San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-30
1a@aa4|
: Wills Met Best Men.
Langford His Peak.
Gibbons Dempsey's
Best.
Both Fought Wild Bull.
johnson Beat Dempsey.
Damon Runyon---4
Copyright. 1925. International Festurs
Service. Incl

Mr.. ". T. Chambers of South Am
boy, N. j.. submits three questions
bearing upon Harry Wills, the Brown
Panther Of New Orleans, requesting
information, and the opinion of the
writer.
Here are his questions:
1. Did Harry Wills ever meet
George Godfrey, of Lciperville, Pa?
o. Who has fought the most battles,
Jack Dempsey or Harry Wills?
3. In your opinion which fought
the best men!
The answer to the first question is
no.
Dempsey has fought 60 battles.
Wills is credited with "a. here EN-
ploy the term battle largely as a fig
ure Of speech. Included in the records
of both men are quite a number o.
ring appearances that by no stretch Of
the imagination could be called bat
ties. if a battle is what / take it to be.
They have both been around for
some years smuggling suckers" as the
boys along Broadway term an assault
on defenseless party. / am in doubt
as TO which has been the greatest Of
fender il this particular respect.
Wills has been knocked out, out
galloped. and thrown out Of the ring
on a number Of occasions. Dempsey
has been knocked out, and out-scored.
But as between the two, think Wills
has met the best men.
1t is sure thing that Dempsey
never met aay man as good as Sam
Langford, and Wills fought Langford
a dozen times or more. Old Sam
knocked out Wills twice, but the years
finally overcame Sam and Harry took
to knocking him out.
believe that if Dempsey had met
Langford as often as Wills did, Sam
would have knocked Dempsey out AZ
least twice. Next to LangfOrd, the
best man Wills ever met was Joe
Jeanette, AID next to Joe l would
rate Sam McVey.
Wills stopped McVey, but lean
nette always gave the Brown Panther
terrific battles and claims TO have
out-scored him in at least one no
decision affair. ] doubt that there is
any man in Dempsey's record that
Jeanette could not have given
great fight.
There is no good line Of comparison
to be drawn on the caliber OF the men
in the records Of Dempsey and Wills
as common opponents. :,
That is to say, conditions differed
in nearly every case Of the men who
have fought both Dempsey and Wills.
For instance, the old pale plasterer,
Fred Fulton was stopped by Dempsey
in n round and by Wills in three.
But when Fulton fought Dempsey
he was Dempsey's rival as the heavy
weight contender, and a good fighter.
When he fought Wills some years lat
or, he had become a sort Of tank man
he was given TO the noble art Of div
ing. If he remained upright over two
rounds, n committee went around be-
hind him to see what holding him up.
John Lester Johnson met Dempsey
when Dempsey was little more than a
novice. and gave Dempsey quite
shellacking. i note that of late years
some Of Dempsey's historians have
been claiming that John Lester John
son did not beat Dempsey.
/ happened TO be present, and l can
assure that John Lester johnson won
by at least seven lengths. 1t was o no
decision struggle and in those days,
happily long past. occasionally. and
very foolishly risked a few centimes
on these demonstrations OF the Manly
Art Of Scrambling Ears.
/ recall that ] had wagered that
Dempsey would wallop John Lester
Johnson, but at the conclusion OF the
ten-round struggle at the old Com
mOnwealth Club in Harlem, quietly
folded my umbrella and went away. j
did not even pause TO argue.
Among the various Johnsons who
became customers Of Wills, was John
Lester, but by that time, John Lester
was not the johnson he was when he
met Dempsey any more than the later
Dempsey was the Dempsey who met
John Lester.
Dempsey fought Gunboat Smith
when the Gulner was pretty good
fighter, and Smith gave him a terrific
struggle for four rounds. Some years
later, when the Gunner was through,
Wills j0lted him over with case.
So you see it is difficult 10 draw
any comparisons on the caliber Of the
Dempsey-Wills opponents by taking
their performances against the same
man.
Dempsey stopped Luis Angel Firpo
in two rounds, and Wills struggled
twelve rounds with the Wild Bull,
the so-called popular decision going &,
Wills. II was a terrible affair.
There is 20 doub. that Firpo was
better fighter the night he met
Dempsey than the night he met Wills.
He was out of condition and in q sad
state mentally over his personal az
fairs when he fought the Brown
Panther.
But Firpo was not the best mau
Dempsey has ever met. i think that
man was Tom Gibbons of st. Paul
when he Travelled fifteen rounds
against the Manassa Man Mauler. Yet
I do not think Tom Gibbons would
have gone very far against the best
man Harry Wills ever met, the old
Boston Bearcat, Lalgford.
THRAII WINS NINTH