El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-02-15
JOHNSON MAY Be
BADLY BEATEN
Many Fight Fans Expect to
See Him Take Count
Before Willard

by II. $. ANDREWS.
Milwaukee, Wis, Feb. Is. - As
] the time draws near for the
Johnson Willard match at Juarez Mex
leo, the interest increases. There are
many who think it will be nothing but
a slaughter, with Willard taking all
I the beating, but there are others who
have an entirely different view of the
matter and who really expect to see
Johnson take the ten count before the
end of the 45 rounds have been reached.
The critis have been shy of the
match because the promoters did not
give Willard a severe trying out first
sending him againt a man like jeanette
or LanEtOrd. The syndicate backing
the prOjeCt-Messrs. Curley, Jones and
FrazeC-were stalking quite a bit Of
coin on the deal and no doubt did not
care to take too big a chance of having
things go wrong at the 18th hour, and
for that reason refused to send Jess
against a man Of Langfcrd's ability.
They claimed it would be practically
tho same as beating Johnson (to whip
LangfOrd) and for that reason they
preferred to risk their money and take
chance at winning the title from
the holder. rather than be obliged to
go through with two big matches. As
drawing card the match will bring
out all the sports around the Texas
border and from many of the mining
7
However, the promoters are banking
on Willard being able to beat the ne
grOrchampiOn, to get their money back,
for it will mean a fortune II Big Jess
does put over the winning punch. He
has a chance and the promoters are
willing to take the gamblers chance.
Johnson has not boxed in nearly q
year and he has had no chance of late
to do much training. Out Of condition,
even champion cannot expect to do
-
that is where Mr.. Willard Is liable to
have the edge on the foxy Jack. It
stands to reason that a man who likes
to live we'll as johnson does, cannot
get into the best of condition in a few
weeks time. 1t will be another case
Jack will be the man whose condition
will bother his friends.
Stars W.. Second Raters.
Promoters throughout the country
could help the game along by refusing
to make matches between stars of the
arena against the so-called second and
third raters. Such matches do the game
no good. they only help to build up
the reputation Of the stars at the eX-
pcnse of the poor dubs who cannot
help themselves. There have been fire.
quent matches in the past season where
the stars were shining brightly on one
side and where the third and second
raters were completely outclassed on
the other side. The stars simply picked
their opponents and the promoters
permitted them to do so; in fact, the
promoters have APPARENTLY been at the
mercy of the stars for some time. Some
time ago a star heavyweight (negrO)
fought a white man, the latter weigh
ing 90 and the former about 200. 1t
was a miserable exhibition and the white
man was merely a chOpping block for
the star.
A similar case was where a big white
heavyweight fought a middleweight
and the result was a rank contest.
There were several others where the
small fry were used to let the stars
show themselves to advantage. The
second raters, of course, are glad to
get a chance to grab off some coin
from the short end and a one-sided
contest results. 1t is the fight fans
who pay the toll and they are the ones
TO be given the short end Of the deal
If promoters would try and taboo such
bouts the game would be benefited
considerably and at the same time 1t
would do away with these one-sided
exhibitions 1 do not mean for promo
tiers to go to extremes in the matter
but to try and match boxers as near
equal as possible and better contests
viii be the result
1t is seldom that twof brothers are
both good fighters, but the Gibbons
brothers seem % be an exception to
the rule. There is no doubt about the
ability of Mike Gibbons, but few
thought that Tommy would be able to
show any real form when it came 10
going against the top nOtchers. Tommy
has gone along quietly and has been
making good, so much so that he is
now considered among the best Of the
heavy leWeights-that is, those
around the 162 pound mark. During the
past year Tommy has twice fought
that tough piece of fighting machinery
mn
has also defeated Buck Grouse Of Pitts
burgh, Billy Miskie, Bert Pagan. Billy
Glover of Boston and last week had
the best of Billy Murray, the California
whom many thought had
a chance at the title Murray certainly
gave Eddie McGoOGty hard battle re-
Gently and the victory of Tommy Glib
bOns, even if a shade, makes him look
Drettygo cd. There is no danger of Mike
and Tommy ever getting together, for
they are too fond of one another. Tom
my is gaining in, weight and will soon
be arouod the 40 pound mark. He VIII
develop into a real light heavyweight,
II not a heavyweight, in another year
Billy Murray will also take on weight
and no doubt will soon be in the 10
pound class, where he can get after
Charlie Weinert and Tommy McCarty.
This Weinert boy. who was defeated
recently in Philadelphia by Jack Dill
lon (Nov. 9th) in two rounds, has made
a comeback by gaining the popular
decision over Tommy McCarty at
Brooklyn last Saturday Weinert and
Gibbons were to have been matched
lbuot that time, but his defeat by
Dillon put a stop to it. Now it is likely
they will be brought together, for
Weinert must be back in first class
shape to win over the western man
mccarthy.
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