Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-07-05
CHAMPION PRACTICALLY KNOCKED OUT
IN FIRST ROUND BUT SAVED BY GONG
AND HANGS ON TILL BEAT TEN HELPLESS
WILLARD KNOCKED DOWN FIVE
TIMES IN OPENING INNING AND
WAS SITTING Imply ON FLOOR
WHEN END OF THE ROUND CAME

disappointed estimates by about so
per cent, with an appraising eye.
Dempsey presented a contrast. The
man across from him outweighed him
forty pounds and looked as big and
impregnable as a Metropolitan bank
building. The mood of the challenger
was plainly thoughtful and more than
one ringside gazer whispered, He s
licked right now"
When thcy were introduced Jess
sauntered over with the cordial man
ner of one desiring to reassure a
youngster and took his hand in the
friendliest way. Jacks handshake
was friendly. too, just then, but it was
the last token of friendship from those
gloves. A minute or so later they were
using Willard for a chopping block
and some in the crowd were crying,
stop it! Stop it! rs plain murder
The Blow That Told.
Dempseys first effective bolws, and
the ones which apparently settled Will
lard's fate, were right over Willard's s
shoulder to the jaw, a left to the body
and a right to the jaw. Jess staggered.
His eye was closing and he reeled, and
the challenger, with all the energy of
his pulsing youth, began hitting him
at will.
The attendance was below eXpecta-
tions, Seats were built for $4,000, and
the estimate was that not more than
half of these were occupied. Specu-
lators lost heavily. No betting was re-
ported at the ringside, nor was there
much elsewhere, SO far as could be as
certained.
The heat Of the day was terrific, in
tensified as 1t was BY the vast acre
age of greer hunher During the pre.
hminary bouts, which lasted IRON II
o'clock until 2:3O, the thermometer
Jumped to 120 degrees. 1t showed 11O
degrees when Willard and Dempsey
entered the ring.
When Dempsey was proclaimed
winner the crowd surged onto the mat
in a wild scramble to shake the hand
of the new champion. At times some
of them topped over onto the telegra-
piers and reporters just below, who
were struggling in the mad disorder
to report what had happened. Police
eventually dispersed them by hustling
Dempsey away.
Willard was taken to an automo-
bile and disappeared from view of the
crowd.
Simply Slaughter.
While the passing of the heavy
weight championship was one of the
most dramatic events of modern ring
history, it was lacking entirely in high
class boxing. With the exception of
the first three snappy left jabs with
which Willard opened the contest, the
combat was simply a series of terrific
drives and smashes virtually all of
which were delivered by Dempsey
The first of these crashing swings
to land on Wizards jaw and body ap-
peared to completely daze him and
take away from the title holder all
power to either protect himself or
fight back as had been expected by
his admirers. Whether he could have
stood up better under the battering
of Dempsey few years ago will al
ways he a moot question. 1t cannot
be denied, However, that Willard was
in good physical condition and dis
played gameness up to the moment
that his seconds persuaded him to re-
linquish the championship to Demp-
sey.
Willard Was Game.
This was demonstrated by the fact
that he received in nine minutes of
fighting far more punishment than