Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-08-01
DOES WILLARD FEAR COFFEY?
No Reply is Made to Challenge
Issued by Irishman and Jones
Says Get a Rep"
TALE OF WHEN WILLARD QUIT

NEW YORK. July $50 much talk
has been heard OF late regarding a Corey
Willard match this summer that ring fol-
lowers are taking It for granted that the
men will come together. AS matter OF
fact, no reply has come from Willard IN
response TO the Irishman's offer OF
$500 guarantee, and no one seems to
know whether the champion means to
fight or not.
Late reports from the west, where
Willard is showing. are to the effect that
Manager Tom Jones shows signs Of irrt-
tstion whenever Coffey's name is men
toned. "Coffey may be as good as they
say he Is, but he will have to go and
get a reputation before we can bother
with him." is the way Jones responds to
all queries regarding the prospects Of
match with the popular Trishman.
In view of Coffey's great popularity,
Jones intimation that he should get
reputation" sounds like a Joke. II by
reputation" Jones means ability 70 at
tract fight followers in paying numbers
he need not worry about that end of the
matter. for right now It is doubtful
whether Willard himself Is a better card
than the Lrishman. Certainly there is
no other opponent for Willard who could
draw more than rs per cent of the amount
that Coffey and Willard would draw.
Is Unpopular Cry.
That get a reputation" cry never did
make much of hit with fistlc fans. And
it is to be hoped that Willard, who but
a few short months ago was a novice
himself, does not mean to take refuge be-
does not mean to defend his honors as
early as next fall none OF his rivals has
any ground for serious objection, for II
ever there was a boxer who deserved
what easy money he could pick up VIII
lard is the man. BY defeating johnson
he did something to help boxing in gem
oral as we'll as himself The johnson
match was staged at a considerable cost
to Wilard's hackers. and they deserve
some return from their outlay. But II
Willard is not ready to return to the
ring he should be frank enough to say SO
instead Of making excuses that may
cause his motives to be misunderstood.
II Willard decides to make Coffey wait
the latter has no real cause to worry
The longer Willard remains idle the
worse II will be for him and the better
for Coffey, who needs all the seasoning
he can obtain before making his bid.
A year from now Coffey should be at his
best. while It is decidedly doubtful
whether Willard can improve his present
form. The great majority Of fighters OF
WIZARDS age are going back instead OF
forward.
when willard Quit.
In st. Louis the sporting writers re-
Gently devoted much space to an incide~t
of Wizards early career that should give
Coffey some encouragement. It appears
that certain Joe Cox once made Will
lard jump through the ropes in the sew
enth round of a bout at Springfield, Mo.
some two and half years ago. Cox was
boy OF 20 at the time. and as great at
the boxing game as willard himself
However, Cox was an all-round athlete.
and his superior condition told. Accord
ing to the story he tore into Willard so
fast that the big fellow became confused
and after receiving a wild right lodged
around the referee seeking protection.
Not receiving 1t he quickly jumped
through the ropes and ambled 10 his
dressing room, still stroking his jaw.
That this actually happened as de-
scribed there can be little doubt as tho
story was current throughout the west
long before Willard met Johnson, and
because of 1t Willard had few supporters
In that section when he met the black
However. Wizards sorry performance
happened long before he had begun to
take boxing seriously and had become
ambitious enough to value a reputation
The only inference that can be drawn
from it is that Willard was too green to
know any better.