Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-04-06
1ust as many had predicted. willard

rounds Johnson could not win. This
was based partly on the belief that
! Willard could stand all the punish
ment Johnson could inflict and partly
on the doubt as 10 Johnson's condition
and his ability at his age 20 fight a
long battle against the odds of su-
perlor A.a!.Gll- leach IN q
/ youth.
Willard said before entering the
ring that he expected TO take a beat
ing for ten or fifteen rounds As n
matter Of fact he took twenty rounds
Of severe punishment but laughed
aside the blows Of the negro who sew
/ eral times swept willard to the ropes.
/ Wizards back showed numerous
Welts raised by the ropes as he fell
into them
In the rushes johnson would at
/ tack willard In the body and when
/ the latter's hands and arms came
] down to guard trat part Of his
anatOnomy johnson would swing
right and lefts to the unprotected jaw
and face After each attack Willard
cheerfully came back for more.
Time Had Told.
Johnson's continual grin began to
change TO n look Of wonderment as
the battle turned into the twenties
and II was evident to the spectators
when the negro concluded IL was use .
! less for him to try TO knock out the
| young western giant. Johnson also
| seemed To- know that he was In no
/ condition TO fight 40 rounds. His
| blows lacked the force which sent
Jeffrles topping from the tOpmost
rung Of the pughstic ladder at Reno.
! Time had done its work.
1t had been the opinion of Johnson
and many of his friends that he did
not have to be in the best condition
/ to whip Willard, undertaking the lat
! ter's splendid condition and youthful
stamina.
The fight vas all Johnson's during
the fight twenty rounds Willard only
once or twi'e taking the aggressive
and then swinging clumsily and Wild
! ly. Meanwhile his body was growing
| Pink under Johnson's blows.
I'm these rounds Willard took a
! beating which would have put an
| ordinary fighter down and out, The
| crowd seeing him throw off these
| slashing blows expected Johnson to
| do the same thing in the fatal 26th
round. They expected Johnson to
jump up and continue fighting, but
| the old champion knew that he had
| fought his last championship fight
From the goth round to the final
| the fight looked slow, and the crowd
| began to hoot There was a single
cry Of fake" but it was not taken
up by the other spectators. The
! reason it looked slow was because
| johnson, who had been doing all of
| the fighting, suddenly stopped and
| began sparring for time.
Good Money in IT.
1t was some time before Willard
or his seconds realized that Johnson
was through and only needed a blow
or two to send him to pugilistic OBJ.
| livion.
During the early part of the fight
| Johnson carried all his old-time con
| fidence and self f-assertiveness. He
constantly banded words with the
| spectators and talked steadily at Will
lard who needed the negros chatter
| about as little as he did his blows.
Wizards seconds were after John
son all the time, warning him to
| keep away from Wizards terrific
| right. 1t was in the 10th round that
one Of Wizards seconds shouted;
Jack, you run into Jess right; we
will pick you up right over here"
BE sure you take good care of
me- said Johnson.
1t so happened that when Johnson
went down for the count It was in
| Wizards corner.
When spectator called out,
johnson, you will get yours today"
Johnson replied, well, there is good
money in it, isn't there"
willard probably win take his own
time in accepting any challenges. He
already has announced that If he won
he would not fight another negro.
There is no doubt that today's fight
Will do the new champion world of
good Today he was palpably nerv-
Gus and at first was afraid to go at
Johnson He constantly iabbed or
| lunged and then backed away instead
Of following up an advantage when it
came to him.
1t can hardly he said at persent that
Willard is a great fighter. but he is
a wonderful specimen of manhood
and is likely to develop an aggres-
siveness and skill that may make him
| invincible for years to come.
Willard looked very clumsy against
Johnson today. a more skillful man
might have knocked Johnson out
after the twelfth round, for after
that the negro was going on speed and
nerve and skill.
Cubans for willard.
Throughout the fight the Cubans
kept shouting words of encourage
ment to willard When one specta-
tor shouted at Johnson that he was
an old man, the negro replied. You
just watch the old man. and with
that he chased Willard twice across
the ring. knocking his head first to
the right and then TO the left with a
series of cross blows.
Through the twenty-first, twenty
second, twenty-third and twenty
fourth rounds Johnson hardly struck
blow. lie kept feinting at willard,
who was ever ready TO break ground.
When johnson finally went down in
the twenty sixth round he rolled over
on his back. The sun was beating
down with torrid intensity and his
arms drew up as though to shield his
eyes from the glare while the referee
counted him out
There was virtually no big betting
here on the fight. The odds for small
wagers today varied from eight to
five. to six to five on the negro.
The tropical setting for the big con-
test could hardly have been more pic
turcsque. II was held I'm Oriental
park. the race course at Marianao,
twelve miles from Havana.
The crowd which paid to see the
fight looked to number between fif-
teen and twenty thousand. In addi-
a.