Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-09-07
VICTORIES ARE
MANY FORF|RPO
Argentine Fighter, Who Meets
Dempsey Friday, Has Rec
ordS of kayos


NEW YORK, Sept. I'm the
winter of 1922 Luis Angel Firpo, the
Argentine who Is to fight Jack Demp-
sey for the world heavyweight title
at the Polo Grounds, September IA,
came to the United States, III Of
the strongest and most courageous,
If crudest, fighters, that ever walked
on a resin sprinkled ring floor.
Luis Angel couldn't talk American
except when money was mentioned,
and it was several weeks before he
gathered some of his friends about
him and arranged a match in which
he was to prove to some Of the
doubters that he could punch.
Sailor Maxted, a orugh heavy
weight of the smuggling type, agreed
to meet the South American and they
squared off in the ring of the Broad
Athletic Club in Newark, on the night
| of March 20. There was lots of wild
and woody swinging and missing in
that engagement, but in the seventh
round the South American drove his
! man into a corner and pummelled
him to the floor with heavy rights
to the head and body.
A little more than a month later
Firpo entered the ring in Ebbets
Field, Brooklyn, against Jack Her
man, a light heavyweight. All the
experts were out to see Firpo in &C
| ton that day. Herman was faster
than Firpo and danced around him
in the early rounds, keeping away
from his terrific punches. In the
fifth round Firpo caught Herman
in the body with a right and brought
up the left on the inside to Her
mans chin. Herman was lifted a
foot off the floor and fat on his
back for the count. Half an hour
later he was revived.
Then Firpo, feeling that he had
won some glory, returned to his ma
tive republic to receive the plaudits
of his admiring c-ountrymen. While
in Buenos Aires he fought Jim Ira
cey, a tall. gangling heavyweight
! from Australia, knocking him out
in four rounds. Tracey was a will
ing fighter but had little boxing
| skill and carried no punch. So he
was hardly a match for the Argen-
tine strong man.
Firpo returned to the United
States last March for another cam
paign, this time to pave the way
for a title match with Dempsey.
Three spectacular victories were the
| mGQluHl- VI lhC A1SClAIAAOo AAe
fame and recognition as a danger
Gus championship contender. The
first was over old Bill Brennan, OF
Chicago, at Madison Square Garden
In March. Brennan ripped and cut
Firpo mercflessly in eleven rounds OF
furious fighting, but the South Am
erican absorbed the punishment
without willing, and in the twelfth
heat Brennan to the floor with club
like rights.
Jack McAuliffe, Second, of Detroit,
highly touted and 1ashy in his gym
nasium work, was Firpo's next VIC
tim, He was knocked fiat in the
third round of q bout at the Yankee
Stadium lin May on the same after
noon that Tess Willard started his
comeback by knocking u tloyo
Johnson, young Iowan.
The victors of that show Flrpo
and Willard, met for the maj test
in the great pine bowl at BoyIe :
Tbirtv Acres. Jersey City, in July
before n of the largest crowns ~
fight history. Firpo cleared h path
for his match with Dempsey by
knocking out Willard in the eighth
round. but to many it was a disap-
pointing conflict. They paved al
ZACH other clumsily for a greater
share of the first seven rounds, FIR
nos body punches doing the most
damage, while in the final rouno a
succession of rights to the BODY ana
head hoored Willard, who took the
count on the first knockdown.
Firno followed his triumph by an
%lexhibition tour Of the Middle West
land East, meeting variety OF OPP
moments. two of whom managed to
stay the limit with him. At Omaha
Homer Smith was f1oored more than
a dozen times by Firpo, but was on
his feet at the end, while at Indiana
polls, where 16-ounce gloves were
used, Joe Downey stayed the limit
of 10 rounds. DoWney. however,
absorbed SO much punishment that
The was taken to a hospital after the
bout.
Jimmy DeForest, veteran trainer
who conditioned Dempsey for his
championship fight with Willard at
Toledo in 1919, directed Firpo's bat
ties with Brennan, McAuliffe and
Willard, but shortly afterward he
was dropped by the South Ameri-
can in favor of Horatio Lavalle,
wealthy Buenos Aires sportsman.
Firpo and DeForest both denied re-
ports Of a break over financial terms
but the boxer was the target for
criticism by experts who believed he
had made a mistake in ~disposing of
the veteran who was CREDITED with
developing him into championship
calibre. Firpo and Lavalle, however,
insisted that the change was made
because of the handicap caused by
DeForest's inability to speak Span
ish.