New-York tribune., 1919-02-16
Possible Defeat of Jess
Causes but Little FurOye
peace Conference Attracts
More Attention Than
Coming Bout for Title
By W. O. Mcclellan

far
.nn's party the prospects of new
.bsmpion are getting slightly less at
.,ntion than the current peace con-
ference
Dispatches from the West declare
hat Willard has started to train and
Aat he expects to step into the ring
,.iching q little less than quarter
"a ton. His press agents report that
ss spends three hours day with the
,;,ter and then does an hour or two
9TH the stock reports, paying particu-
S,.r w. attention. to OIL This work should
ave a. him lighter by July first, if only
lighter in the pocket.
lark Dempsey, who has laid out a
fsst programme with the Burley-cue
circuit. so far forgot himself the other
day as to engage IN the elementary
nastime Of fsticuffs. 1t was d de-
trading spectacle, according to reports,
FOR he is said to have knocked out his
n be seen whether or not this un
Dneilistic conduct will or will not
cause the cancellation of the match.
We are told that Willard is not
Worrying over the weight question. He
has lot of oil stock and that's the
onlv thing he has time to worry over.
Wis work with the circus is said to
nave improved his right considerably,
ss he signed all of the checks with
that hand. He has signed more checks
than Dempsey therefore can not see
whv the contender can have anything
Ike half as strong right as he IS
reported to possess.
The story that Tex Rickard is to
~
coed with Alaskan and Nevadan mug
has transferred his interests to oil. An
oil can will decorate each post and
crude oil will be used on the canvas
instead of the traditional canvas.
willard will be lifted in to the ring
with an oil derrick.
The hopes of the Dempsey supporters
are based on the fable that a good
little man can always beat a good big
man. This story seems to have started
With the celebrated bout between
David and Goliath David got the de-
csion, but very few of the good little
men have followed in his footsteps.
Somebody has cited the case of
Stanley Ketchel in his bout with Jack
Johnson in San Francisco to demon
straLc tndL Il SOOQ lllLlc Ill1li mas q
chance with good big man. No one
will deny that Ketchel was a good lit
lie man. He was one of the best. He
made a comparatively good showing
With Johnson-that is, to the inexperi-
enced follower of the boxing game--for
the fight was one Of those things. But
in the end Ketchel was knocked out
and Johnson could have knocked him
out at any stage of the proceedings.
An agreement was made between
lohrson's manager and the manager of
letchel that the little man was to be
permitted TO stay. 1t was to be spar
ing exhibition. For while Johnson
played with Ketchel, holding back his
punches. But Ketchel failed to live
up TO his agreement. He tried to put
one over IN the form of a swivel right
hand swing
johnson saw it coming in time to
take ii high on the cheek bone 1t
was punch that had all that Ketchel
could put behind it, Johnson executed
fall, but it was a stage fall. The next
instant the black was up with a rare
expression OF viciousness in his face.
He landed a left on Ketchel's jaw and
Hetchel was unconscious for five min
h g.es. The negro could have landed
this punch at any stage of the going.
Dempsey himself seems nearest to
being the second good little man who
Knocked out good big man. In spite
Of what is said about Fred Fulton now,
.ae ponderous plasterer was regarded
Is possible antagonist for Willard.
Also ne was ciassed as being pretty
close to good big man. Then along
comes Dempsey, the good little man,
~ l g
some foundation for the belief that
Dempsey may emulate David.
Another factor which the Dempsey
i'llowing figure upon is the difficulty
Of a gent who is tagging forty to get
saek into condition. 1t depends on
tie constitution of the man. During
Ms late emergency a number Of tired
nuainess men we're closer to forty than
4 Aey ever admitted, and some who had
] 'assed that mark stood some pretty
strenuous training at Plattsburg and
o'aer camps. They put themselves into
4 condition for a considerably tougher
cont than Willard and Dempsey Will
4 produce They went through some
nlng that called for more wear and
.sr on nerve and sinew than ten
.ounds Of sparring for purse of
MT,5OO. II all depends on the inccn-
I'VE and few other circumstances.
Us tough, though, TO get down to
Eeauous exercise when the greatest
4 arain on your physical strength for
Isats has been walking downstairs to
4 e. The subway and then pushing the
,'s for your elevator. You've got to
4 'eeye that the training is necessary
! ffore you will 20 in for it. And no
I yfoiesslonal athlete will ever consider
Il nat he needs d strenuous conditioning
4 1us willard, nearing forty, de-
4 aancs 100000 cash TO 60 through the
4 sasn'al and physical exertion Of making
anssN physically fit for prizef!ght
asou. ten thousand unpugilistically in
a1ed gents nearing forty demand
a9'aing to dash to the training camp
Il MAKE themselves physically fl for
ssr. There's something wrong, gen
~emsn OF the training camp. Or II
@<J De that fncrc'z verv little wrong