The Washington herald., 1915-04-02

goes twenty rounds. probably before it
goes thirteen
Willard boxed seven rounds this after.
noon in the rain, while a crowd of 5Ot
gathered in the Hotel Miramar grounds
looked on. He had intended to do more
work, but quit for fear of falling and
injuring himself. owing to the slippery
condition of the platform.
Willard now weighs 23S pounds and to-
morrow will commence tapering or In
| his work. He will do his last boxing
Saturday and last road work on Sunday.
majority of the fight experts down
here seem to agree with WIZARDS sup
porters that the cowboy will win. Will
lard himself is supremely confident De-
spite this they refuse to bet their money
at odds of less than five to two.
Unless the odds drop to three to two.
|, it looks to a man up tree as II there
We're going to be very little real money
wagered n this fight; in fact. less than
has been bet on any heavyweight cham
pionship battle in history.
wfIInrd's Vicious Punch.
Wizards supporters claim that the big
cowboys youth, superior height, weight
and reach will offset Johnson's advan-
tages of experience and superior boxing
ability They point with pride to Will
lard's punch, which they say Is the most
powerful in the world. and say that
their man will eat up Johnson's wallops
no matter how terrific they may be.
What keeps the Willardites from bet
ting without getting long odds is the
fact that Willard has not been what Is
known as the fighting heart" He Is
not a natural fighter. the absence Of
brute, but just a good natured giant.
with a particularly tender heart.
This time Willard says, however. he
will exhibit neither heart Of mercy nor
bowels of compassion, but will tear right
into J. Artha' johnson and transform his
golden smile into hamburg steak.
Johnson's supporters assert in loud
tones that the negro's greater experience.
ma sterful boxing. agility. ring general
ship and powerful punches will bring
home the bacon. but they want better
odds than are offered. The ticket sales
are increasing, but SO far there is no
evidence of a scramble for the high
priced tickets.
Jack Johnson today offered to bet
SIC. 90 to $4,000 that he would defeat
Hard. He declared that tho offer was
open to anyone. but refused to accept
any longer odds.
Jess Willard. meanwhile. Is spend
ing his spare time delving into rail-
road folders and planning a triumphal
entry into the United States. The cow
boy Is COnI10enI ne Will DC duit " iAhu
johnson with his right and IL he does
he intends to charter q special car and
make back platform speeches In every
town and hamlet between Key West
and New York. Jess Stands to make
his everlasting fortune IL he wins. and
he does not intend to overlook q single
opportunity for publicity.
Turns Down stage OHer.
Today willard turned down . vaude-
Vile contract for . week. win or lose
at $1,000. willard figures that he is
worth five times as much II he brings
the championship back to the white
race, and figures that he can get the
81 900 anyhow. 4
Havana Is commencing to NIL Up with
American fight fans. About 600 are on
the ground already and more are ex-
pected tomorrow on q special boat
from New Orleans. A big batch also
Is on the way from New York. while
others are coming by the way OF Key
West.
Jack WEIGH, who will referee. is stat
ed to arrive Friday. Today Matt
of Cleveland, was selected as
or alternate referee. He will
serve in case WEIGH. for any reason.
Is unable to officiate.
The following timekeepers also were
selected: Bob Vernon. of New York.
with Ben Harris. of New York. as
alternate: Sam Leonard. Of New York.
for johnson; WIZARDS man has not yet
been chosen.