San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-08
If He Could Use Left He'd
Be Second Jeffries,
Says Edgren.
s--r,-
"MEAT" FOR DEMPSEY
Angel Part of Name Might
i Come True If He Met
Jack Right Now. -
BY ROBERT EDGREN

Billy Gibson just after tlrpo
knocked out Bill Brennan in Madison
Square Garden.
IF Firpo fights Dempsey with no
more experience than he has now,
they'll shift his names around. In
stead of Luis Angel Firpo they'll call
him Luis Firpo, Angel" " said Bill.
THAT'S what he'd be after leaving
Jack one of those ysrd-wide open
ings."
Firpo is spoken Of as another Jim
Jeffries." He is the nearest thing
to Jeffries in physique seen in any
ring since Jim was in his prime. He
!. is a tremendously powerful man.
If they'd caught him young enough
he might have been another Jeffries.
He is handicapped by making rather
late start in the game, now being 70
years of age.
BE has had only five fights Of any
consequence. On his first trip to
America he knocked out three second
rate heavyweights, Sailor Maxted in
seven rounds, zoe Mccain in six, and
Jack Heman in five.
Returning to the Argentine he
wanted to show his wares at home,
and had no opponents. So Jim
Tracy, an Australian heavyweight who
had appeared in New York and fliy-
sered. went down to fight aim and
was knocked out in four rounds.
Discounts Brennan Victory.
Since then Firpo's only fight was
with Bill Brennan. It's not secret
that Brennan was far past his best
.Los BIC
fights with Jack Dempsey had
..'softened' him, as we say in ring
circles.
Firpo has great prospects IL he
can learn how to box. He has a
good active brain, courage, agrees
siveness, ard remarkable strength and
punch-absorbing qualities.
The only question is whether or
not he can realize that he must learn
how to combine science with his
strength and start all over again like
novice to study scientific defense and
attack.
Bob Martin, the army champion,
might have become a worlds champion
az he had not won each of his early
fights with a wild right-hand punch.
He never advanced beyond the point
of depending on a righthand to win.
There never was a champion who
couldn't use his left hand better than
the right. The left hand does at
least 80 per cent of the work in a
fight, defensive and offensive. In
normal boxing position it is two feet
in advance of the right hand, which
is held back for blocking and an &C.
oaclnnol shot xrhan nlaor 1nonsns
shows. Leading with a right hand,
from its drawback position, is a
fatal fault when boxing a man who
can take advantage of an opening and
drive in a counter hit.
Jeffries a SOuthpaw.
This is where Firpo, much like
Jeffries in physique, is not another
Jeffries." Old-timers will remember
that Jeffries, even as a novice, was
essentially a left-handed fighter. He
Is left-handed in everything, writes
1eft-handed, shoots left-handed and
boxed with his right Land always in
position to cover his chin. His left
arm was larger than his right.
". When Jeffries fought Bob Fitzsom-
mons he crouched to protect his body
from Fits famous solar pleYus
punch, and kept his right glove and
forearm anchored in defensive posi-
ton covering his chin so that Bob's
best punches could reach him only on
the upper part of the head.
Bob tried every trick to draw JEFF
fries out Of the position, and failed.
Jim kept his left arm extended and
met Bob's rushes with hard, straight,
left-hand punches.
In the second round he hit Fitz
on the jaw with a left that lifted
Fitz into the air and dropped him
flat on his shoulder blades-really
the deciding blow of the fight, for
Fitz never recovered from that knock
down and fought wildly until the
finish of the eleventh round.
The knockout came when Jeffries
had knocked Fitz nearly out on his
feet with a PAIRING straight left on
the chin. As Bob's hands dropped
Jeff for the first time Numbered that
waiting right and sent over at ter
rifle straight right-hand purch that
would have dropped an OK. He knocked
Corbet out the same way, caught him
with the left AMI shot over the wait
ing right.
Firpo's Right Devastating
Entirely unlike Jeffries, who was
coached to fight scientifically under
the direction of such old m; sters as
Billy Delaney and Tommy Ryan,
Firpo depends entirely upon his
Swinging right.
He leads with the right. Not only
does he forget all about that eft hand.
but he draws his right back foot
or two, telegraphing the punch so
that fighter Ike Jack Dempsey would
have plenty # time to step in and
drive short punch straight TO Firpo's
chin before Firpo's wild right had
covered half its journey.
This short punch is the hardest in
boxing. for the receiver of it is throw
ing his head and body forward will
his own right hand blow, doubling tn,
effect OF the counter.
To f'~ht Dempsey ia the style Fir
20 used against Brennan would onl,
invite a quick knockout. Brennan
was too slow TO take his opportunitie
or there might have been differen
result
Either that or Bill was buffaloed b
she threat of Firpo's tremendous right
end didn't dare take chance. Bu
Dempsey would take it the first tim
che opening showed.
Firpo's right swing is de,astatin