The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-02

Inc lQea IS simply Wen planned
piece of showmanship on the part
of the promoter that should go over
as carefully schemed and should
smooth the way to the Willard
Dempsey bout in such a fashion
as will not make the puglistic fans
think that anyone can dig into
the pugilistic scrap heap, train a
few pounds off the cumbersome
relic, disinfect with a heavy sprink-
ling of ballyhoo, toss in one cham
pion, and call it the Great Come
Back Battle" or something like
that.
Credit should be given to Tex
Richard for more intelligence than
any thing so raw as a Willard
Dempsey battle in the cold" Has
1t been forgotten how skilfully the
Dempsey Carpenter Battle of the
Century" Gas worked up at the
expense of Battling Levinsky?
This talk about Willard meeting
no one else before Dempsey is
simply the old apple sauce to
arouse excitement. just the pre-
lminary noise to the big explO-
sion. Jess Willard. of course.
was brought on with a reason.
place. Then a few days later
Brennan, though fat and far
from condition, was punched all
over the Garden ring for fifteen
rounds by Floyd johnson.
Brennan wasn't knocked out; that
was about all that didn't happen
to him. And just because he didn't
win they gave him a match with
Luis Firpo, the South American
giant. That one was too hard for
US to get.
Brennan didn't train for johnson:
he isn't and won't do any training
for Firpo-and did you get the one
the other day about 'fOie Biil'' sud-
denly making a killing in Wall
Street and coming into a lot of
money?
Well let that one pass over. Bren-
nan hasn't anywhere to go pu-
gilistically but he'll have to go back
pretty far before the Firpo seen
perform around here last year can
defeat him, providing he isn't in
there to take it.
Luis Firpo, who hasn't fought one
man beyond the rear row of the
third-rater's class and looked pretty
nearly as bad as his victims, has
only one thing in his favor He is
exceptionally strong and If they
slow up Bill Brennan sufficiently
and-well. Firpo is set to beat
Brennan.
Firp0, with victory over
'Wall Street Bill" having been
brought prominently forward as
a title contender, will make the
ideal opponent for Jess Willard.
The cumbersome Kansan must
have an opponent who is both
slow and without a defense.
FirpO fills the bill, which indicates
how slow and weak on defense
the South American is.
Willard must have some one he
will be able to hit inside of two
rounds. Jess should, of course, be
abe to hit Firpo, and he is big
and strong enough to put away
most any man who will leave his
chin where Jess j. swinging. Jess
should be able to win the lawful
championship which Richard will
stage in response to the public howl
for the testing of Willard.
If Firpo manages to get by the
first two rounds Willard will have
beaten himself and Luis can't help
but win. But whoever is the bet
ter of the worst gets a crack at
Dempsey.
This gives a pretty fair idea of
what Kearns and Richard took
three hours to talk over behind
closed doors last Thursday after
noon-the famous 100000 CONVEX
eation.
Can you picture Jack Dempsey
watching the terrible struggle be.
tween Willard and Firpo and groan-
ing to himself, "See what I've got to
hold up for at least three rounds"
It's tough on a champion. How
about the public? Didn't they give
Willard a hand the other night at the
Garden? What for?