Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-11-19
Wizards "Come-Back" Is Not
Taken Seriously By Fans
"Jess Could Probably Defeat Other Contenders and
Should Do So Before Asking for Return Bout
With Dempsey" Says New York Writer-Meehan
Or Miske Entitled to Chance.

! New York, Nov. l8.-The public
will not take the reports seriously
about Jess Willard being anxious
to fight Dempsey again until he
goes out and beats some other fight
ers and shows that he had regained
semblance of his fighting ability.
Willard perhaps would like to
sign with Dempsey without both
ering with any one else. He might
figure that the bout would draw
we'll, and that the losers end would
be sufficient compensation for his
efforts.
The public is easy going, forget
full and often bunked. But it would
hardly fall for Jess after his pitiful
exhibition at Toledo on July last,
unless he gave evidence of war
ranting some confidence.
As matter of fact, Willard in all
probability cannot get in condition
for a real hard fight. He looked all
right and thought he was in shape
at Toledo, but he wasn't. If Viii
lard doesn't think that he is passe,
there is one way for him to Prove
it. That is to go out and traiE for
six or eight weeks doing lot of
road work, and then face some
fairly hard puncher like Bill Brennan
or Fred Fulton, in the ring.
Should he be able to stop either
of these men, then he would be JUS
tilted asking consideration for re-
turn bout with Dempsey.
Sets Himself.
The fact that Willard was prac-
tically knocked out in one round by
Dempsey does not mean that none
of the smaller men has a chance to
60 the limit with him. Dempsey
never did have any trouble with the
big fellows. He could set himself
and hit with all his might, and the
bigfellow was right there to get the
full force of the blow. The smaller
and faster men caused him more
trouble and it is from that class that
his opponent should be selected.
There is reason to think that
Dempsey will have room for i'm
provement in his boxing. When
training with Bill Tate and the ia
maica Kid for the Willard battle
Dempsey was hit hard and often by
his hired help. One of his helpers
cut his eye open and Tate knocked
him down. The Dempsey knockers
assert that Tate has to take fall
himself on the following day in
order to square it.
On the face of things Willie Nee
han, the Frisco fat boy, appears to
have the most logical reason for de-
handing the first match with Den1p-
sey. Meehan holds a referees de-
cision over Jack and the latter
never could do the Californian any
great amount of harm. On the
other hand, Meehan has shown
himself in the east on several occa-
sions, and eastern boxing followers
are fully satisfied that he is q joke
fighter. The Californian has no
standing here, SO that Dempsey
Meehan match would not be q very
popular one.
Miske Next Best.
Next to Meehan, Billy Miske
has made the best showing with
Dempsey. Miske held him almost
even in l0-round bout and later, in
a six-round bout at Philadelphia he
made Dempsey go at top speed all
the way. 1t is said that Dempsey
held Miske up on both occasions,
but it is hard to believe that be-
cause there is no apparent reason
why he should have made an excep-
ton in Miske's case. He certainly
did not hold up any of the others
he met and stopping Miske would
have boosted his stock more than
else he could have done
at the time he was looking for the
Willard match.