The Alaska citizen., 1915-12-27
ALL WANT TO PICK
 UP JESS GAUNTLET

Nf.N OkN. NOV. Io.--NtiitN Jtp7 Willard at last, Every newspaper blazes forth in Its headlines that Jess has announced that he will be ready 70 defend hat undented crown of his along about February. And oh. the scramble to accommodate him, Frank Moran, Jim Coffey. Jim Flynn. Porky Flynn. Fred Full ton. Carl Morris. Arthur Pelky, Joe Cox and even Sam Langford have given it out as their intention to chal- lenge the lanky cowboy to brawl for the heavy weight plum.
 Jess seems to care little about the identity of the man who will be pittCd against him. The only stipula ton that he makes Is that he must get $2OOO0 for a twentyround figh., a. New Orleans or any other place that will tolerate twenty-round spat for high ring honors.
 The chances are that New Or leans will get the bout. A, least. Tom Jones says so. Thomas claims that he has already signed for the bout. Jones is inclined to give big Fred Fulton a chance to make good the boast that he floored the cham pion in an impromptu bout in the Western wilds somewhere. Jess wants that report exploded, and fig ures that the niftiest way 10 do 1t would be to wipe Freddie clean Of. the pugilistic map. Thirty thousand dollars for doing so is considerable remuneration As things go gener- ally, Fred would have a small chance against the seasoned champion.
 The man who seems to have first class chance and a first class claim is Frank Moran. His startling knockout of Jim Coffey, the Dublin giant, came just at a time when poor Jim was going o demonstrate to us how really good he was and how surely he would whip Jess if ever given a chance. Twas feat that put him right in the front ranks of the chattering horde that will haunt Jess footsteps from this day on.
 Mtran has g glorious chance wi ! Jess. Don't be fooled in that re spect He is AS game man as ever put up his hands and how he cau wing that good right paw of his. He proved in the fight with Coffey that 1t takes q tremendous punisher even tn ffocr him. He has never been off his pins in a flgh,.
 Early in his career, Jim Savage blinded him so badly with a cut over the eye that the referee stop ped it when 1t was plain that Frank couldn't see well enough to con ,inue. He vas still CT his feet, however, and he still claims that the man doesn't live who can foo! him. In the Coffey fight ne took absolutely everything that Jim had and was scarcely rocked. Then he set about getting to MT Coffey's ribs with his right and in two < lid puncheS-one to he middle and one to the jaw-he had complete ly turned the tide of things.
 There isn't any question that he will be able 10 do the same ching to Jess. especially in regard to the body battering. Jess is an astound- ing athlete when 1t comes to sta ture. and for a while Moran or any body else would be silly to tr1 fer his jaw. Moran has the right idea. An assault on Willard's ribs, such one as he directed toward the hapless Coffey, would bring Jess head down into range.
 There isn't man alive who could take Moran's body beltin2 and not show signs of willing, an1 especially Willard for close ln- spection of the big chaps fighting has developed the notion tha. he doesn't get particularly hilarious un- der punishment. AS matter Of fact. the only time that Jess gets a fistic move on Is when he has been stung. He is all eau ion and defense until he Is pasted and then hn sets sail for his man.
 Jack Curley, the one man to re tain his claim on Jess, d'd not feem to know much about the movements of his copartner, Tom Jones. The only information that Big Jack had was a wire simply stating that Jones had agreed with the Nfw Orleans promoters to iet Lli Jess fight down there. That the bout will draw, no matter who is selected as contender, goes without say ing. Jess has been out of 1t just long enough to have whetted the public desire for regular champion ship match Of course Moran would outdraw any man who could be selected, except perhaps, Cotfey
 coffey Has Friends.
 The Irishman has a tremendous 1OllOW mS dulOuS HIS Couiili Aie H. Three four hs of that Madison Square Garden audience that saw Jim crum- pied was Irish They'd turn out for another S25,000 house to see him fight Moran again. There was at least 5000 men out on the side walk the night Of the fight, who couldn't get n af CT the police and fire departments had closed the 1nor, all tyDp t1 linn and still believe that Moran was lucky Billy Gibson, his manager Is still confident thai the boy cen whip Frank. He said the other day:
 'I los s2O00 on Coffey in bets, besides weeks of vaudeville engage ments, but I'd stake twice tho amount on Jim if Moran would meet him again. I've offered Moran s5,o00 flat to meet Jim once mere. H. can have that or I'll take the same amount from him. Coffay is stil the drawing card and we're willing o gamble.
 Had Coffev followed our instruc- ticns he wouldn't have wound u.' on his ear. We told him expressly not to go out and burn himself up in the very first round. That has always been his great fault. When 1t came to the second round and Moran stung him, Jim didn't have his full strength In reserve. Moran