Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-09-12
Brown Panther Given
Newspaper Decision
After II Gruelling
Rounds --,Cleverness
Blocks Wild Bulls
Mighty Right
$4,000 See One-Sded
Contest at BOyle's
Thirty Acres

Jersey City. n. j.. Sept. II (By A.
P.)-Harry Wills battered his way
to smashing one-sided victory to-
night over Luis Angel Firpo in
gruelling II round battle before
throng estimated at $4,000 in Boyle's
Thirty Acres.
Dominating the fight from start
to finish with an exhibition of ring
craft that completely spiked Firpo's
heaviest gun, his famous right.
Wills beat the giant Argentine into
decisive defeat with a bruising. re-
lentless attack to the head and body.
Firpo was knocked down for
count Of four in the second round,
staggered in. several others by light
ning-like thrusts to his jaw. and
subjected to a succession OF savage
weakening drives to the body. Shorn
of his chief and only potent weapon.
the Argentine fought a losing bat
tie all the way His gameness car
ried through the terrific punishment
his negro rival administered. but he
had neither the boxing skill. speed
or versatility of attack to cope with
the crafty, resourceful and relent-
less campaign Of his opponent.
No official decision was rendered,
as none is permitted under New Jer-
sey ring laws, but there was no ques-
ton of the outcome. Firpo, in the
opinion of some critics barely held
his own in one round, the third.
while the big majority of newspaper
critics gave every round to the big
negro.
The crowd which filled the big
bowl close to capacity had come in
expectation of knockout, with
| opinion about evenly divided as to
! which of the two ring giants would
score it. But instead. they saw
| Wills, the ring master and willy vet
! eran, batter and wrestle his way to
! a convincing but uneXciting victory
/ The brown panther was at his best
| employing all his strategy to com
J pletely battle his opponent, but Firrc
| was not the wild bull he had been ic
J his other battles. Shorn of the
! mighty smash that sent Jack Demp-
! sew flying out of the ring year ago,
| the South Americans attack was i'm
! potent and his defense was too cruGe
| to avoid the continual barrage OF
| Wills blows.
Wills employed all the tricks ct
! his trade to stand off Tirpo's charses'
| Inc Dig negro continually Heii II II Nv
with his long left and wrestled the
! Argentine about while he admins
tered terrific punishment with short
right jolts to the head and body. At
; close range Firpo was bewilderet
| helpless and at time handled like a
! child by his dusky rival.
Several times during the fight FIJI :
20 complained OF Wills tactics. HES
handlers. too. protested to Referee
! Danny Sullivan that Wills was un--
fair, but Sullivan refused to heed
! them, pointing out that they had
agreed to fight in the clinches as
| long as one hand was free.
This agreement, as the fight pre-
crossed toward an apparently newt =
| able close became of increas sing al l.
| vantage to Wills. Faster end shiftier.
! the big negro dug rights and lefts in
/ to Firpo's body at close quarters. oc-
casionally stung the Argentine with
| rapier like shots to the head and
| raised red blotches on the South
Americans lef side with powerfu'
| overland punches.