South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-13
thinks WILLARD
SINCERE IN OFFER
One Sport Writer Believes
Jesse Deserved AdvertiS-
ING He Got.
InternatloDal News Service:

international News Service:
CHICAGO. Jan. 13.-Jess willard
may or may not defend his title in
a benefit bout with Fred Fulton or
some other opponent. His offer 70
do 50. however, has served 70 yank
jess into the spotlight.
All the publicity given the offer
has not been favorable. Many
scribes have PANIED jess for what
they declared was a scheme 70
graf publicity. The sincerely OF
Wizards offer has been impugned
BY sport writer's from all points Of
the compass
Thinks jess Sincere.
One veteran Chicago writer. how
ever, believes Jess is sincere. He
does not agree with the champions
critics and says their point Of view
Is Unfair.
Just after Jess willard had
squelched Jack Johnson sport
writer's expressed the gratefulness
Of the Caucasians." says the Chica-
go veteran. IF this big fellow
never does another thing one
writer declared. he should always
remain one Of the athletic idols OF
the American people
That was three years ago.
The other day willard came out
with proposition 10 engage in a
ten-round bout contest, the whole
Of the proceeds to 90 10 the Red
Cross or some other war fund. No
sooner had the papers announced
the Willard plan than people be-
gan 20 attack the scheme as q
matter of press work TO boost him
self into popularity with the Amer
lean people.
The viewpoint was narrow and
unfair.
Onered Co Give All
Willard offered 10 give all of his
end Of the money 10 "a war fund.
one OF the leading heavyweights
who accepted the offer said ne
would give only half of his end. as
the remainder would be required to
pay necessary expenses of training.
IF willard got advert sing out
OF II he was entitled 90 il Willard
says he discovered. the day after
his fight with Crimson. that me was
something like $4,000 i'm debt. Yet
Jess has paid that and made a for
tune since he won the title He is
the champion and has q perfect
right TO dictate the terms of any
bout he enters.
willard did not have bean
when he started after Johnson. and
il willard hadn't won he would
probably be in a Cuban Jail to this
day because of the debts he owed.
The SNOWFALL in the furnace lived
10 a ripe old age compared with
the life of the purse Willard got at
Havana 1t was gone practically
before IL was taken in. Can any
one blame Willard in his present
stand ?"
Pal Moore. the Memphis bantam.
IS one scrapper OF a philosophical
and refreshing turn of mind. lie
turns a bad break in such a way as
TO ease his own mind and show his
friends that he is a good loser.
Pal boxed Joe Lynch in PrOvi-
dence. r. l.. a few weeks ago and
at the end of u rounds the referee
called Lynch the winner. The
crowd did not concur in the deci-
sion. as the night looked even eli
the way Even the Providence
sport writer's called il a draw.
1T might have been that I re-
ceived the worst of a close deci-
sion. or that Lynch got the better
of IT," said Moore after the scrap
"Of course. this battle was so even
that at the end OF the eleventh
round I did not see how the referee
could have called it anything but
an even break.
when I look back over some OF
my decision fights. however. I find
that referees in the main have
struck a fair average for me. so Il
got the worst OF il in the Lynch
battle IL merely evens up for 9th
ers in which j got a little more
than my share I am getting an
other match with Lynch. and ther
we shall see"