Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1915-04-06

NEGRO rs EXHAUSTED
S!awed Up After Twenty Rounds
Lay Still When Knocked Down
Until cour.ed Out.

Havana, April 6--Jack Johnson
lost his claim to fistic fame as the
heavyweight champion of the worlo
the title being wrested from him by
Jess Willard, the Kansas cowboy
The biggest mar who ever entered
the prize ring and a "white hope"
WHO at last had made good.
Tomorrow johnson his wife and
2; little group of friends will sail for
Martinique, there II. await passage
back to RI. .ce, where Johnson pro-
poses to settle down and lead the
lie of a farmer, raising pigs and
chickens. There is no doubt that he
is through WITH the ring.
Willard is going back to the Unit
eli States to win the fortune which
was denied him yesterday, when
johnson 90. $4,000 before the fight
started, Willard taking only small
share of the net receipts. Just what
/, his share was l.; not known.
Yesterdays fight probably has no
parallel in the history of ring bat
Ties. For 20 rounds Johnson punched
and pounded Willard at will, but his
blows grew perceptibly less power
ful rs the fight progressed, until at
Inst he seemed unable or unwilling
to go on.
~ Johnson stopped leading and for
three or found rounds the battle be-
tween the two huge men was little
( more than Il series of plastic poses
of white or black gladiator.
So. it was until the twenty-ffth
round, when Willard got one Of his
wild swings, windmill right-hand
Smashes to Joiinson's 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 the ring in the twenty-siXth
round when a singing left to the
body and cyclcnic right to the jaw
= caused johnson to crumble on the
f,ool Of the ing, where he lay partly
outside the ropes until the refree
counted 10 and held up Wizards
hand in token of his newly-won
iaarels.
{. There is much discussion tonight.
and; probably will be for a long time.
among the followers Of the fight
ing game as to: whether johnson was
really Knocked out. In the sense OF
icing smashed! into. Inconsistencies
he certainly was not put out
The consensus of opinion is that
johnson expected and knew that
there was M possibility of his wint
,l;ng, so. when knocked down. he
chose to take the count rather than
rise and. stana further, punishment.
Johnson has often stated that
fighting is :. business, and he would
nct foolishly suhmit to repeated
,,,ockdowns when he found he had
net his master.
A second or two after Jack Welsh
the rcfree, mad counted 10, Johnson
! quickly got np.
For ar instant. is seemed as II
trouble was threatened 5ut some 5o
ar more Of the several hundred SOL
iicrs stationed about the fight arena
iar1ped into the ring and formed
circles around the vanquished and
VICTOR.
Under TIC escort Of the soldiers
Willard anG Johnson left the ring
and went to their dressing room,
while; the CROWD cheered and broke
into wild discussion.
Willard was out of his dressing
room in few moments and in an
automobile on his way back to Ha,
vana. He was escorted half way tc
,he city from the Marianao race
track, where the fight was held, by
a troop of Cuban cavalry.
Crowds lined the streets and mar
COW roadways, and the new white
champion was loudly cheered. III