The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-26
WILLARD HAS SMALL CHANGE
 OF BEATING JACK JOHNSON
Jim Corbett Thinks Negro Will Hold
 Title for Another Year
(By James J. Corbe4t, Former Heavy
 weight Champion of the Wo1ad-)


 weight Champion of the World.)
 Especial to The Evening Farmer.(
 New York. Dec. 26-Another year or, f1,e reybes. groggy and about ready to take the full count And in many respects 1t has been a remarkable one in the history. of pugills111s z Is ! 4 z"aA1 exit an epoch making year m nstaana- Notable among the feats aceompl1sn- ed during the past twelve months were the dethronennent of Willie Rftchie by Freddy Welsh as world lfght- weight tdtIe-holders and the over throw of Johnny Coulon by klo Wl- Hams as champion of the bantam oIV1- sion. But by far the most t1npoFcant happening during the year was the 1inexpecfed blow dealt the sport. at the recent election in California In putting boxing under the ban after flouTishing for more than a quarter, of a. century under legal protection
 In voting to end boxing in the Gold en State, however, the people did not voice 8 sentiment against the sport itself so much as against certain pro motors whose methods of handling contests were antagonfsic to those who have the good s9ofs the game at heart. The consensus of opinion Of the prominent sporting writers of the state is that it will be only a. matter E Of a very short time when boxing will again be put on a legal footing and under the supervision of a conann1s- sion similar Do those in control in New York and other eastern states. By Ilthis plan it is hoped to safeguard the whose only interests in it's promotion lsare to get as much money out of it I in as sFort 8. time as possible regard less of consequences.
 Although California. has been lost to boxing for the time being Lou fsiana. -s-@ &rN k1Axa sport. At the last session of the legis+ 1ature of that state bill was passed allowing glove contests up to twenty. rounds under certain conditions. But to date New Orleans has proved a poor substitute for san Francisco and. Los Angeles as mecca. for the scrap ;pers: and unless the promoters there loosen their purse strings and show more 1ibera1fty in bidding for imp amt matches in the future Crescent City sports will have to be content with bouts of a second grade. How ever, it is hoped that with the advent Of Tom McCarey New Orleans will resume it's place as the leading boxing center of the countTy-aS 1t was twenty years ago.
 1 ssS2 Jack Johnson is still the king of the heavies, and if he elects to safeguard his title during 1915 as he did during the past year will probably be the Champion twelve months from now. Johnson fought only one ring battle during 1914, that with Frank Moran in Paris last June, and according to accounts received here had little trou- ble outpointing the Pittsburgh novice.
 Johnson is now said to be matched to box Jess Willard next March The battle ground has not yet been select ed, according to the promoters of the affair, but it Is thought Ehat some South American city, will be named within the next few weeks. However, the public has shown little interestl in
 the annog1ncement of the champion ship bout, the opinion prevailing that Willard is no match for the negro.
 None of the so-ca1fed white hopes aspirant for championship honors. Gunboat Smith, looked upon by many as the best of the white brigade, was
 easily beaten by Sam Langford. and Willard has not yet been put to a test severe enough to warrant the titu1ar
 aspirations his packers claim for him. Those who have watched Willard,
 Morris, Coffey, Moran, Smith and oth- CT white heavies go through their clumsy performances in the ring have little confidence in the return of the pugihStic crown to the white race in the near future.
 Willard has yet to prove his super
  | Coffey, @ comparative novice, has no trouble holding Smith to a ten round draw in this city several weeks ago. Langford,s McVey and Jeanette ap- pear to hold all the white candidates safe, and unless the miraculous hap pens it is hardly probable the title will change hands in the near future. | While any of the trio of negroes men.
 toned might have more than an out
 side chance of beating Johnson it is l not at all likely that the champion will consent to risk the title in bat l ties with his co1ored rivals The truth 1 of the matter is that the white heavy weight division has not developed a l first class fighting man since Jeffries Taking a line from his fight with l Glnboat Smith in England last Sum mer Georges Carpenter appears the l most promising of the younger white e heavyweights, but it is doubtful if he will ever again be seen in the ring The recent output of heav1es has
 fallen away below the standard set by l the gladiators of the past. Willard l with more experience, may develop
 Into 8 first class fighting man, but in l the fewxt times he has appeared in the
 ring in this. locality has shown nothing l to indicate that he has the necessary
 class to fight his way to the top of i. the division.
 | Until Willard first proves his right i to battle Johnson for the title the i promoters of the proposed Johnson l Willard match will find that the pub l. lie will take little interest in the af-
 fair. If Willard can't beat such men
 as Smith, Coffey ct al he has no busi-
 ness in the ring with Jack Johnson
 not to mention I4angford, Jeannette
 and MeVey.
 | The niddle-weight developments of 1 the year just drawing to an end have l been hardly more satisfactory than in | the heavier division. George Chip re- l garded by many ring followers as a l possible successor to Stanley Ketchel