Omaha daily bee., 1915-05-02
is JESS AS GOOD AS FITZ?I
Comparative Ability of the Present
Champ and Those Of Old is
Debatable Issue.
MUST DEPEND ON FUTURE SKILL

MUST DEPEND ON FUTURE SKILL |
NEW YORK. May 1.--whether Jess
Willard could have held his own had he
flourished in the days when Corbett,
F1tzsimmons and Jeffries we're disputing
the title is a question that cannot be an
swered off-hand. The fistic world as vet
has not decided just how to place the
conqueror of Johnson whose victory has
so completely upset all white hope prece-
dent. Judgment will be withheld until he
defends the honors few times and gives
better line on his ability.
OF course the old-time warriors them
selves are not disposed to take Willard
into the fold and accept him as their
equal. For so many years they have
been held up as the greatest ever, 1t is
only natural that they should be chary Of
their praise for the new champion, who
threatens to put an end to the myth that
they were superior metal to the men of
today. Thus Corbett and Jeffries. while
they picked Willard to beat johnson, did
so, with many qualifying remarks tend
ing to show that even IL he should win he
could not DO classed as their equal.
Fitzsimmons. for his part, was frankly
anti-Willard. He declared that the big
Kansan and all his tribe were a lot of
Joke fighters and ridiculed the idea that
Willard could beat the man who had
taken all johnson had to offer and then
came through and won like a thorough
bred. old 'Fitz would not relent, AL
though he congratulated Willard when
, they met in public. F1tz could not refrain
| from remarking to his friends give me
a few months to train and could lick
that big stiff"
AS matter of fact, there is no reason
to think that Willard could not have held
his own with any of the old-timers. That
Jeffries was the best of the old set Is
generally admitted. vet Willard loses
nothing by comparison with the "cham-
pion Of all champions"
Never Been Hurt.
At one time the boilermaker's most
famous assets were his great size and
his ability to withstand punishment. VIII
lard is not only bigger in every way that
counts for most in the ring but he never
has been hurt. Jeffries. in his fights
with Fitzsimmons, was cut to pieces
In hitting ability also Willard has the
edge. Jeffries fought in an awkward
crouch and was unable to put his full
strength behind his blows. Tom Sharkey,
much smaller man. fought Jeffries
forty-five rounds in all. In not one of
those rounds did the rushing sailor take
back step. He literally hurled him
self on Jeff's big fists, thereby increas-
/ ing the force of the impact, yet Jeff
could not put him away.
! What Willard would have done to
Sharkey had he been in Jeffs place can
easily be imagined by those who have
seen the big Kansan land one of his ter
rible uppercuts. More than once this
blow has lifted a 20o-pound opponent high
in the air to come down on his shoulder
blades. Much has been said of Sharkey's
toughness. but he could not have taken
one OF those blows without going down.
So far as boxing skill is concerned VIII
J lard shows up at last equally as well. In
the whole history of the ring there is no
| instance OF a champion being make 10
look so foolish as Corbett made Jeffries
appear for twenty-five rounds of their
Coney Island battle. corbett was mere
gymnasium athlete. unable 70 Withstand
rough usage. He was long past his best
days and could be stopped with a COM
paratively light blow. II Is impossible
to imagine him keeping away from VIII
lard's long range jabs, straight rights
and uppercuts for that length Of time
Might Have Puzzled Fitz.
II Willard had met Fitzsimmons he
might not have been able 10 win after
taking as much punishment as Jeffries
did. On the other hand Fitz would not
have been able TO land on Willard with
the same freedom with which he bat
tered Jeffries around the ring Fftz de-
veloped the science of hitting to a greater
extent than any other has been able 70
approach, but Wizards long arms and
great height constitute a defence that
might have puzzled the cunning black
smith. However. the Cornlshman's left
shift to the body would have been bad
medicine for the long-geared Willard.
who is not protected by the crouch that
saved Jeffries. That body blow might
have beaten Willard.
But aside from Fitzsimmons none OF
that famous troop of ring men can be
figured 20 have anything on Willard. The
rushing ShaTkey, with his lack of de-
fence, would have been an easy mark
for WIZARDS uppercut; Mccoy and
Choynsld were too light. while Rubin
was merely a good second rater.