in a contest later on. Unless present
plans miscarry there viii be three,
possibly four, big fighting arenas bid
ding against one another here next
year.
A Dempsey-Firpo contest in Buenos
Aires offers a get-rich-quick flavor thae
is missing in the slow and not sure
proposition originally mapped out. No
one knows what changes a year may
bring forth. If things pursue their ex-
lpected course. however. Firpo can make
much more money by playing a waiting
game. But a bird in the hand is worth
two in the bush, and q Buenos Aires
contest getween Dempsey and tlrpo
next spring looks good-very good.
The Argentine just now is AL het
up" over Firpo. The victory over the
fifth rate Tracey, which everyone In
This country expected, is viewed in a
different light by the sports of Buenos
Aires. To the Argentine the victory
offered further and convincing proof
that Firpo is the greatest fighter IN
the world.
Looks Good for Dempsey
All the signs indicate that business
is picking up fer Dempsey bout
with someone here in Madison Square
Garden in January, a go in Buenos
Aires with Firpo a couple OF months
later, then the long awaited and long
expected battle with Wills here IN June
or July, to be followed, if successful.
with a contest with Floyd Johnson, If
he, comes along as expected, indeed
holds out an attractive program.
Next year there are likely to be
some other promising young heavy
weights in the ring, also. Still, how
| ever, there looms up the sombre and
menaeing shadow of Harry Wills. the
| dark complexioned gen'man from New
! Orleans. Jack Kearns would feel safer
in planning 1928 doings if Wills was
removed from the map.
Lew Tender. the Philadelphia light
weight, who anne so near winning the
| title from Benny eonard a few months
ago. has signed to meet Dave Shade
in Milwaukee. This bout marks Tend
ler's entrance into the welterweight d.
vision and it is probable that he never
will fight again as a lightweight.
Since Tender match with Leonard,
in which he made such n great showing
! against the champion, the Philadel-
phian has remained strangely quiet
about a return match. 1t was thought
the two meant to wait until next sum
mer and then stage another bout in
Tex Richards arena over in Jersey
City, but it now is evident that Tend
/ lar's increase in weight was the reason
for his silence.
If the Leonard-Tendler return match
is off it will be a great blow to both
fighters and the promoters. Next to a
empsey-W Wills match the lightweight
attraction was the biggest thing in
sight. Their no decision affair over in
Jersey drew more than 100000. What
happened in that bout served to double
the interest in n return match. Ex-
perienced promoters say that if the
two were to meet in New York with a
decision at stake the battle would draw
more than S1,0o0, 900. 1t may be that
the two will meet again, but at the well
| ta,,rtxb& 1,y,s{