Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-27
Willard Weighs 272 Pounds.

Jess weighed about ten pounds over a
quarter of a ton on the hoof. Per-
sons of a mathematical turn of mind
amused themselves by guessing at the
gross. Some of the guessers went as
high as half a ton.
Finally Willard submitted to a COM
pulsory secret weighing by DR.. Cramer
for the boxing commission. Fully clad
he is said to have weighed 272 pounds
The audience for the first days train
ing was small but select. The Barber
of Kewanee. who stationed collector
at the door. did not take in much more
than he did at the barber shop on
fair Saturday night. The percentage
which was received by the boxing COM
mission for permitting the exhibition
must have amounted to about s1.s9
net.
That Willard has learned whole lot
fight with Jack Johnson was shown
when he fiddled two rounds with Jack
Hemple and a couple more with Wal
ter Monahan. He has about as good
rap it right to the head. and it has
some force behind. it. OF course. he
was pulling the punches today, but
when he wants to shoot straight LETT
he can land with force enough to jar
any of the heavyweightS.
Another thing that Willard seems to
have learned is that it is not necessary
for him to bring his right uppercut all
the way up from the cellar. He can
work it now in an arc of about six
inches. and when he warts to put the
whole lifting force with it the blow
can be depended upon to furnish
something of a shock 10 his opponent.
That long straight left is quite a de-
fensive implement. With the alb
normal reach of Willard it can he re-
lied upon to keep most fighters away
al any rate for ten rounds. Again. on
the defensive Willard has a way Of
and presenting little vulnerable sur
face. He did this with Monahan, not
because it was necessary but by way
Of rehearsal
Is Fast on Feet.
For his enormous bulk Willard is
wonderfully fast on his feet. He is far
quicker in his movements than Jeffries
was at his best. He likes to have the
other man come to him, though, even
when he is Sparring.
His work today impressed the small
but select gathering. Even though
Willard did not look the lean, perfectly
trained athlete he was when he re-
turned from Havana nobody seemed
to think that he had gone much to
seed. OF course, he is much heavier
than he was then, but 1T would be hard
to say that the champion was really
fat for his bout. He could take up to
the waddle of the duck.
Beside his sparring partners Willard
doomed up like an animated Metropoli-
tan tower Monahan, who is nearly
the size of Frank Moran. looked puny
beside him. Hemple, who is even
shorter, had to leap into the air like
Johnny Dundee in his attempt to reach
Willards jaw.
willard seems to cling to his char
acteristic fighting posture, head tilted
slightly back and legs rather wide
apart. His theory seems to be to
catch them coming with the left. hold
ing the right for the main drive at the
timed for the catastrophe. We
hope for Frank Moran's sake, that he
does not let himself believe that Will
Just as likely to do the greater damage
with the left hand. In fact. 1t seems
to be the more useful fist.
Tom Jones made a desperate ehort
to keep the tonnage Of Willard secret
But the rubber-soled emissaries of the
boxing commission insisted that people
had the right to know. They mann
tanned that the inhabitants OF the civil.
lized world, from kamchatka to Yon-
l<ers would not sleep until the mystery
was cleared.
Finally Jones broke down and agreed
that the outrage be perpetrated. but in
private. Behind locked doors Willard
stepped gingerly upon the scales. De-
tails of the ordeal were suppressed.
Those who witnessed 1t were sworn
Dr. Cramer, then gave Willard an
examination. He pronounced the cham
pfon perfectly Mt, and, as the press
agent would say. Ready to put up the
battle of his life"