The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-12
DOPE AGAINST IT
Few Times Has the Title
Passed in Short Bouts.
Seventeen Rounds the Average
OF Five Big Fights.

With Willard and Moran both
bound to contracts, and the day of
the big fiasco fast approaching, fight
fans everywhere and Kansas friends
of willard are asking the question:
''Will Moran have any kind of a
chance against the Sunflower cham
pion ?"
The question has been considered
from every angle, and Morans press
agents, and even the promoters. have
been diligently seeking a lire of evil
dence to show that the challenger
will be worthy of Jess best efforts.
However, in spite of all, the general
opinion seems to be that the Pittsburg
sorrcl top will get little out of the
match above the actual cash consid-
Grafton he is to receive, win, lose or
draw.
If Moran were all that his hackers
claim him to be, if Willard were a
bigger dub than Kansans believe, and
If II were a finish fight, there might
be some chance for the title to pass.
But in a 10-round bout, any impartial
fight critic viii tell you that the best
TO be expected is q good exhibition
of punches and chance to size up
the relative merits of the two men.
It's Never Done.
The passing of titles in 10-round
bouts is almost are rare an occurrence
as the appearance of Halley's comet,
and glance into the dusty records
of the past will indicate why such a
thing NAV not be looked for on the
Sth of March. Not once since John
l.. Sullivan was rocked 20 sleep by
James J. Corbett at New Orleans in
1892 has the heavyweight title
changed hands by a knock out scored
in less thar 10 rounds, and only by
scoring a knockout can Moran cap
ture the crown.
1t took Corbett twenty-one rounds
to batter down the game Sullivan, who
finally succumbed not from any one
punch. but from the continual batter
ing he had received. 1t took Bob
Fitzsimmons fourteen rounds to flat
ten Jim Corbett with his famous solar
plexus punch at Carson City on March
II. 1897. 1t took James j. Jeffries
eleven rounds to strip Fitzsimmons OF
the title when they met on June 8
1899. at Coney Island. Even Jeffries
tottering as he was when he disputed
the claim of Jack Johnson to the
heavyweight championship, stood Ut
before the negro for fifteen rounds in
that memorable battle at Reno on July
A. 1910. And then it took twenty-siE
rounds for youth and stamina to tr1-
umph over age when Jess Willard
assembled to the throne over the pros
trate body of Jack Johnson at Havana
on April ;, last year.
Seventeen Rounds the Average.
Accepting these five fights as the
outstanding examples, it is found thai
total of 81 rounds of fighting have
been consumed for the crown tC
change hands five times. This makes
an average of a fraction more thar
seventeen rounds per fight.
OF course, those who are backing
Moran and who believe he has more
than a fighting chance contend thai
his superiority over Willard is greater
than was the superiority of the above
mentioned challengers who won the
title. But the general public doubt:
this-doubts it seriously.
Moran's record shows that since
1911 he has fought p battles. that ht
has won g by knockouts, that he ha'
won II in all and has only lost 5
However. most of the men he has de
feated have been considerably under
championship caliber, and Jack John
son and Gunboat Smith. the only two
really great fighters he has been pitteC
against both licked him. In matter
of age there is little difference be
tween Willard and Moran, but il
height Willard has som ething like sil
inches on the Pittsburger, and he ha-
1t on him in reach and in superior
training advantages.