The Cairo bulletin., 1910-07-05
Negro Rained Blows that White
Man Could Not Stand---Not
Counted Out, However.
Johnson Very Little Damaged---Purse Was Split
60 and 40--$lO, 900 Bonus to Each Fight
er---Crowd Very Demonstrative Before
Fight--Left Arena in Detected
Mood at Finish

Reno, July 4-John Arthur John
son. a Texas negro, son of a slave
tonight Is the first undisputed heavy
weight champion OF the world.
James j. Jeffres, of California, win
ner of twenty-five championship
fights, a man who never was brought
to his knees before by blow to-
night passed into history as a broken
idol. He met utter defeat at the
hands of the black champion.
While Jeffries was not actually
co,l sed out he was saved only from
this crowning shame by friends
pleading with Johnson not to hit the
fallen man again and towel was
brought into the ring from his cor
ner. At the end of the fifteenth round
Referee Rickard raised the black arm
and the great crowd filed out glum
and silent.
Jeffries was dragged to his corner
bleeding from the Nose and moutb
and with a dozen cuts on his face. He
had a closed eye, swollen features
and held his head in his hands dazed
and incoherent.
Johnson walked out OF the ring
without hardly a mark.
Not a Good Fight.
Ring experts agreed that ii was not
even Championship fight. Jeffries
had chance in the second, perhaps,
but after the sixth it was plain that
he was outclassed In every point, and
after the eleventh round it was hope
less.
1t was the greatest demonstration
the ring has ever seen of the failurs
OF a fighter to come back" after
years of retirement. The youth and
science of the black man made JET
ries look like green man. The great
jeffries was like log. The reviled
Johnson was like black panther,
beautiful in his alertness and defen.
sive tactics.
Jeffries fought by instinct, it
seemed, showing gameness, and his
great fighting heart. but he was only
shell of his old self.
After the third round Johnson
treated his opponent almost as a joke.
He smiled and blocked playfully,
warding off the bearlike rushes with
marvellous science, now tucking a
blow under mis- arm, again plueking
II ont in the air as man stops a
baseball
Out of sea OF opinions these pin.
nacles of fact sum the case up. Fight
was on the square. There was no
doubt Of this after the first round
There was no hint Of the famous
'yellow streak" on the part OF John.
son.
The end was swift and terrible
leffries had lost his power Of de
fense. Johnson tore loose AMI before
the spectators were prepared for the
finish he had sent Jefstrs down with
ligntning Ike left and right blows
to the jaw. Jeffries fell Those near
him saw that he had lost all sense of
his surroundings. Corbett ran for
ward with outstretched arms crying;
"Oh go back, don't hit him"
Ieffries painfully raised himself 40
his feet. His jaws had dropped and
his eyes were nearly shut, his face
was covered with blood. With tremb
ling legs and yielding arms hs t17ita.l
to put up a defense After terrific
right smash to the jaw, followed by
two left hooks, ne Went down again
Jeffrias' physicians and others jump
ed into tn ring. "Stop It," they cried.
Don't put the old fellow out"
Sam Berger ran along thering call
ing to Bob Armstrong; Bring that
towel. You know what | mean. Don't
let him get hit"
4 The referee declared Johnson the
Winner
Soothing liquids were applied r
the fallen champions bruised face
hut his ndart was something that
could not be reached. AS soon sS HI
regained sense ne took his head In
his hands and groaned, and said:
Il was too old to come hack"
Corbett and Joe Choynski and
Brother Jack and others were ready
to cry, but they united in trying te