Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1915-04-05
THOUSANDS IN
HAVANA TO SEE
THE BIG FIGHT
Both Johnson and Willard Con-
fident of Victory Before
the Battle.
BOUT LATE IN STARTING;
SKIES ARE OVERCAST
Champion Is the Favorite. but
the Price Is Only 6 to 5
on Him.
By the Associated Press.

HAVANA. April 5.-Jaok Johnson
and Jess Willard began their battle
for the worlds heavyweight hstie
championship here this afternoon
near scheduled time. The early hours
of the day saw thousands OF fans on
their way to the Marianao race
course, where the bout was staged.
Neither the black champion nor the
cowboy fighter changed over night
their optimistic forecasts of the out
come. Each man was sure he would
win. johnson said he was in good
shape and didn't care If the fight
was a hard one, as he was eft to go
any distance" Willard's hackers
were certain that their man would
win if the fight went beyond ten
rounds. Willard himself asserted that
he was not in the least nervous over
the result.
The day of the worlds heavyweight
championship fight broke with over
cast skies in Havana and decidedly
cool wind blowing in from the sea.
When the sun rose it was behind a
solid bank of clouds. but as the day
advanced blue patches of sky ap-
peared here and there. bringing hope
of fine weather to the fighters, to
the fight promoters and to the thou-
sands of men who had jouIneyed to
Havana TO witness the big battle.
jess Expects Early Punishment.
, 1t Fas apparent that Willard wss
| loath to discuss his plan Of cam
paign. He did say, however, that he
! proposed 10 go slow and that he eN-
pected TO take a good deal OF pun
! ishmeut during the first ten rounds,
| hoping to wear johnson down and
get an opportunity to land a knock
out blow. Willard was confident
| that if he could land two or three
rights on Johnson the tight soon
would end. willard said johnson
ability as a boxer would give hlfl
onnortunify TO make a better show
Inv in the early rounds of the fight,
/ b1t never in his ring career had Will
| lard felt any discomfort from any
/ hfo1V delivered on his body, and he
| did not fear Johnson's jabs. Willard
| seemed very fit indeed when he LEFT
| his quarters for the park. The in
! Aammation to his eye from the
| snlssb of ehloroform liniment last
night has Welded rapidly to treat
nnen+ and il is not believed il will
/ have any i'll effects.
johnson n to 5 Favorite.
! r. was the old story Of skill and
strength against youth and strength
with the betting odds at to on
1Jolnson's skill. Johnson, one or the
largest men who ever stepped into
prize ring, faced an opponent meas
urably larger and ten years younger
than himself. The negro champion
| is thirty -eight years old, Willard Is
ltventv-eight, weighs normally tWen-
~ pounds more than Johnson and
tops him five and one-heh inches
being six feet six inches tail. Not
within the history of the prize ring
had two such giants been brought TO-
gether.
The scene of the fight was the Ha-
vana racetrack, ten miles from the
CITY. Thousands made their way tc
the track hours before the time sci
for the opening Of the encounter
Tickets to the amount of SSo,0Oo hao
been sold in advance but the So seats
were sold at the turnstiles at the foul
gates today. Sunrise found men wait.
ling in line. Some OF them had beer
there all night.
/ Forty-nNe ROUNDS was the sStieu uiCe
length of the fight, but few OF tbs
thousands who gathered entertained
even q passing belief that 1t would
go that long. That would mean thref
hours of fighting, allowing for tbs
one-minute rest between rounds.
Tex o'Rourke. one of Willard's ad-
lvisers, thought that in the first ter
rounds the advantage would be witt
johnson because of his superior skill
After this O'Rourke said Willard
would wear the champion down. II
thirty rounds or less, he thought
Willard would win.
Jess Willard popped out Of be'
with the rising sun this morning
and after a light armstretching exer
else in the air partook of his break
fast. He then prepared himself for |
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