, 1923-09-21
BY SID SUTHERLAND.


TN 1hlcAHo
! Jack Dempsey is worlds cham
pion today by grace of the gods Of
pugilism. by virtue of his mighty
prowess and undeniable genius in
matters of the prize ring. and be-
cause OF a rotten deal handed Luis
Angel F1rpo-a deal so raw and un-
sportsmanlike that It is unbelievable
there is no anywhere to
rectify the wrong.
Let us look into the foregoing
statement more closely,
That Dempsey is a darling Of pug
dom's deities is clear when it is re-
membered that only Firpo's utter
lack of glove intelligence in the
climax of that historic, unforget-
table battle in New York last Friday
kept him from knocking the cham
pion out.
Firpo's Opportunity.
Picture the opportunity: Demp-
sew leaning backward owe the top
rope, held immovable by the for
eigner's ponderous left fist on his
right shoulder, bleeding from lips
and nose. eyes glazed and mouth
open. legs trembling. arms dangling
nervelessly at his sides, so battered
and stunned and whipped that even
the tyro's instinct to lift his hands.
to bunch his left shoulder in de
tense, was gone.
And Firpo, a horribly mutilated
figure of limitless courage. his fea'
lures encarnadined. eyes dull, his
body racked and quivering from the
N...Hn- he nod raRatUans
Ffrpo, striding back from the grave
of pugilistic oblivion into which the
mighty Dempsey had sent him;
Firpo, not to be denied his moment
of glory; Firpo stood there holding
the hapless champion with one
hand. pounding. pounding, pounding
the left side of the face with a right
hand and forearm so powerful and
irresistible that the minds OF punier
men cannot conceive.
Brain Not There.
All he needed to do. all that the
situation required. was q fash OF
hghting brain-loose his hold on
the neck of the half dead Dempsey
and, as he toppled. crash him into
complete Inconsistencies with a
left hook.
Again: when Dempsey was pushed
back into the ring, Firpo. assign
ing to the invader the requisite w.t.
had only to keep out of the cham
mons dying clutch and uppercut
his head off with a right whipped
from his shoe laoes-
He simply was unequipped by ma
ture with the capacity for
correctly in a crisisi and. of course,
tho terrific punishment he had
undergone extinguished what little
wisdom he ever had. Thus 1t was
that fortune favored the titleholder.
Jack Didn't Fail.
But there must be no detraction
of pempsey's ability in this article.
He is the super fighter of h ages
the master of all champions, he
greatest monarch of hstiana tina.
aver waited for tho opening gong
with victory in his grasp during the
first half of that famous round, me-
too, was confronted with a crisis
and he did not fail.
Whipped to a whisper. as sport
ing piatitude describes it, he was
vet able to summon from h abyss
pt Iut HubIbiAIA0AH - 49,
that make him what he indubitably
is-the greatest fighter that ever
lived. 1t sufficed to confuse and
confound and conquer h giant
who had risen from the dead TO
shock 10000 spectators into bah
bling, screaming, frothing madness
Staggering to his orn respond
ing but family to his ranuc man
ayers ministrations. the gong for
the second round was as a busle
sound to sergt. Alvin York. it reused
him to renewed battle lust that
could not b denied. That 1t took
him but 81 seconds to ennihtIste a
man who had almost destroyed him
is ample testimonial to his great
ness.
Firpo Defrauded.
And yet Firpo was outrageously
defrauded OF the championship.
Five counts make up this incident
s of Dempsey. the referee. and the
New York boxing commission
to.wit:
Dempsey scored his first knock