The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-09


 interesting as BoishevilI circulars. Their reasoning was about as logical as Dr. Cooks proverbial talc of how he discovered" the North Pole. DOxERs are ever-ready to knock ID the other fellow. ungrateful and fnconsidcrate. Of course, there are many exceptions. but the general run of fighters is made up of selfish indi- vtduaia who for a nickle would hook their right arm. They detest honest criticism when aimed at them, but do not hesitate 70 direct unjust!hed and ridiculous comment at the real hard worker.
 True. Jess wil1a I'd was not a popu- lar champion: on the contrary, he was the most unpopular. But there Is no denying the fact that he was as game as any of them. It was Will lard who brought back the cham pionship to the white race when every other white man failed. Jess never said he was a fighter. He never forced himself onto the public by appearing in the ring. He was sought by Jack Curley and Tom Jones. two euterprisins and shrewd sports These induced Jess to enter the ring with Jack Johnson by prom ising him a fortunc--which he never got from the two.
 Willard at the time was novice. His physical greatness impressed Cur Icy. Jones 6 Company, and Willard was picked out as a good thing" But Jess fooled them by knocking out the colored man. Willard may not have been the great fighting man that a person his size is believed to be, but he did prove n good business man He got n few pennies for lick ing Johnson. And because he would not stand for the screen work of his endless chain of managers. Jack Cur ley started a propaganda intended to belittle Jess fin the eyes of the public. THROUGH Jack Curley and his E friends Willard was made to ap- pear in the clothing of n big ungrate- ful coward. But was he coward In our humble opinion Willard was anything but a coward. The fact that he consented to meet so clever nnd experienced a man as Jack John son. when he knew little or nothing about boxing, bears out this conten- tion.
 Jess was being robbed right and left He was soaked and a good meal ticket for those who never did put in a hard days work. But the
 
 he turned the tables. He refused to be robbed any longer. And Jess proved that he was anything but a sap by making five times as much in one year as Curley and Company made for him in two.
 A ND then along came Jack Demp- H sey The champion agreed to meet him. He had the goods and nc wanted his price. With Willard fl wasn't a sporting proposition-it was a business deal. one in which dol 1ar. and cents were concerned. Will lard always admitted that he didn't care for boxing as a sport and was meeting Dempsey simply because Tex Rickard had paid him his price. But h. trained and works hard for the fight.
 hi. opponent a much smaller and tighter man. But this same small man proved his undoing. He liter ally beat Willard down to q pulp, knocking him down seven times in the short space of time of three minutes. The Kansan's eye was swollen and blind; he fought with the sight of but one optic. in the second round. He was badly cut up and beaten by the single blow of the hardest hitting heavyweight the game has known since Bob F1tzsfmmons' time. But though beaten in that opening stanza and although he was ready to Hop any second. Willard came back gamely in the second and tried 90 hard to fight. but in vain.
 Then the third came. It was a ter r1bie round--for Willard. Ringsiders aal agree that 1t was terrible past