New-York tribune., 1919-07-04
On Eve of Battle McCee-
han Picks Willard to De-
feat Dempsey; Crowd
Is With the Challenger
Nearly a Million
Will Be Paid In
Champion Will Weigh In
at More Than 24O and
Opponent Below 200
BY W. O. Mcclellan

TOLEDO, July 3.-Jess Willard and
Jack Dempsey will box twelve rounds
in S150,O0O arena here tomorrow for
s127,500 before almost million dol
lars worth OF spectators. They have
accumulated something like $4,000
apiece in their training, which is much
more than the purse of some former
heavyweight championship bouts.
Those are the figures. I think the
gross receipts will fall little short of
a million. Spectators from New York
and Chicago have told me so. The at
tendance is expected to reach $4,000.
The betting on this the eve of the
battle is even. 1t seems to be senti-
mental betting largely. Since the cpl
sode Of David and Goliath the victory
Of the good little man over the good
big man" always has been popular.
Since the episode of Jack Johnson
and James ]. Jeffrier, cwo almost for
gotten names at-this writing, an axiom
seems to have been established to the
effect that they never come back"
Picks Champion to Win
To my mind it seems that Willard
should win. He has the advantage Of
fifty pounds and the longer reach. He
hes trained In sensible. business-like
sort of way. He can hit and he can
block. If 1t were not sacrlegious in
view of the fact that Mr.. Willard was
not at all interested in the late war,
might compare him to the American
nation aroused. He is huge person
with potentlalties that these twelve
rounds will not bring forth.
William Harrison Dempsey, the con-
tcn66r
What happens tomorrow, out who will
get million or more if he should
knock out the Kansan, is more ro-
mantle hgure. Dempsey also is as fit
as could be for man who is twelve
years younger and about fifty-odd
pounds less than the obstacle that
stands between him and the million and
all the glories that the late John l.. Sui
Ivan left when he departed this world
Ihis IS the first heavyweight cham
plonship bout in three years. It is the
first heavyweight championship in
number of years where expert opinion
or what passes for expert opinion
was not pretty we'll decided
Inc experts did not concede Jim Cor
bett Chinaman's chance with John
l.. Sullivan; after that Fitzsmmons
dld not have a chance with Corbett.
When Willard was matched with John
son at Havana he was "the great big
stiff" You can delve further into
pugilistic history and you can find no
parallel for the current difference of
opinion.
Wrangle, but DO Not Bet
Ihls difference of opinion is so de-
cio<d that experts are wrangling still in
The crowded corridors of the hotels.
Trey are wrangling, but they are not
nettlrg. The head gambler here is dis
colraged over the reluctance of those
, resent to back their opinions with cur
re~.cy. Everybody wants to "know
sonething," in the parlance of the race
track
There is nothing to know, save what
has been published and what will be
published. Wilard's weight is Sc
crct that will be revealed in the ring
1t is not violating any confidence to
say that it will be mething over 24O
pounds. Dcmpsey's weight will be less
than 200.
Both men have been on public view
Gays and holidays. Their accomplish
ments are much more widely published
than those Of the A. E. r., a real fight
ING organization, when has recently
been more or less dem mobilized and scat
tered.
The elcventh-hour wrangle which
prccodes all championship prize fights
occurred to-day when Major A. j.
Dfexcl biddle, Of the Philadelphia Bid
dies, arrived. Major Biddle immcdi-
als.y went into conference with Tex
,g.rEzff Of the Texas Rickar rds; Frank
fiournoy, Of the Tennessee Flournoys,
and Ollie Pccord, Of the Toledo and
Troy Pecords. Battling Nelson, Of the