Omaha daily bee., 1917-03-11
jess SIGNS WITH
THE CIRCUS FOLKS
But Champ Inserts Clause that
Permits Him to Serve
Notice.
BOUND TO MEET FULTON
By RINGSIDE.

NsllliuSpt AhalSh JNsS w VI,
heavyweight champion. left a loop
hole for himself when he recently
signed a contract to exhibit with a
circus again this season. The loop
hole is a clause in the contract which
permits him to break it by giving
three weeks notice.
Jess wasn't quite sure when he
signed up how the public would take
to the idea of having its champion
out OF the ring for another year. A
few weeks ago there didn't appear to
be any man in sight capable of giving
him good battle for the title, Then
Fred Fulton of Rochester. Mimi,
bobbed up and commenced moving
them down as fast as they faced him,
and Willard was compelled to sit UP
and take notice. With one ear to the
ground, the champion realized that
public demand sooner or later might
force him to meet Fulton or be ac-
cused of fearing him But the de-
mand had not reached its apex and
Willard hooked up with the circus.
Willard doesn't want to lose his
title. 1t is the asset which has been
coming the money for him ever since
he downed Jack Johnson at Havana,
and with the title gone, Wizards at
traction at the box Office would end,
He doesn't care enough for fighting
to keep on il he is shorn of his crown,
his love for the game is not over
whelming, but as long as the title is
a revenue producer he wants to hang
on to it.
Moreover, he doesn't want to lose
any of his popularity-never too great
with the fight loving public. So he
knew that if the demand that he meet
Fulton became insistent he must
either give the plasterer chance at
him or be called gutter, and make
himself the target for a lot of I'M
pleasant stuff when he exhibited with
the circus. Hence the loophole in the
contract.
If the public insists that Fulton get
a chance before the circus closes next
November Willard will cancel his con-
tract and get down to hard training
for the Minnesotan.
If the demand is not noisy he will
continue reaping the fat salary-said
to be $500 day-which he can draw
for appearing with the show. Will
lard, of course, is hoping Fulton won't
be taken seriously, and that If he is
he will be humbled by the mighty
Jess.
Leads All Contenders.
Getting down to cases on this Full
Willard affair, there undoubtedly
will be a match between them some
time. Fulton is the only man who
has a chance to beat Willard now.
Undoubtedly he can trim any of the
other challengers as easily as he did
Weinert and Cowles. At present a
ten-round no-decision affair is about
the only thing for Fulton and Will
lard. The. money which the cham
pion asks is possible in only one
place, New York, where the short
bouts are in vogue.
Willard knows his worth, and his
demand, variously estimated at $780,
900 to $4,000, for meeting Fulton
in ten rounds is by no means ex-
orbitant. They called him holdup
man when he asked-and got-$47,-
500 for boxing Frank Moran, yet the
house drew more than $l50,0O0. A
match with Fulton would undoubted-
ly prove an even greater magnet.
So. Wizards demand for a big purse
is within reason, and he cannot be
blamed for not rushing into a bout
simply for the sake of removing this
Fulton.
So it behooves the fans to sit tight.
Some promoter with real cash is go
ing to see the light soon and the
match will be on. And there are those
who would not be surprised if the
champion went to the floor for the
count in less than ten rounds if that
terrible wallop which Fulton packs
ever connects flush.
Brimful of Confidence.
Fulton, meanwhile, is going his way
with his services very much in de-
mand. He is brimful of confidence
and is barring none of those who
would meet him.
"There are a lot of guys around
New York who want to get on with
me-" said Fulton recently. ! will
take them on as fast as they come,
if there is a decent purse in sight,
but | want the winner to take all.
There is no reason | should meet a
lot of dubs so they can get the losers
end of fat purse"
Carl Morris, the Oklahoman, is one
man Fulton does not take strongly,
but is anxious to meet. Back in Full
tons green kid days Morris won from
him on an unintentional foul and if
there is any money in it Fulton is
anxious to wipe out that blot by CIV
ing Morris the trouncing of his life
Looks Suspicious.
Bonnie Leonard, the New Yorker
and Richie Mitchell, pride of Mil
waukee, may mean all the things
they are saying about each other, but
there is a sneaking suspicion in this
neck of the woods that they have
agreed to fight it out sometime IN
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