Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-09-12
F|RPO, YOUNGER MAN.
HAS ADVANTAGE OVER
DEM PSEY IN REACH
Challenger Also Heavier Than
Champion, But Lacks KnowI-
edge of Boxing
DEMPSEY HAS CONFIDENCE
Firpo, Ambitious, Has All to
Gain With Nothing to Lose,
Can Take Greater Chance
DEMPSEY HAS CONFIDENCE
BY BOB DORMAN
NEA Service Writer

NEW YORK, Sept. 12.-Who
will win, Dempsey or Firpo?
That question has been agitat-
ing the minds of the pugilistic fans
of sportdom since the announce
ment of the match.
What has each man to offer in
support Of his claim to be the win
ner?
Their age is nearly the same;
Dempsey is 20 and Firpo 27. Hard
ly enough to make a difference,
except that Dempsey for four years
reigned as champion, with all the
attendant pleasures and tempta-
ton.
Dempsey will weigh about 100
pounds when he enters the ring,
Firpo about 210.
In past battles Dempsey has Civ
en- away weight without affecting
the result, and this difference of
20 pounds will not favor Firpo to
any extent. Should Firpo, in
clinches lean on Dempsey, his
greater weight will help in weak
ening the champion, but not much
In reach of the challenger has it
on Dempsey, but as Dempsey is
strictly an infighter and Firpo does
not possess enough knowledge of
boxing to keep the champion away
from him, his longer reach will be
of no benefit to him.
Dempsey is far superior in
knowledge of fight generalship and
ring craft. A veteran of many
battles, and with the experience
of meeting the best men in his di-
vision over a period of years, he
far excels Firpo, who has had but
90 fights in his career (ten of
them in this country and those
fights against men who, at the best,
were no better than second raters.
In boxing ability Dempsey must
again be given the preference,
though not to such an extent as
most people imagine.
Neither Dempsey nor Firpo are
orthodox boxers. Dempsey, in his
own peculiar style, is as clever a
boxer as there is in the ring today.
When Dempsey first came into the
imelight, he was hailed as a great
fighter but poor boxer. 1t is only
recently that Dempsey has been
given credit for his undoubted
skill in the ring.
Firpo has way of fighting that
is far from the generally accepted
method. But it is a method that
is natural to him, and it is one that,
awkward as it seems, it not inef-
fective.
Firpo never will be a graceful
boxer, but that is immaterial, To
keep the other fellow from landing
with his full strength is the point.
And this Firpo often manages to
do.
In speed Dempsey has a slight
advantage, more apparent than
real.
The different style of fighting
used by the two men is deceiving.
Dempsey is of the rushing, crouch
ing, weaving style, panther-like in
its ferocity. Firpo stands erect,
letting his man come to him. He
reminds one of huge bear, and
bear-like, he possesses the same
awkward quickness.
Confidence will have little bear
ing on the result.
Dempsey possesses the conf
dence born of the knowledge that
he is the champion. Firpo has
peculiar mentality. He is possess
ed with the idea that he is destined
to be the worlds heavyweight
champion.
To him, there is no possibility
that he can lose. Fate has APP
pointed him to a high place, and
Dempsey is just one more obstacle
to be hammered aside.
Ambition also plays it part. Fir
po has all to gain, nothing to lose.
Dempsey has all to lose, and moth
ing to gain.
The courage of both men is I'M
doubted. Both men have taken
blows that hurt, only to come back
and win.
In strength-there would seem
to lie answer as to the winner.
If-and it's a big if-Dempsey
still has the steam in his punches,
the steam that flattened the gil
gantic Willard in a round, then
there is no question as to the win
ner. Dempsey, with his greater
ring generalship, and with the edge
in boxing and speed, will drop
Senior FirpO inside of four rounds.
But in the training, both at
Great Falls for Gibbons, and in
his present daily workout at Sara
toga, Dempsey would seem to have
shown that the old punch il weak
ening. His fight with Gibbons in,
dicated, too, that his punches had
lost much of their former terror.
Firpo, on the other hand, pos