New Britain herald., 1915-01-16
Es-CLabby B0ut WlU Big Spectacle of Week
Es New York Promoters Made Big Mistake E This Battle Go to the Middle Vest
 Jess Willard Should Worry.

CHolCe Wltu peLJlnR element, IdLuTdl- ly Clabby is the favorite in the far west.
 There is no doubting Clabby's abl- ity as boxer and fighter But it is my opinion that he will have to be every bit good as his friends say. and little bit better, to beat the St. Paul man. This is only one mans opinion and you can take 1t for what it is worth. I know practically nothing about Jimmy as fighter, while I do know considerable about Gibbons. And Mike looks auful good to me. Good enough in fact for me to take a ticket on him against anyone in the middle weight division, no matter how brilliant his opponents record. That is my opinion of Gibbons as a figther. I think him the coming champion. If I am wrong and Clabby proves the better man I will be among the first to congratulate and admit my error of judgement.
 The contest means much to the men. If they both fight as they can it will mean a great battle. But al times we get the least where we expect the most. Let us hope that this will not be ore of those affairs which will leave a bad taste in our mouths when talk ing about it.
 Tom and Jack Explain.
 Now that it is an assured thing Jess Willard will not engage in a con- test with any of his white rivals be- fore taking on Jack Johnson for the cham pionship of the world, we will have to be satisfied with the state ments made by his managers that tho big fellow is anxious to put himself right with the public, and that they (the managers) are responsible for his apparent lack of fighting spirit. Both Tom Jones and Jack Curley say that Jess entertains no fear of the outcome of any match that might be made for him, but that common sense prompts them to refuse to let him have his way in the matter. With the match for the championship so near at hand, they argue. 1t would be fool ish to permit him to run the risk of injury to his hands in battle with some second rater as he would not gain anything by winning and, if he failed to stop his man, he would be held up to public ridicule as a joke fighter.
 
 for the battle, and Juarez across the Rio Grande from El Paso, as the rlace. Johnson is to receive $3O,OOO win, lose or draw, also half interest l in the moving pictures-which by the ] way will be hardly be worth printing if the negro is the winner. Willard, 1 l presume, will get little or nothing ] outside of the chance at the title. If ] he can make good and win over the l negro the entire purse will not amount i to anything in comparison with what 1 he can make in the next few years l ia the show business. So he is gambl- 1, ing nothing really against chance to make an immense pot of money. Who 1 can blame him? can't.
 Big Jess has everything in a physi- l cal way that could be desired he has given fair account of himself for one so little experienced in the game 1 lie has never met a first class fighter, l however, and predictions as to what l he may accomplish in the Johnson 1 battle are simply a matter of con- l lecture and nothing else
 From what little I have seen of him l he appears to lack the fighting in- 1 stlnct. In local contests he has shown l no aggressiveness at all, and as John /! son nghtS along the defensive almost l entirely the affair may develope into a question which man can stand on his l feet the longer. I can't picture John son chasing an opponent or carrying the fight to him. And Willard has never yet been guilty of forcing mat ters in a match even when opposed to the veriest dubs.
 Willard may prove a surprise, but he has not done anything so far in his career to lead one to suspect as much. Jess managers are apparently the only ones who entertain the opinion that the ex-cowboy has a chance to win the championship. If, as they promised when the mach was first an- nounced, Willard had met and de- feated even one of the leading con- tenders he would go into the ring on March 6 with the public confidence. ! AS it is all he can hope for in that dir ectiOn is the best wishes of white men in general. And that won't help him any.
 JAS J. CORBFyTT.