Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1924-05-17
RICHARD Will sign SIGN
DEMPSEY IN JULY
Promoter Says He Has Verbal Agree
ment With Kearns For Wills
Match.
WILL STRENGTHEN BOWL
Challenger May Fight Romero ana
Spalla Before He Meets Worlds
Champion on September 9th.

Jack Dempsey, worlds heavyweight
champion will not be formally slgneu
To contract to defend his title against
Harry Wills until early in June, inns
was the announcement yesterday Oh
Tex Richard, boxing promoter, follow
ing his announcement or THURSDAY
that he had decided on September otn
as the date and his huge wooden arena
in Jersey City as the place for the long
awaited Dempsey-Wills battle for the
championship.
In explaining his plans for signing
the champion, Richard said that ne
entertained no apprehension On TINS
detail. He described the signing OIL
Dempsey as a mere formality, since ne
had reached an agreement for DemP
sey's services in a bout against wills
in a series of conferences with JACK
Kearns manager Of the champion
prior to the departure OF kearns 1or
the Pacific Coast.
$50, Fs==: ssErSS @
NOT WORRYING ABOUT DEMPSEY
at have no cause to worry over
Dempsey's end of the bout" said RICK
ard. my task of getting the tlgnters
IN consent to the bout is now comple''
ed, for have already signed Wills
and I have an agreement with Demp-
sey through his manager, jack hearns
whose word with me is as good as lis
bond. 7 don't think it will be necessary
to mail contracts to Kearns or Demp-
sew. The champion is engaged on nioS
ing pictures. which keep him occupleu
until the end Of June. expect tnaV
Kearns will return to this city carry
in July. when it will be time enough
70 have him afsx his signature to con
tract. In the meantime we can De go
ing a head with important preliminary
details of the bout.
"I have already contracted with n
firm of engineers to look over every
inch of my arena in Jersey City for the
nurpose of strengthening the plant ana
making it safe against complaint
have heard rumblings of dissatlsfact-
ion over the condition of the arena fof
the Willard Firpo fight, when some re
ports were circulated that the arena
swayed dangerously. / have always
maintained that these reports were
greatly exaggerated. However, want
everybody to go to the Dempsey us
fight feeling safe. That is why l nave
engaged the engineers to go over the
place and strengthen it wherever they
discover any need for reinforcement
They will also improve the place gen
orally.
EXPECTS GREAT RING BATTLE.
"I expect that the Dempsey-W1lls
fight will be the greatest in ring MIS-
tory. 1t is a bout that has been demand
ed by the public. There has been q
steady clamor for it ever since Demp-
sey became champion, but, until now
efforts to arrange the bout have been
unsuccessful. considered setting the
contest fol- Labor Day on the theory
that people enjoying the customary
weekend vacation over the holiday
would have returned in time to attend
the bout. But I think September 9Th is
a better date, because believe that a
Saturday before Or after holiday is
always better for such attractions from
the standpoint of the public and the
promoter.
1.-THE date will give Dempsey and
Wills plenty of time in which to train.
Dempsy will be through with his pic
ture work and can enter training after
a few days respite. He will have July
and August to prepare for his defense
of the title. Wills, too, will have sufh-
cient time in which to get into his
best shape He can engage in no fights
after his contest with BARLEY Madden
and another bout he has signed
against Jack Taylor which does not
appear to be on now. If Taylor con-
sents to box Wills however, it will bs
Wills's last Independent bout before
the Dempsey match. "Wills's contract
with me provides that he can not en-
gage in any other bouts unleess he has
my consent or they are conducted un
der my direction. I have him signed
to box either Romero or Spalla or Fir
DO in two bouts leading to Dempsey
bout. From the looks of things Firpo
wants to rest and / have decided to re
epact his wishes. If Romero stands up
against Floyd Johnson and Jack Re
nault he will be matched with Wills
and it is possible I will arrange a
Wills-Spalla match too"