Harry Wills and Firpo By Rob Snell

[Mofo2]

The Chronicle Telegram

8 September 1924

By NORMAN E. BROWN

The coming meeting of Harry Wills, negro, and Luis Firpo is the first important "mixed bout" of any importance to be staged since the ill-fated effort of Jim Jeffries to whip Jack Johnson in 1910. The reason is, of course, that Johnson's actions after winning a clear claim to the heavyweight championship by cutting the sluggish Jeffries to ribbons, "soured" the fight fans on such bouts.

The ill feeling toward Johnson prompted the cry for a "white hope" which resulted eventually in the finding of Jess Willard and his ultimate rise to the championship, over Johnson's prostrate form.

Color Line Drawn

The public demanded that Willard draw the color- line-. Jack Dempsey, who followed Willard on the throne, also drew the color line and but recently withdrew it.

Mixed Bouts Once Popular

Time was when mixed bouts were popular and big drawing crowds. Such great negro fighters as George Dixon, Joe Walcott and Joe Gans won the admiration of hundreds of thousands of fight fans by their gameness, sportsmanship, and ability in the ring.

Walcott, during his career which carried him to the welterweight championship, was noted for his willingness to fight anyone regardless of size. He trained down to 133 pounds at 6 p. m for a night battle with Kid Lavinge, then lightweight champion of the world and although weakened due to overtraining he gave the Kid a toe to toe

battle. Lavinge was declared the winner when he stayed 15 rounds.

Walcott fought the "Mysterious Billy Smith." welterweight champion. The colored lad also took on Joe Choynski, one of the cleverest heavyweights the game has ever known. Choynski was a bit over seven inches taller than Walcott and outweighed him by more than 25 pounds.

Walcott made Choynski's size defeat him. For six rounds the smaller Walcott hammered at Choynski's stomach. Finally the pain from the constant attack caused Choynski to lower his guard to protect himself. Then, in the seventh round , Walcott jumped into the air, aimed a vicious right at his rivals jaw, over the laters guard and hit the button. Choynski was knocked down and out.

Gans Nelson Bout Recalled

The 42 round battle Gans and Battling Nelson staged in Goldfield, Nevada still lives in the memory of fans. Gans won the fight on a foul and the title became his. The following year Gans knocked out Kid Herman, Jimmy Britt and Rudy Unholz and then on July 4th 1908 met Nelson again.

“Bat†beat down the little negro in seventeen rounds and lifted the crown from his head. On September 9th that same year Gans tried in vain to turn the tables, losing in the 21st round at Colma, California. Dixon fought Jack Skelly, Yong Griffo, Oscar Gardner, Frank Erne, Billy Plimmer of England, and several other famous white fighters. Dixon, featherweight champion of the world in his day, is still revered among boxing fans of the old days.

It was from him that Terry McGovern won the featherweight crown. The battle was staged June 23, 1900, at the Broadway Athletic club in New York. McGovern battered away at Dixon and the punishment the little negro assimilated astounded the spectators. He was finally knocked out in the eighth round but did not lose his popularity by the defeat.

Wills conduct in his fight with Firpo, regardless of the outcome of the mill, will have a direct bearing on the popular sentiment toward mixed matches in the future. Should Wills put up a game battle and conduct himself in a sportsmanlike manner he will give the boxers of his race a big boost.