Young Firpo vs. Pete Cerkan (2nd meeting)
Young Firpo 172 lbs beat Pete Cerkan 174 lbs by KO in round 2 of 10
- Date: 1930-05-13
- Location: Auditorium, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Referee: Tom Louttit
MINER PIPES PETE DOWN IN SECOND
By Don McLeod
Young Firpo, who as a schoolboy at Burke, Idaho, answered to the name of Guido Bardelli, is one of the deadliest punchers ever to trod the resined canvas of a Portland ring. Ever since Young Firpo, whose ring manners are startling similar to his namesake, Louis Firpo, came to Portland as an unknown pug from somewhere up north, he has been kicking opponents silly with apparent ease.
First, it was Ray Pelky, the wily Oakland veteran. He went the way of fight flesh in the second round. Next came Del Fontaine. Then Dillon. Last night, at the Auditorium, Pete Cerkan offered his massive frame for sacrifice and Firpo accepted, gracefully and expertly, by scoring a knockout over the Pe Ell blonde in less than two rounds of what had been hopefully billed as a ten-round grudge affair.
There was plenty of action dished up in the abbreviated stanza with most of it furnished by Firpo. After feeling each other out in the opening round, the two started the fireworks as soon as the second stanza bell had been tolled. Cerkan swung a couple of wild ones, then sat down on the floor, placed there by a well directed right hook deliver by the obliging miner.
Pole Came Back
Cerkan took a short count and gamely bounced into the windmill once more. But it was just the same thing again. He dropped to the mat. Four more times he fell, each time the victim of Firpo's murderous swings. And just as many times he came back. The last time he arose tottering, but not until Tom Louttit, referee, had already tolled of the fatal 10 count. Cerkan, obviously was so shaken that he failed to realize he was being counted out, and jumped up in the belief that the fight was still on. After the brawl, Louttit said regardless of the 10 count, he possibly would have stopped the fight as Cerkan was in no condition to continue.
Young Firpo is one of the best seen here in years and Cerkan is one of the most courageous. He was outclassed but never outgamed.