New-York tribune., 1919-07-04
Champion Has
Been Engaged
ln 81 Battles

Jess Willard, the Goliath Of the
prize ring, "came East" to make his
fortune, for it was in this city back
IN 1912 that he received his first real
oppo "tunity in the ring. Willard was
first introduced to the sporting public
IN :ho West by Jack Curlcy, the wrest-
ling promoter, who was attracted By
Willard's tremendous size and bulk.
However, the pair found that wrestline
was not a money-making business and
decided to enter the prizering Ac-
cofding to Curley, Willard first put on
bcxUg glove when he was twenty
nine years of age.
The heavyweight titleholder be-
ban his pugilistic campaign in 1911
End has since taken part in thir-
ty. one battles. The first three wears
OF hi career found him in twen-
ty-six contests and enjoying sue
cess In the majority Of them. From
l9l4 to the present year Willard ell
gagged in only five bouts. He met three
opponents in 1914 and one each in 1915
and 1915: During the last two years
willard DEVOTED his time to promoting
his Wild West show and prospecting
in oil wells. In his thirty-one con,
tests Willard has lost two limited
bouts, won eighteen by the knockout
route, lost one on a foul, fought draw,
gone to nodecisions in five battles and
received the decision in five other
bouts.
Willard did not begin his journey to
the championship with any degree Of
success, for in his opening bout against
Louis Fink, at Sapulpa, Okla, in 1911,
he lost on foul in the tenth round.
In this contest Willard showed total
n 1oIo
brought big change, for Jess knocked
out Ed Burke, at Reno, in the third
round. He followed up this contes t
with four consecutive knockouts, among
his victims being Fink, who was sent
to sleep by Willard in the third round.
The champion ended the year with two
more victories
After scoring three more knockouts
in beginning his 1912 campaign Willard
thought it time to go after bigger fish
and headed for New York, where he
met Arthur Pelky at the Garden Ath-
letic Club. Wizards tremendous pro-
portions ATTRACTED considerable atten-
ton, but he still lacked ring general
ship and cleverness. The bout prove d
slow one, with neither ner suffering
much damage, but Willard succeeded in
obtaining the decision after ten rounds.
A supposedly tougher opponent was
obtained for the Kansas giant in Lu-
Their McCarty in a ten-round bout less
than one month later. McCarty was
then looked upon as the, white hope.
Willard caused some surprise by out
pointing McCarty. He followed up this
victory with n knockout over Sailor
White in Buffalo, and also stopped
Soldier Kearns in eight rounds in this
CITY,
1t was following these victories that
Willard began to be regarded as the
loading white hope. Willard went West
during the next year and lost his first
fight when Gunboat Smith received a
twenty round decision over him in San
Francisco. In this bout Willard re-
apectsd Smiths hitting power, and it
was his remaining on the defensive too
long that lost him the bout. Willard's
stock fell lower shortly afterward,
when he allowed Charley Miller to gain
draw with him in four-round bout.
After disposing of all his rivals, in
Guiding Carl Morris, Willard, in 1915.
succeeded in getting a match with Jack
Johnson at Havana. Willard trained
for THIS bout for one year, ignoring
all lis challengers in the mean time.
The end came in the twenty-sixth
round, when Willard caught Johnson
with right uppercus and knocked the
negro boxer out. Wizards last fight
was against Frank Moran in this city
in 1916. and while 1t went the sched-
ued ten rounds Willard was recog-
nized as the winner.