Imperial Valley press., 1923-09-14
$4,000 Fans to
See Big Battle
Continued from page y


city crowd of $4,000 would be in
the park when the principals enter
the ring at $3.50.
Rickard at the last minute de-
cided to send the main bout in at
9:3O instead of 10 o'clock but is
possible that the usual before-the-
battle preliminaries wih consume so
much time that the gong for the
first round of the scheduled Is
round contest will not start before
10 o'clock.
Counterfeit Tickets
Spectators still in possession of
many choice seats were holding out
i today for two and three times the
face value of their tickets. Wise
New Workers however, were wait
ing until the last minute because
of hunch that some of the spec
ulators would have to COG below the
face value to get rid of their tick
! cts.
The announcement that counter
felt tickets have been placed in
circulation has made purchasers
more than usually wary in dealing
with the scalpers.
Rickard said this morning that
the receipts would be in excess of
81, ,250,000 and that only the cheap
er prices that prevail and the lin
tied seating capacity of the park
would prevent the fight from pass
ing the record established by the
Dempsey Carpenter fight for at
tendance and receipts.
Despite overwhelming opinion
that Dempsey will win easily there
is some good judgment represented
in few supporters of the South
| American who believes that he has
a good chance to win. Regardless
of his crude methods and his lack
of experience Firpo has more of a
chance to beat Dempsey than Car
pentier or Gibbons, because he is
bigger and stronger than the cham.
pion and he can hit terrific blow
with his right hand.
On form Dempsey should win in
few rounds if he can still hit as
hard as he hit Jess Willard at To
ledo. But he cant.
/ Shock May Await
The champion should win in seven
or eight rounds but Firpo has q
| chance to win and if he should
take the title away from Dempsey
it will be a shock only to those who
have misguided into the way OF
thinking that there is only one way
to do a thing and that is the way
in which it has always been done
before.
Dempsey and Firpo were in Sc
clusion this morning in New York
The champion was in his suite a.
the Belmont Hotel and Firpo wa'
| barricaded in his uptown apart
ment. They will make their frs
public appearance of the day wheI
they visit the officd of the boxing
commission to step on the scales.
Weighing in is only formality
as neither one has to make weigh
and the disparity in poundage i
not being considered vital factol
by those who have money to be
either way on the fight.
The preliminary bouts will star
at 8 o 'clock.
The first official act of the cere
monies preliminary to the Dempsey
Firpo heavyweight championship
| fight was staged this afternoon
when the champion and the chal
lenger were weighed by the boxing
commission.
Dempsey tipped the scales a
1929 pounds and Firpo weighed
2161a pounds.
The two principals appeared a
the office of the boxing commission
little after / p. m. William Mul
doom, chairman of the commission
tested the scales and then adjusted
the weights when the fighters step
ped on the scales.
Such a crowd had gathered out
side the Flat Iron building i'll whicl
the commission located that police
were called to prevent a rushing OF
the doors.
Thermometer Drops
Lanes OF fans III usual world ,:
series raiment and world g serie.
manner, stretched before the bleach
or gates at the Polo Grounds early
this morning with $3.50 each to SCI
the Dempsey-Firpo fight tonight.
Several of the early birds ha(
kept vigil from midnight with only
the first of the police guard thai
has been thrown around the grounds
to keep them company.
| Sweaters and overcoats were pre-
vailing and lunch baskets and bun
dies were brought along to keep W
physical courage for the long wait
until 430 this afternoon when tn,
ticket windows open.
Temperature at 1880 this morn
ing reached as low as SO degrees
and few drops of rain spilled out
of the low hanging clouds.
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