The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-25
s1OO,OOO PURSE DRAWS WILLARD FROM RETIREMENT Tex Rickard Offers Heavy weight Champion Big Curse for Battle, Win
 Lose or Draw
By Associated pre.s

By Associated Press
 Chicago, January A-A purse Of $lO0,0O0 : drew Jess Willard. heavyweight boxing champion of the world, out of retirement tonight.
 Tex Rickard, promoter of the Joe Gans- Battling Nelson fight and the heavy weight championship battle between Jef- fries and Johnson, tonight after two days of conference obtained Wfllard's sigma ture to set of articles to fight any op- ponent selected for him He agreed to box any number of rounds up to 40. The match will be decided next July, probably on the fourth. Willard will receive s10O.- 600, win, lose or draw.
 Rickard said that either Geogres Car penter, che French heavyweight. or Jack Dempsey, who has been clamoring for match with the champion would be Will lard's opponent. Rickard reserved the right to wait until March 25 before mak- ing the selection. The place for holding the battle will be named GO days before the contest.
 The contest will be the first that Will lard has fought since he met Frank Moran of Pittsburg,. in New York in March, 1916. Rickard was the promoter of that match.
  champion agreed to deposit $lO,0Oo with a Chicago bank at once, this sum to be for feited to Rickard if Willard fails to carry out his promises. Rickard agreed to de- posit s10,O0o in Chicago tomorrow, $15,0O0 60 days before the date of the contest, and s75,ooo 4s hours before the day of the battle.
 Y Provided Rickard fails to make the sec ond deposit of s15,000 he agreed to forfei. the first s10,00O to Willard, and if he fails to post the $75,0OO, Willard will receive $25, ,O0o
 The Kansas cowboy agreed not to make any other engagements, or to ap- pear in any exhibition contests. and also agreed to be at the place designated for the battle 60 days in advance to finish his training. It was decided that Rickard should name the referee and that his se- lection should be final.
 T haven't any idea where the contest will be decided" said Rickard. ''The laws of the state in which the battle will be staged will. of course, govern the sit nation. I hope to stage the contest in a state allowing bouts of 20 or 90 rounds. /''Wherever~tne battle is fought, it will not be in a baseball park. I plan to build an arena with seating capacity of 5o,- 900. This will cost close to $35,000. The prices of admission probably will be from sio to $50, although these details have not been worked out"
 Frank c. F'lournoy of Memphis, Tenn, Richards business partner, will be asso- ciated with Rickard in promoting the battle.
 Chicago, January 24.--Wi1lard left fis oil business in Texas to come tc Chicago at Richards request. The champion said he weighed close to PTS pounds, but that he probably would Nenter the ring weighing about 245.
 T presume some people will think that I demanded the earth to box. Willard said. "Rickard met my terms and I accepted. I want to say that l did not get cent for fighting Johnson in Havana. In fact I had to borrow money to get back to the United States The man who meets me. if he wins, will have the same opportunity that I did to make money. am making money in the oil business and did not care whether I ever fought again.
 T don't care who is selected to meet me. The purse is the thing. I am not boxing for fun. It's business with me-" Willard and Rickard will leave for Texas tomorrow night.
 The $1O0,000 purse is the biggest ever offered a pug!list. Jack Johnson got $66.Oo0 for defeating Jeffries.