The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-01-16
CORBETT PICKS GIBBONS TO
 BEAT CLABBy NEXT THURSDAY
Him Fight Before Johnson Match

gratulate and admit my error of Judgment.
 The contest. means much to the men. If they both fight as they can it will mean a great battle. But at times we get the least where we ex- pect the most! Let us hope that this will not be one of those affairs which will leave a bad taste in our mouths when talking about it.
 Now that 1t 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 | championship of the world we will have to be satisfied with the state ments made by his managers that the big fellow is anxious to put himself right with the public and that they l (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 l of any match that might be- made | for him, but that common seAse prompts them to refuse to let him have his way in the matter. With l the match for the championship so near at hand, they argue, it would I be foolish 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 ridicu1e as a joke fighter.
 l March 6 has been set for the date ! for the battle and Juarez, across the Rio Grande from Fl Paso. as the place. Johnson is to receive. ESQ., i 600 win, lose or draw. also a half interest in the moving pictures I which by the way will hardly be worth printing if the negro is the l winner. Willard, I presume, will | get little or nothing outside of the chance at the title. If he can make good and win, over the negro the en- tire purse will not amount to any thing in comparison with what he can make in the next yew years in the show business. So he is gambling r nothing really against chance to make immense pot of money. Who can blame him? I can't
 Big Jess has everything in a phys icaI way that could be desired. He l has given fair account Of himself for one so little experienced in the l game. He has never met a first
 class fighter, however and predic- | tions as to what he may accomplish in the Johnson battle are simply g matter of conjecture and nothng else
 From what little have seen of him he appears to lack the fighting in I stfnct- In local contests he has shown no aggressiveness at all, and as Johnson fights along the defensive al. most entirely the affair may develoI into a question which man can stand Ion his feet the longer I can't pic. ture Johnson chasing an opponent ol
 carrying the fight to him. And VII
 lard has never yet been guilty of fore. ling matters in match even when op. posed to the veriest dnbs.
 Willard may prove a surprise, bu
 he has not done anything so far il his career fc lead one to suspect a.
 much. Jess managers are apparent
 ly the only ones who entertain the
 opinion that the ex-cowboy has 2
 chance to win the championship. If , as they promised when the frs
 match was. first announced. Willard
 had met and defeated even one of tn,
 leading contenders he would go intt
 the ring on March with the pub1i, d confidence. As it is all he can hop'
 for in that direction is the best wish
 es ofw htte men in general And tha II won't help him ny.