The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1920-12-24
SPORT WRITER GIVES
WILLARD SLIM CHANCE
10 BEAT DEMPSEY
'H n mas Only One Gamble tn WI,
"'cA Championship. and That is to
"allop Jack on Jaw. w
ul By Robert Edgren)

BY Robert Edgren,
Jess Willard is to have = rot,,.r
match with Jack DEMPSEY ard j''' u !.
chahce to recover the world,s baa,.,'
RTeight championship if he is abio
Dempsey's willingness to gito WI
lard return match has never heon i,
doubt. The only question has been
lliards desire to meet the man yvbn
Toledo. oe"'i'is a'
When the Toledo fight was o,o,
Willard gathered his stuff togetbo,
a. soon as ne felt that he could travel
Without attracting too much atten.
ION ana went home by automobile
lie went away out into Kansas and
almost Immediately bought a large
farm. Willard has been the ouietest
eN-champlon we ever had. He hasn't
mad single public statement ia
make, and we've all admired the way
ne took his defeat, without even =
whispered alibi. When did anv other
great champion ever fall from the
throne without zap or yelp? Was
there even one who didn't say he was
out OF shape when he lost. or that he
accidentally ran into a fuke punch
or that he broke a bone in his wrist
or that he had been tricked in some
way? As rule a man who has once
been a world champion can't realize
that a better man exists. He kids
himself. He really believes that he
couldn't have been beaten on the lev
ell. Hence the well known and wide
spread albi
The only alibi, if you want to call
bDt Il
the morning after the fight.
The frs; punch Dempsey hit me
on the head said Jess, twas the
hardest punch I ever felt in nv life,
1t dazed me so that | don't remember
what happened afte,ward."
If that's an alibi. make the most of
Ever since the Toledo fight, how
ever, Willard has had longing to
take back the title. Tex Richard tells
me that he has had at least sixty let
ters from Willard urging him to sign
Jess up for return match with his
conqueror.
"And what impressed me with the
big fellows earnestness," Tex added
was that never once did he mention
money or suggest any amount that he
thought he ought to get. You know
Jess never missed a chance to de-
mand the limit when he was cham
piOn."
It is said that Willard has been
training quietly on his farm for sew
eral months and that he has taken off
a lot Of fat and hardened himself in
to fighting condition again.
| won't guarantee the truth of this
rumor. Willard has always been
lazy. He never liked hard training.
4 for the possibility that Willard
may beat Dempsey, no one can deny
it exists, if Willard is in fair condi-
ton. 1t is only an outside chance,
but it's a chance at that.
Willard was beaten in the first
round at Toledo. Technically, if the
bell had been rung properly, he would
have been knocked out in the second
He was on the floor and done for at
the end of three minutes of fighting
and saved from being counted out
only by the call of time, but the time
keeper notified the referee that the
round ended during the count and the
bell was out of order
That defective bell saved Willard
The big fellow was dragged to his
corner. He was still helpless when
the minutes rest was up and couldn't
have started the second round if the
bell had rung-in which case he
would have been counted out in his
corner. But the bell was still out Of
order. Before the confusion was over
Willard had nearly two minutes rest
and his seconds revived him and got
him up. Willard was game. He
walked over to where Dempsey wait
ed for him. uncertain whether the
fight was over or not. as the referee
had sent him from the ring a winner
and then called him back.
Here is where Willard proved he
might have chance in return
match. Beaten, dazed, practically
out on his feet. he numbered through
two more rounds. taking all Dempsey
had. At the end of the third he was
80 hopelessly beaten that his seconds
threw up the towel But in the sec
ond Dempsey was very weary from
the tremendous eXertion of knocking
Willard down seven times in the first
round. He seemed unable to knock
the lettering giant off his feet again
Also. in the second round, so Demp-
sew says, Willard hit him a slow
heavy uppercut on the jaw.
Il hardly knew where | was fol
about ten seconds" laughs Dempsey
IN telling Of it. I'D hate to have
him land that punch on me if he was
That's where Wizards chance
lies. As / said, it is only an outside
chance. Willard has been out of the
ring. while Dempsey has been in &C
tive training ever since Toledo.
The increase in age is against Jess
But. to offset it. for two years he ha'
been on the farm; which was mucf
better for Willard than the way HI
lived when he was champion.
As for Dempsey, he takes grea
care Of himself, lives carefully and il
probably better physically than at To
iedo. Incidentally he has the conf
dence Of a champion-if that's goo'
for anything.
willard has one advantage hi
lacked at Toledo He won't under
estimate Dempsey. He did it once
and walked into a beating.
He won't do it again.
He may get the beating anyhow.
Rut there's a possible doubt abou
that. and the public seems to thlni
Willard entitled to a return match.