Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-05-25

Now it develops that Jess Will
lard and Jack Dempsey may not be
restricted to a 12-round canter when
they meet for the heavyweight cham
pionship at Toledo July 4. While
the boxing commission of the Ohio
city has granted a few licenses for
bouts of greater length than II
rounds there is no restriction to the
distance if the commission cares to
affirm a struggle of that kind. 1t
is up to the commission entirely,
and it may be that Tex Richard
will be able to prevail upon the
Toledo officials to lengthen the argu-
ment to the accepted 20 rounds.
Richard does not have to make
any announcement regarding the ex-
tension of the bout, since the ar
ticles call for fight of any distance
up to As rounds. 1t will make little
difference to Dempsey, who is con-
fdent that the further the fight goes
the more certain he is to knock Viii
lard loose from his crown. Willard
is Supremacy confident that he can
win. In conversation with friends
recently, Willard could not conceive
of the possibility of losing. He be-
lieves himself supreme in the ring
and has no great respect for Dcmp-
sey. His overconhdence may work
more harm than good, for it may
keep him from training as diligently
as he would otherwise. Willard has
not taken the best of care of him
self for the last three years. He
has developed several retarding
habits during his three years of
idleness.
A close friend of Richard says he
is willing to go on record that
Dempsey and Willard will meet in
a 15-round contest, instead of the
12-round affair. Willard has asked
that the bout be allowed to go just
as far as the law of Toledo will
stand. He believes that the further
the distance the greater chance he
will have. He has no fears as to
his condition nor his strength. He
wants contest of 20 rounds and
has advised Richard to that effect.
Jack Kearns, who is handling the
business affairs of Dempsey, is GER
tain that Willard is the only one
concerned who will benefit by a
short bout According to Kearns,
Willard may be able to stand up
under the attack of Dempsey for a
limited number of rounds, but if
Dempsey can have time to get in
his powerful punches Willard will
be toppled over.
So far, Willard has done most of
his work in private, and no one can
say how long absence from the ring
has affected his prowess. Judging
by the latest photographs of the
champion, the big fellow has a sur-
prise in store for those who expect
to see wind-broken hulk. Viii
lard has not run to fat as Jim JEFF
fries did as soon as the boilermaker
tossed the gloves aside after his
Lout with Jack Monroe.
The main questions to be an
sWered are whether the champion
still can deliver his blows with the
necessary speed and accuracy to
find resting place for them on
Dempsey's bobbing head, and
whether he still can shed punish
ment as he did in the days when
he was meeting all corners. Whether
his boxing has improved, really is
Of little Importance, for he never
was, or could be fast enough to keep
Dempsey from hitting him.
A boxers ability to deliver the
short, snappy blows that produce
knockouts usually is the first thing
to leave him, and when Willard met
Moran it looked as though he had
lost a great deal of his former abil-
ity as hitter. He did not snap his
blows. and his muscles were more
elastic. His straight lefts were
more like shoves than real blows,
while his left and right hooks had
lost much of their Earring effect.
Immediately after he arrived in
Toledo to begin his active prelimi-
nary training Dempsey placed
strong guard OIL the gate to his