Note: 2 heavies that would fit in with today's Hvy "in shape" size. 1924-09-11 : Luis Angel Firpo 224½ lbs lost to Harry Wills 217 lbs by NWS in round 12 of 12 Location: Boyle's Thirty Acres, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA Referee: Danny Sullivan Sometimes incorrectly recorded as occurring on September 1. Pre-Fight photo This content is protected "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 60,000 in Tex Rickard's arena felt that Firpo could win after he had been dropped with a long right to the jaw in the second round." (Henry L. Farrell, United Press) Immediately after this bout, Firpo faced deportation on charges of bringing with him from Argentina a female manicurist for "immoral purposes" and committing perjury on his immigration papers. The following January, Wills broke his hand while training with a sparring partner and was unable to fight for awhile. This content is protected This content is protected
Perhaps he'd just declined too much, his best wins were probably 8 or 9 years ago by this stage, but it's hard to see the fighter in that footage beating Dempsey. It's sad he never got a title shot, but actually his record after Dempsey won the title, probably isn't any better than Dempsey's much maligned post title record, and especially around this point was getting pretty padded. His overall record is probably better overall, but I can't bring myself to rate him that high.
He handles Firpo like a baby, wobbled him with a jab, and dominated him. Dempsey was dropped three times, went life and death, and had to break every rule in the book to beat Firpo. "Its hard to see the fighter in that footage beating Dempsey." OK.
Wills was fouling a lot as well, he knocked down Firpo on the break and throws a ton of rabbit punches. I think Firpo was in noticably poorer condition, and I don't think the Dempsey Firpo fight was really that close, Dempsey just got overeager and left himself open, but he knocked down Firpo a stupid number of times, and stopped him in the second.
Wills was about 100 (recorded) fights into his career... which represented the end of his career. He was a good 6 years past his peak performances. It's called: Context.
Wait. Are you kidding? Almost every headshot Firpo threw was to the back of Wills' head. If Wills threw a couple it was in retaliation. Aside from being absolutely amateurishly poor, Firpo was dirty as New York snow.
Read a 9/11/1924 buildup article that quotes Wills as saying: "I think if Firpo stops me I will stop boxing. I have been fighting steadily for many years and if such an unschooled fighter, who has only strength and a punch, can defeat me, then its time to stop." And it doesn't seem like Wills was even trying to talk trash--I think he just sincerely had that little respect for Firpo's abilities.
I thought Dempsey was only down twice in the Firpo fight one of which was his gloves touching the canvas. He did stumble to his knees in the bouts opening seconds but that wasn't a knock down and just showed how wild Jack was in this fight. Aside from getting knocked out of the ring, Dempsey blitzed him. 9 knockdowns and a clean KO in 2 is better than a boring 12 round newspaper decision in my view, particularly when you factor in Firpo's comparatively poor condition against Wills as opposed to when he fought Dempsey.
Looking through the papers, after fighting Dempsey, Firpo said he failed, but gave it a good fight, and will come back and win later. After he fought Wills he complained that Wills continuing fouling made it impossible for him to "fight [his] fight", complaining about Wills keeping hitting him on the break. He also apparently said before the Wills fight he was in no state to win if the fight went past 2 rounds, though I'd like to look into that more, and had the threat of deportation looming over him.
Consider the foil he has to work with here, an awkward clumsy guy who is fouling him with every punch. Also consider that this film is well, well past his prime, a 100 fights into his career.
Agreed, but where is Wills power? I seen him a few times on film and he's power looks over rated to me. Fripo was pretty much a big guy with tough-man like skills. There was lot of wrestling in this boxing match. If Wills has a good jab, this would have been an easy night, or if he was a big puncher Firpo would not be around long to foul. Wills was 32 for this fight., a bit past his prime, but hardly gone.
