Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-04-08
WILLARD DEFEATS
NEGRO CHAMPION
IN 18TH ROUND


from his own country, to-day lost his
claim as the heavyweight fstic cham
pion of the world. the title being wrested
from him by jess Willard. the Kansas
cowboy the biggest man who ever en-
tered the prize ring as "whitc nope, |
who at last has mado good.
johnson will sail Wednesday for Mar |
Unique, there to await passage back to |
France whore he purposes to lead the life
OF farmer, raising pigs and chickens |
There is no doubt that he is through with |
the ring.
Willard, tonight acclaimed the new
champion, is going back 70 tho United
States to win the fortune denied him to-
day when Johnson got $4,000, Willard
taking only a small share of the net re.
ceipts. Just what his share WAS Is not
known
To-day's fight probably has no parallel
For 20 rounds johnson punched and
pounded Willard Mt will. but his blows
grew perceptibv less powerful until at
| last he seemed unable or unwilling to go
| on.
johnson stopped leading and for three
or -four rounds the battle was little more
than a series Of plastic poses of white
| ana black gladiators
| So it was until the cjtn round. when
Willard got one of his wildly swinging
windmill right hand smashes to Johnsons
heart This was the beginning of the end.
When the round closed johnson sent
word to his Wife that he was all in" and
told her TO start for home. She was on
the way out and was passing tho ring
| Whom "a loft IN,
the body and n cyclonic right to the
jaw caused Johnson to crumple on the
| floor of the ring, where he lay partly
outside the ropes until the referee count.
cd ten.
There is much discussion tonight and
probably will be for all time as to whcth-
or johnson was really knocked cut In
the sense of being smashed into uncon-
lsciousness. he certainly WAS not. The con-
sonsus Of opinion is that Johnson knew
that there was no possibility Of his win
ming so when knocked down he chose
TO take the count rather than stand fur
ther punishment
Johnson had often said he would not
Ifoolishly submit to repeated knock
ldowns when he found he had met his
master. \ second or two after Jack
! H..
johnson quickly got up A moment
llater there was n rush of spectators
to the fighting platform.
For an instant it seemed as if trouble
was threatened aud some fifty or more
of the several hundred soldiers sta =
toned about the fight arena jumped
into the ring and formed circles about
the vanquished and the victor.
md Of 81,
and johnson left the ring while the
Icrowd cheered and broke into wild dis
cussion. willard was out of his dress
ling room in a few moments and was
Escorted half way to Havana from the
Marianne race track, where the fight
was held by a troop of Cuban cavalry.
ro-n night willard is the hero of the
island. His victory was very popular
| Automobiles returning to the city
from the fight flew white flags and
thus the news spread that the white
challenger had beaten the negro
champion.
Willard is probably the most modest
champion who ever stepped out of a
prize ring, taking his victory as
philosophically as he had looked forward
to the tight. Neither he nor Johnson
|
| engaged In heavyweight championship
battle The new champions lip. RICH,
j ear and left check showed slight cuts
, but at no time was there more than a
drop or two Of blood in evidence
, In this respect the fight was in erea,
: contrast to the Johnson-Jomries fight a,
Reno five years ago when Jeffres was
cut to pieces and blood splashed over the
| la 81 J't-iIC /,
thinking that this condition might pre-
, vail again to-day Johnson objected to tn,
presence of white woman in the news
paper seats Just outside the ropes ant
she was relegated to q place fathel
away.
> On the contrary no fight between
heavyweights that has gone to fin
. ish was cleaner or less brutal John
| sons left eye was partly closed in tn,
a early rounds, but not sufficiently /,
interfere with his fighting. His lii
also was cut inside and his famou
- golden smile flashed from Il very re,
, settling
u The end of the fight came with
suddenncss that dazcd the spectators
1t followed two or three rounds Of al
q most complete idleness on the part O
q the contestants, and the crowd settle
= down to a long drawn-out struggle. be
st lieving 1t would go the full limit o
n A. rounds without either being abb
to register a Knockout
- The early rounds were filled wit
20 flashes Of Johnson's former wonderfu
speed. when he would ra'n rights an
c. lefts to WIZARDS body and FACE. de
y livering ten blows to one from the hi