Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-25
WILLARD SIGNS
TO FIGHT FOR
100000 PURSE
Tex Rickard Hooks Up the
Champion to Defend His
Title Next July

Chicago, Jan. 25.-Tex Rickard
announced to-day that he had signed
a contract with Jess Willard, cham
pion heavyweight pugilist of the
world, whereby Willard agrees to
fight anybody selected by Riekard,
any place in the world, for a purse
of 100000, some time next July.
The fight is to be an agreed number
of rounds up to forty. Rickard Is
considering Jack Dempsey and
Georges Carpenter for the match.
Richard reserved the right to
wait until March 25 before making
the selection. The place for holding
the battle will be named sixty days
before the contest.
The contest will be the first that
Willard has fought since he met
Frank Moran, of Pittsburgh. in New
York in March, 1916. Rickard was
the promoter of that match.
Under the terms of the agreement
the champion agreed to deposit $10.-
with a Chicago bank at once, this
sum to be forfeited to Rickard If
Willard fails to carry out his prom
ises. Richard agreed to deposit &c.,
in Chicago tomorrow, $4,000 sixty
days before the date of the contest
and $4,000 forty-eight hours before
the day of the battle.
y Provided Richard fails to make
the second deposit of $4,000, he
agreed to forfeit the first $40, 200 to
Willard. and If he fails to deposit
the $4,000 Willard will receive
| $25, 900.
The Kansas cowboy" agreed not
| to make any other engagements, Oh
| to appear in any exhibition contests
! and also agreed to be at the place
/ designated for the battle sixty days
in advance to finish his training.
1t was decided Rickard should
name the referee and that his selec.
ton would be final.
'I haven't any idea where the
contest will be decided" said Rick.
ard.
"The laws of the state i'm which
the battle will be staged will, Of
course, govern the situation.
! hope to stage the contest in a state
J allowing bouts of twenty or thirty
rounds.
Wherever the battle is fought, i
will not be in baseball park.
plan to build an arena with q seat
. ing capacity of $4,000. This will
cost close to $4,000. The prices O
admission probably will be from $1t
to $50, although these details hav,
not been worked out"
Frank C. Fuolrnoy, of Memphis
Tenn. Richards business partner
will be associated with Rickard il
promoting the battle.
Willard left his oil business ii
Texas to come to Chicago at Rick
ards request. The champion sal,
he weighed close to 275 pounds, bu
that he probably would enter tn,
! ring weighing about 245 pounds.
81 presume some people will thinl
that l demanded the earth to box,
Willard said. "Rickard met m,
terms and 1 accepted. 1 want to sa.
that I didn't get a cent for fighting
Johnson in Hanava. In fact. 1 ha'
to borrow money to get back to tn,
United States. The man who meet
me. IL he wins. will have the sam,
opportunity that l. did to MAX
money. l am making money in tn
oil business and did not car
whether l ever fought again.
II don't care who is selected {,
meet me. The purse is the thing
am not boxing for fun. It's bust
ness with me-"
Willard and Richard will leav,
for Texas tomorrow night.
The 100000 purse is the bigges
ever offered a pugilist. Jack John
son got $66;00O for defeating Jeff
ries.