New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-03
Johnson REACHES COAL.
Has Been Working for Years 10
Face Jeffries-
FOUGHT HIS WAY TO FRONT
Remarkable Record in Owe,
Sixty Battles Stamps Him
a Fighter.

ror SIR years or more John Arthur Joins
ron has been working with one end "a
view, and that end will Be reached uhsa
na stang in the ring With Jim Jefrries al
Reno tomorrow.
Johnson began to loom up on the pugl-
,srtc horizon in 1901 ''Jenries can't touet
me- was his boast even IN those days
and he fretted continually over the faes
that until he acquired reputation AZ
nroeneets for a championship battle weEa
but IS gauzy as the tail OF Haley comet
He saws he believed then az conIeehuy %
his ability TO achieve the title as ne d9
six years later. when az last as oppor-
tunity to battle with Tommy S0rhS zoe
the supreme prize was realized
cit was not my fights themselves o1s
my fight TO get those fights tnas proved
the hardest part OF the struggle" Joansea
has said In talking OF his uDA-4 stfussiet
TT was my color They TOD me 70 ses
a rep, but how was 10 ger rep wins
out meeting fighters Of clasSF BuI nl@as
them fight me. 1 just kept plugging long
scanning I'D what chances TO hght could
- It'll ~, and by the topnotchers saw
that sooner or later they'd have 70 taks
r.a On "a soon as I had shown what
could do the fight public-most OF no
fans anyway-took s-dsS VIII NO "'''
that helped whole lot
Johnson asserts that he has never been
annrahensive OF possible defeat In any con
test h. has engaged IN. None OF them hs
5acIaras baa auv terrors for hiIa
uts most important four battles havs
haAn fought within the last year and q
half. dating from his defeat Of Tommy
R,1rns in Australia on December - EHS<
Having wrested the championship rom
Burns. he determined 10 meet and defend
bis title against all Corners His nsn15
with philadelphia jack OBr1en' As
E-aufnnan and Stanley Ketchel followed u
rapid succession
ON his fights two or three years oeTors
that had brought him prominence and
hAIned him along greatly II his career us
contests with sam Langford, The BOSTON,
negro. Joe Jeanette. sam NcVey. Denver
E,I'' Martin, Jim Flynn and others, john
son laws no particular stress except 70 re-
card them as so many rungs OF his ladder
Of success.
Pm looking for a fight" Johnson once
said. Gin which 7 really can let myself OUT
and show the public just what l can Co
That's one reason why I'm so anxious ''
go up against Jefries
Tohnson's declaration sustains the juds-
rent Of numerous sporting writers Wno
have maintained for years that the ois
negro seldom. If ever. extended hlF1lse--
and was capable OF striking harder Bows
than he has ever delivered n The ring -
anpears to have been general oelleI IAac
Johnson was holding back This was
noticeable in his recent Hsnr
with Stanley Ketchel- In that bout JONI
son toved with his man all the way rs
seemed to think the fight joke Until q
slim and a timely punch brought him to Ms
knees and aroused his anger Just Wna1t
happened next has never been Clearly
Known II was too fast 70 watch. and in
an instant's time Ketchel was on his back.
and being counted out He did not seem
10 realize what had struck him, and john
son himself seemed astonished at the Re-
su1t of his sudden exhibition Of strength
and speed
Johnson was born IN Galveston IN lsiS'i
his birthday being March 81, and il r-nsl
experience counts for anything he has I
In 1901 he fought six fights, winning az
except one, which was a draw The nex-l
year he went into the ring sixteen tines
and from then was almost constantly.
engaged, until to date he has to MS cEedlI'
more than sixty battles
While many of his opponents have no7
been of the style 10 test MS metLle. his fre-i
quent bouts have served at least TO keep
him always IN training, and this IS one OF
the strong arguments of his partisans-
TemneramentaIIy johnson IS an interest,"
ing study His chief characteristic IS rs
unfaiIing good nature, curieusly Constant
sort Of even temper that nothing seems 70
rutae His golden smile IS seldom out ol
evidence. and not even the coarse and n
suIting jibes that frequently greet hin
from fight spectators seem TO have ths
power 20 disturb him Even when duckins'
a storm of blows and showing wonderful
skill in evadins the onslaughts OF his op-
ponent johnson never loses his poise nor
his power of observation
His eyes take IN and appraise every
thing that transpires at the ringside- Hs
seems TO hear every comment made By me
onlookers. and even in the midst Of
cIinch. when every muscle is tense, VII
recognize a witty sally from the audlenes
with a fash OF his ready smile. and. ks
as not. with an equally witty rejo4nder
thrown at the audience over the reeAins
shoulder against which he is pressing
why don't you fight. you black nan
YELLED an enthusiast AZ the JohnsOr-EauI
man fight The men were in a clinch a.
the time. but without an tnstant's Ees.ta-
ton Johnson shouted back: Why shoun
| fight? I've got your SO already"
And this cooI-headedness under FIRE -
another Of the negro's qualities upon
which his hackers count, believing e m
possible TO rattle him by any known rms
tactics. That MS good nature does not n
dicate a low order Of intelligence. how
ever. has been clearly shown by his clever
business methods and his rather well-dons
ringSide speeches. Men who have watches
him say he simply has no nerves. us's
he Nynr1 in The accantaS sense