Evening star., 1915-02-07
FACES AGE HO0DOO.
Jack Johnson at 81 Must Be
a Freak to Win.
WOULD SET RING RECORD
Dopester Figures Willard's Chances
Excellent and Cites History
to Prove It.

NEW YORK, February 6.-ShouId
Jack johnson succeed in defeating Jess
Willard at Juarez one month from to-
day, he will have accomplished feat
that has not been eQualed in ring his
tory. The nearest approach to 1t was
when Bob Fitzsimmons. at the age OF
thirty-five, conquered Jim Corbett at
Carson City.
Whatever may be said against Will
lard, it is a fact that he is the best
white heavyweight who has como to
the front during the past ten years.
Yet a supposedly dissipated negro. at
the age of thirty-seven, is picked to
beat him. On the face of it there must
be something wrong with such a con-
clusion
In order to win Johnson must per-
form what past pugilistic history
shows is in the nature of miracle.
With the exception Of Fitzsimmons,
who was all-round freak. no ring
champion since the time of Sullivan has
been able to defend his title at the age
of thirty-seven, and even Fitzsimmons
met defeat at that age. Today there is
not flrst-class man in any division as
old as johnson or even near his age.
There are very few men now before
the public who are even thirty years
old. None of them is anywhere near
his best form. Among the heavy
weights Joe jeanette, at thirty-five, is
the oldest. For years Jeanette has been
going back. He is no longer a card
and he devotes his attention TO fourth
raters. He has not stopped a good
man for so long that his last decisive
victory has been forgotten. Sam Nc
Vey, at thirty. is next. McVey is still
q formidable fighter, but he reached the
height of his career several years ago.
The rest of the heavyweight stars are
under the thirty-year mark.
Other Glasses Younger.
The other classes show an even great
er scarcity Of thirty-year men. Johnny
Coulon, at twenty-five, was forced to
relinQuish the bantam title. Abe At
tell, now thirty-one, is out of the
ring. He was only twenty-eight when
he lost his title. and he had been slip
ping for several years before that
Matty Baldwin of Boston is one OF
the Oldest lightweights still in the
ring. Baldwin is thirty-one. The turn
ing point in this veterans career
came five years ago. Since then he
has not won an important victory.
Among the men who have held and
lost the title of this class are Ad VOL
CAST, twenty-seven. and Willie Richie,
twenty-four. Battling Nelson, now
thirty four. has retired. He lost the
title at twenty-eight. Freddie Welsh.
the present champion. is twenty-seven
and is about ready to fall, judging by
his recent form.
The only prominent welterweight OF
any age at present is Packey McFar-
land, who has retired. Mcfarland is
only twenty-seven, but he must have
seen the handwriting on the wall or
he would not have dropped out.
Only youth is represented in the
middleweight division. Frank Klaus,
twenty eight, retired two years ago.
and Billy Papke, twenty-nine, has not
donned the gloves for an equal length
of time. Mike Gibbons is twenty-seven,
and Jimmy C1abby twenty-five, while
Eddie McGoorty is twenty-six.
John l.. Sullivan was thirty-four
when he succumbed to Father Time,
aided by the light taps of Jim Cor
bett. Sullivan was a physical wreck
at that age and would have lost the
honors years before he did had he met
a first class man.
Corbett Out at Thirty-one.
Corbetts finish came when he was
thirty-one. Corbett continued in the ring
for some years after he lost the title,
but the rest of his pugilistic career was
marked by an almost uninterrupted list
of defeats.
Bob FitZsimmons. the most remark
able figure in ring history, came into
Al,