The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-02
Luis Angel Firpo Says
 Writers HaUe Misjudged
 Him And His Ability
(BY LUIS ANGEL FIRPO AS TOLD TO WILLIAM SLAVENS M'NUTTO

TO WILLIAM SLAVENS M'NUTT) Copyright. 1929, In United States ant Canada. by North American Newspaper Alliance for The Age-Herald Copyright South America by La Nairon. All rights reserved.)
 ATLANTIC CITY, N. J., sejt. l. (SpeciaL)-It Is crime in the Unit ed States that prize fighter should be man of honor and keep his word7 Sometimes when they read me the things>sthat people write about mo I just think that maybe they would like mo better if were a liar and a crook. Just a few days ago a famous boxing writer said about me that I was a fool to go on trip boxing in Mexico and Havana and enter the fight with Willard at Jersey City when I should have been in training-for Dempsey.
 Maybe the boxing writer who wrote that did not know the truth, I do not know. The truth is, that did not expect to fight Dempsey be- fore next year. Mir. Rickard had Bill Brennan and then Dempsey within eight months If I sholAd whip Brennan. Whn I came to the United States MT. Rickard made 1t a year instead of eight months. The year would be up in March.
 Then after I whiped Willard, MT. Rickard asked me to fight Dempsey this fall he said that if I did not do this 1t would soon be winter and we could not fight outdoors where a big crowd could gather
 Promised to Fight Dempsey
 Then before it got warm again, so he would hold the fight outdoors his agreement with me would be ended. I had promised to fight Dempsey for him when he asked me so l told him would do what l had told him. I would rather wait another year for then I would be more sure of victory but that l would keep my word no matter what hap pened because I believe that I should keep my word when I give it. went to Mexico and Havana. I had given my word to promoters there that I would come before I knew l was going to fight Dempsey so soon.
 Some of the boxing writers say that 1 went to Mexico and Havana just to make some money Perhaps they do not know that after I beat Willard, I had offerings from pro- motors In America that would have made me more money than I made In Mexico and Havana. They offered me ten thousand dollars just to fight Martin Burke in New Orleans. I did not make that much money on my whole trip to Cuba and Mexico. Af- ter I had whipped Willard I knew that I could make more money stay ing in the United States than by go- ing to the south, but had already given my word and In this case my word was given to brother Latin y1n hr-ea + ff n make more money in North America or to make more sure that l would win the championship of the world if I must be a-liar and a word break CT to be the kind of a prize-figh that would satisfy some of the men who write about me then I am afraid that those men will always think bad of me.
 Says Has No Defense
 would like to write about another thing that some of boxing writers say about me. They say that l am what theyrcall wide open at all times, that have no defense, that anybody can hit me Perhaps that is true. The only thing I would like to say to them is that I have been prize fighter long enough to be fighting for the championship of the world And I have no mark on my face.
 I do not have cauliflower ear have never been put down for the count Joe McCann who Is now my sparring partner hit me so hard that I dropped to one knee and my hands, for less than a second. I was up be- fore the referee could begin to count.
 If I was as easy to hit as they say I am, does it not seem that l Would be scared about some one would hit me hard enough to knock me down, then they would say that that l have never fought any man whe was good.
 Then I asked them who is there who is good They said Bill Brennan would lick me and when he did not then they said Brennan was no gooo. They said McAuliffe would lick me and when he did not then they salo MaAuliffe never could fight.
 Then I licked Willard and they said that he is an old man and was never much good even when he was Svoung Some times I think that IT I should be so fortunate that l snould beat Dempsey and become the cham, pion of the world, then they woulo say that Dempsey was sick With dlpT ftheria. the night of the fight or per : hans that he never could really fight anyway. Perhaps they will say then Aaat Dempsey was just an actor anu all these years since he beat Wilia1o at Toledo he was only pretenaed lo be a champion.