Imperial Valley press., 1924-09-12
SOUTH AMERICAN
LOSES WILDNESS'
WHEN LAMBASTED
Wills Fighting Was Not
Spectacular at
All
BY HENRY L. FARRELL
United Press Staff Correspondent

NOuACCu EIJSS Otd11 CUITGSpOlluCIltJ
NEW YORK, Sept. 12. With a
big pair of brown hands that spread
out in froGt of him like fan and
that pumped into action like an air
hammer, Harry Wills, former steve
dore of New Orleans, took all the
wildness out Of Luis Angel Firpo
in Jersey City last night and gave
linn severe beating in twelve
rounds.
No decision is permitted by the
boxing law in New Jersey, but a
decision never was so unnecessary.
Not even the partisan followers Of
the South American champion who
sat with the $4,000 in Tex Rick
ard s arena, felt that Firpo could
win after he had been dropped i'll
the second round with a long right
to the Jaw.
Wills completely smothered the
attack of the South American. He
spread his big hands, caught the
arms of Firpo as they swung i'll at
him, and held him lpowerless.
When the ponderous right of the
South American did penetrate the
perfect guard and reached the jaw,
it had no more effect than to pro-
duce a wide New Orleans grin,
there was no steam in the punches
that had dropped Jack Dempsey
twice and knocked him out of the
ring once last summer. s .y
=. Fought Idko Jack
Wills saw Dempsey and Firpo
fight last summer and he learned
good lesson. He didn't try to swap
punches with the South American
an he saw to it that Firpo didn
/ get enough room to get his Club
swings into action. Wills fought
from the first like Dempsey did in
the second round and he had the
South American just as helpless
Wills had many chances to win
by knockout but he Licked the
power of. punch toted by Dempsey.
Paddy Mullins, Wills manager, said
after the fight that Wills hurt his
hand in the Fourth round.
Firpo was stepping back from a
clinch in the second round when
Wills crashed over long right to
the jaw and Firpo flopped 10 the
floor for the count Of six. He came
up fighting just as he did in the
Dempsey fight and kept Wills from
pressing the advantage .soS1
In the fourth, fifth. sixth, sew
enth, ninth and eleventh rounds,
Wills had Firpo in distress from
rights to the jaw and the body but,
he could not finish the job.
Dempsey Sees Scrap
Firpo didn 1T win round. One
might have been called even. The
South Americans left side was a
mass of bruises and in the late
rounds Wills hard rights to the
ribs broke the skin and puffed the
flesh.
Among the many distinguished
spectators at the ring side was
Jack Dempsey, the world s heavy
weight champion, who left while
the fighters were throwing each
other around the ring in the sixth
round. Dempsey's lack of interest
was typical of the feeling Of the
big crowd at one. of the poorest
exhibitions ever seen at u big
fight. 1t was also a tip off the
situation resulting from a bout that
was arranged to decide the next op-
ponent for Dempsey. e
Wills did nothing to distinguish
himself as challenger for Demp-
sey's title.
Firpo said after the fight that
he had been bothered in his train
ing by the activities of the reform
ers and that he was worried when
he entered the ring.
Wills said it was just a good
workout for him.