The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-04-09
White Man Acclaimed World
Champion at Havana.
Negro Had Best Of Fight For
Twenty Rounds Knocked
Cut In Twenty-Sixth.

cowboy, the biggest man who ever
entered the prize ring, and white
hope" who at last has made good.
Day after tomorrow johnson and
his wife, and little group of friends
will sail for Martinique. and there
await passage back to France where
Johnson proposes to settle down and
lead the life of farmer, raising
pigs and chickens. There is little
doubt that he is through with the
ring.
willard, who is being acclaimed
tonight as the new champion, is 60
ing back to the United States to
win a fortune which was denied him
today, when Johnson got $4,000
before the fight started, Willard
taking only a small share of the net
receipts. Just what was his share
in unknown.
Todays fight probably has no par
allel in the history of ring battles.
ed and pounded Willard at will, but
his blows grew perceptibly weaker
as the fight progressed, until at last
he seemed unable and unwilling to
go on.
Johnson stopped leading and for
three or four rounds the battle be-
tween the huge men was little more
than a series of plastic poses.
So it was until the twenty-fifth
round. when Willard got one of his
widely swinging right smashes to
Johnson's heart. This was the be-
ginning of the round.
When the round closed Johnson
sent his wife, word he was all in and
to start for home. She was on the
way out, passing the ring in the
twenty-sixth when a singing left to
the body and cyclonic right to the
jaw caused Johnson to crumple on
the floor of the ring where he lay
partly outside the ropes until the
referee counted ten and held up
Wizards hand in token of his newly
won laurels.
The twenty-sixth round resulting
in Johnson's knockout after min
ute and twenty six seconds fighting
was as follows.
Johnson rose slowly from his chair
Willard met him more than
two-thirds the way across the ring,
and stabbed long left into the ne
groes face, sending his head bob
bling back. Before the Champion
could recover his position Willard
swung a smashing right full on
Johnson's stomach. The blow flung
Johnson against the ropes. They
clinched on his rebound.
The cowboy stried to tear loose;
but the black man held grimly with
his eyes closed and legs shaking.
Just before the referee broke them,
Johnson looked over Wizards
shoulder at the box where his wife
had been, his eyes showing a dazed,
tired and puzzled expression.
After the break Jess rushed. fore
ing the negro into Wizards corner.
where the finish came. Johnson
was slow in guarding and his oppo
nent hooked, swinging his left to
the body. The fading champions
legs quivered, and again the tower
ing giant tented for the body.
Johnson dropped his. guard and
Willard won the title with quick,
hard swing to the exact point of the
jaw.
The negroes fnees folded up un-
Ger him and he sank slowly to the
floor and rollel over on his back,
partly under tn. ropes. Welch
waved Willard back and tolled off
the fateful seconds, Johnson never
moving. The negro was still
stretched on the floor as the ref
cree raised the winners hand.
No fight between heavyweights
that has gone to finish was clean
err or less brutal. Johnson's left
eye was partly closed, but not suf-
I ficiently to interfere with his fight
ing. His lip was also cut inside.
Wallard has already announced
he will not fight another negro. He
probably will take his own time in
accepting challenges. ..
There was virtually no big betting
here on the fight The odds for
small wagers today ranged eight to
five to six to five on the negro.
Johnson arrived at the track at
1875, bat did not appear until
later. His wife came TO the ring
side accompanied by Tom Flanagan,
who acted for Johnson.
At half past twelve Junior Jim