Evening star., 1923-05-14

historic ancestors eVlnCed IN farln
witness deadly combat between twt
There will be big money in it f
hug it and cherish it carefully, for
his career. Rickard has built him Il
come the big flop.
Rickard will not put Jess against
Dempsey. Jess has been sidetracked
on the championship stuff. OF course,
If he should happen to stow Firpo
away the case would be different-so
different that all Richards plans
would be materially jolted. But there
is little chance of that. The, pro-
inoter'S cards have been we'll played.
Firpo has had the inside track ever
since he came out of South America.
OF course, had Luis proved fivver
then Willard would have been worth
more attention. AS the situation
stands Jess has been led up to the
jumping-off point. and the big splash
will be heard the end of next month.
Too Strong for Jess.
No, Jess can't beat Firpo. He can't
beat Gne side of him. Little Floyd
Gohnson-compara little, that
is-waded into Jess, roughed him to
the ropes and filled him full of gloves
round after round last saturday:
Until shortly before Floyd was put
away he had the fight on points.
Passing Jess inaccuracy in hitting
and poor foot work as due to lack
of practice. it may be said that his
muscular reteXes did not work. In
other words, everything he did was
heavy His guard rose not instlnc-
lively, but with painful slowness. and
his blows Were not delivered with
that SwiftneSs which tells of muscles.
nerves and eyes all attuned ana
working in conjunction. Practice
will not correct these shortcomings:
Age has spoken in Jess willard. ana
AS for Firpo, he is dangerous. He
will be more dangerous as he gains
more experience, but right now ne
is dangerous for any man, dempsey
hcluded, because he can hit deadiy
blow, and the chances are II VIII
take dynamite to hurt him. Az leaSt'
that is the way ii looks, so far as ms
ability to take 1t is concerned. flrpo
is close to the elemental-or, TO put
it in less highbrow way, he looks
to be a man whose nerves are SLOW
to telegraph either pain or oblivion
to his brain. Also, he is man with
out imagination. Remove these TWO
things from a fighter of herculean
frame and he is a tough bird. indeed.
Dempsey would keep in close to
Firpo. He would lay his head prac-
tically upon the hairy chest and shoot
II TO body or jaw those blows OF ms
that travel but eight inches or TWO
feet and do more damage than wal
lops that other puEilists SEND from
the hin. But suppose this hairy mas
todon could take them? w nat theh !!
1t is left to the reader.
Ffrpo Is Hard Hitter.
One thing is certain, Flrpo can MT.
He has been steered against Dunch
of second, third and fourth raters, 10
he sure. Still, there is no doubt he
can hand in the old sock. Not even
Dempsey's jaw would be proof against
the full impact OF F'irpo's right.
But. going back to previous
thought. can Firpo take 1t as a man
must take it to be able to beat the
champion? That is problematical. be-
cause with characteristic shrewdness
the men back OF Eirpo nave not
placed him against a real socker
There is the only thing that may
work against a match with Willard
Jess can hurt, when he lands one OF
his right or left uppercuts. which
seem to be about the only good blows
he has left And Firpo is not
Razelle when it comes to speed Thus
the promoters are running a chance
in putting the two together
There is the certainty that wizard
and F'irpo would draw to capaclty
anywhere the bout was held and the
Central Park if it We're possible TO
hold a bout there and the promoter
could so arrange that ever one could
see It,
Floyd Johnson is young and game
and should develop. Same for Nc
Auliffe Both We're hurried untimely
to their doom by greedy managers.
The real heroes of the milk 1und
show were Fred Fulton and Jack
Renault, who turned back $1,000 or
their $4,000 purses to the good cause
Copyright. 1922
Willard Is Confident.
NEW YORK, May 14.-Jess Willard
Of a a
fighter as he was twelve years ago,
when he stalked out of Kansas for
his first ring engagement. He be-
lieyeS he can carry on to win back the
from Jack Johnson, the negro, and
lost to Jack Dempsey at Toledo July
4. 1919.
said Jess. They said l wasn't; that
thing It's the life a fellow leads.
The fight with Floyd Johnson proved
to me that I'm fit. I'll be better than
Saturday for my next fight"
kWillard intends to go to Los Ange-
Hs to visit his family, and then he
will return here to resume training
for the proposed contest with Luis
F'irpo Firpo is a natural fighter and,
under tho direction of James De For
est, famous trainer, is learning how
to make the most of his natural tall
ents. :,
There IS the possibility that Trainer
De Forest may be able, with Firpo,
to duplicate the feat of Billy De-
Ianey. trainer of champion heavy
weight Eyears ago.
Delan the master instructor, who
grained Tim Corbett for several years,
Jeffries ilf Carson City, New, took him
into his fold and went on to the cl am
pionsbi0eSwi him. They quarreled
then. parted. Then in 1910. when
Jeffrit prho had retired undefeated,
was eed to come out against Jack
Johns @ Delaney became the negro's
The kAry Of the fifteen round battle
at RI son July 4. 1910. in which JEFF
fries, pnger the terrible puncher, was
maul q defeat bY the negro. has heen