[1] Richards began by letting people (including heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey) punch him in the gut.

Prior to 1924, Richards joined the theatrical world of vaudeville, creating an act for himself by exhibiting how much his abdomen could take.

A short clip of Richards performing his cannonball trick has become a well-known example of stock footage in popular culture.

episode "The Chip: Part 1", the clip is shown as the character Roddy MacStew says that he has seen many strange things in his lifetime, which include a man being hit in the abdomen with a cannonball.

Other uses include a still image from the clip being used for the cover of the album Van Halen III and stuntman Preston Lacy reenacting the trick in the opening to Jackass 3D.