The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-22
.@M o. Up to the Minute "a
VXA SPORTINGNEws&y9H
/ ZZgAN From Everywhere. E0I
A LEFT UPPERCUT
Jess Has Rare SOuthpaw Jab,
Says Jas. ]. COrbett.
Size VIII Count a Lot in Sat-
urday Nights Battle.
BY JAMES J. CORBETT.
rmcr Heavyweight Champion OF
the World.

the World.
New York, March 22.-I saw Jess
willard for the first time Tuesday art
ernoon, and I had the biggest surprise
of nv life. 1 went down to the Pio-
neer Sporting club in West Forty
fourth street where the champion is
training, expecting to see massive
chan who possibly might show some
SIGNS of knowing the game. What
snrprisel Why, that big fellow looked
every bit as good to me as Jerfries ala
when Jim was champion.
1 don't want to come right out ana
pick Willard as a sure winner until
have seen Moran work; L VIII vls nl
the challenger's camp this afternoon.
I will tell you what 1 saw up there
and on Friday 1 will pick the
winner, in my opinion, and give my
reasons for the selection
But Moran will have to be awtully
good to convince me that he can win
from willard Why, that giant mas
everything in the world that cham
MON needs. He can box, he can hit
and with both hands, too; wonderful
defensive man and apparently has a
good head
Left Uppercut.
was impressed most with Willards
left hand had heard that he had
no sting behind it; that he paved
with it instead of swapping it as 1t
landed. 1 had heard wrong. That
left hand has plenty of speed and
power behind it. And he can hook II
equally as well as he can shoot it
straight.
The best thing of all about that left
hand is that willard can really upper
cut with it. 1t is sort of a half upper
cut and as he used it today 1 am sure
that this punch will worry Moran a
whole lot. You can count the men
who can uppercut successfully with
a left hand on your fingers. 1t is one
of the hardest blows in the game to
master. willard has it down to per-
lection.
Moran's best punch undoubtedly is
his right hand to the body or jaw.
Well, 1 believe that Willard can hit
faster with his right than Moran can
with his.
And Willard knows how to hit with
that right hand, too. He uses it sell
dom, but when he does start it it
never fails to land. 1t is a true sign
of a champion when man let's his
right loose only when he is sure it
will land solidly.
Size VIII Count.
Wizards size is going to help him
a lot in this battle. All this talk
about size not counting goes only
when the heavier man does not know
how to take advantage of it. Willard
most assuredly realizes when and how
to make the best of his height and
weight.
Willard probably isn't in as fine
condition as Moran, but 1 don't think
he needs to be. If he is in trouble
any time during the fight he is so
strong that he will be able to keep
Moran away with that long massive
left arm. Willard is not lightning
fast on his feet, either. And again
he doesn't have to be because of his
strength.
Moran may land many a hard
punch on Wizards jaw. But I noticed
particularly that Jess has the happy
faculty of letting his head ride" with
these punches. And he surely can
take them in the body. I saw Jack
Hemple, who is a pretty hard hitter,
smash him time and again in the
stomach and the blows didn't bother
the champion in the least. He has
developed the muscles over mis- stom-
ach to such an extent that he can
stand almost any amount of punish
ment there.
Willard has the ''one-two'' punch
down to perfection. Against the clever
Walter Monahan, he pulled this fam
Gus attack time and again and with
speed that would do credit to a light
weight.
When started this story said that
I figured Willard the equal of the
great Jeffries. I do. Both own cork
ing left hands, with Jeffries probably
the best hitter with the southpaw. AS
far as rights go, l am forced to give
Willard a shade the best of it. Both
of them are about on evens as far as
the rest of the game goes. Gee, but
what a fight Jeff and Jess would have
put up if they both had been at their
best at the same time.
-. Read my story Friday ana I'll tell
what 1 saw up at Morans training
camp.