Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-04-11
WIN, LOSE OR
ONAW By FRANCIS s1ANN
Do Preem Was Very Bad

TOMMY LoUGHRAN who currently is leasing his ring
background and savoir aire Columbia Picture was talk
ing about Primo Camera.
"He unbeievably bad fighter for man who held
the heavyweight title Tommy saying this visit
giant he could pretty good but that about all
He couldn't punch he didn't take good punch on the
chin"
Columbia is unwilling a movie called The Harder
They Fall which the thnly yelled story the Camera
budup episode in boxing history that is best forgotten
Most fight people think Hollywood hitting belt
Loughran says no.
What happened in this movie what really happened
in Cameras time couldn't happen today Tommy admitted
"but in the early 93Os all this take place That is most
of it, Camera couldn't fight any better than Toro Moreno
who is the principal in the picture Many of his fights had to
be fixed"
champions fought Camera for the heavyweight title
1884 in Miami and lost in Is rounds Pound for pound
no contest Loughran close to perfection boxer but
he was giving away 70 pounds184 to 262and seven inches
in height
Il hurt him twice Tommy recalled once in the fourth
round and again in the 10th You could sucker him into
sticking out his chin and level off But every time did
Primo would raise up and lay back, rolling his eyes, and
couldn't reach his chin
Once" he mused Il threw my Sunday punch at his
body hit him squarey and I'd that fist bounced
out faster than it went in
Did Primo hurt you?" man asked Loughran
Never" Tommy said LAS l said he couldn't punch. He
could only paw and club"
WRESTLER NAMED Mike Lane plays the role of Toro
Moreno Carnera) in the film and because Toro comes from
South America not Italy viewers suspect that Holly
wood also borrowed strongly from the life Luis Angel Fpo
the Wild Bull of the Pampas
Maybe little bit" Tommy conceded, but not much
In the first place Firpo rich man and became
much richer Secondly Firpo could fight That u.s. while
couldn't do anything except punch Fpo certainly packed
Walop"
What if Camera and Frpo had fough?" he was asked
Tommy smiled. They'd have carried Primo out on a
Stretcher," he said, fatty,
Jess Willard another giant" he volunteered
was about the size of Primo but Willard would have
Camera easily It's hard to think OF any fu-scae heavy
weight with ability who couldn't beat Camera"
Loughran reflected a moment Il could have beaten
Primo if hadn't been tired from the 18th round on
Remember, was 80 years old at the time. I'd just about
had it,"
THERE ARE TWO OCCASIONS in the lurid film when
the dydVe artists change their minds and refuse to into
the tank for the mob behind earn err Moreno An Indian
in Oklahoma out of pride until good old Humphrey
Bogart suggests the chicken wire gimmck.
"All you do" Hump says effect lis stick a piece of
chicken wire IN your mouth and when get hit the wire
will cut up your mouth and will bleed much the referee
will stop it, Then you will save your pride"
That gimmick, at least, to Loughran. Holly
wood must have invented it, he laughed Il never heard
OF it. What they used to do was to place of red fluid
between the teeth and lips and get that punch
creating the same effect. But chicken wire . brrrr"
The other rencger is kept in line by his second who
rubS his eyes with doctored towel This gives the giant
chance to belt his blinded opponent few times and the
referee opportunity to stop it,
ON THE SCREEN the towel trick comes out pretty crude
but Loughran says that has happened
They put ammonia on the towels" he explained Car
nera met fighter let's see Bombardier Chevaier
who changed his mind about diving and decided to
Primo They toweled Bombardier to blind him"
Fights were fixed for different in the old days
Loughran was saying TO the hoodums in boxing in the
l92Os and 1930s life cheap" Tommy recalled "A bar
gain was bargain else Most of the hoods big boot
leggers Money didn't mean whole lot They had plenty
OF it. The idea was to control world champion
To-day, if fight is fixed it's strictly for the gambling
phase of it. Now it's the dollar the xers are chasing not
the titles"