The Washington times., 1921-03-07
George Cox Heads Bowling gAssociaon-DOg Show at w ar
COMEBACK TRAIL Is THROUGH
NOBLE OLD STATE OF KANSAS
~ DAMON RUNYoN.

By DAMON
Comeback Trail. at this time.
Kansas.
Gazing down the long and ros
figures toiling upward with packs Of
IL seems odd to md them picking
route that Heads through q state
that doesn't stand for prise nghting.
but in one case there are extenuatipg
circumstances Mr.. J. Arthur John
son. the dark blur In the background.
didn't choose Kansas. IL was Sc
lected for him as q training camp.
In the town Of lawrence. . cultured
| community where the University OF
Kansas holds forth. Mr.. Jess Willard.
the Pottswstomie COW prodder.
pounds along the weary read, getting
ssy In the merry month of March.
| At Leavenworth. behind the stone
| walls Of one Of the governments
most famous "colleges"--a man VINO
has sbeen there always says he has
been to -collsgs"-Ar. Johnson 10
quietly preparing himself for spy lit-
tie thing that may come his way.
FOLLOWING SANE T1AIL-
Just q few brief years back. thsss
two. Mr.. willard and Mr.. Johnsop.
were the cynosures Of public case
down yonder In Havana Lttie did
they think then that they would
ono day be following the same tran
past the sunflowers.
| Word from Lawrence Is to the ef-
feet that willard 10 really making a
desperate effort to train. 1t Is said
he Is doing road work. which he
needs more than anything. and which
he signsiy failed to DO 1T Toledo.
and Is also working out daily In .
gymnasium which he has risged up
in his home
1t IL not of record that Jess has
yet employed q regular trainer, and
few will have any confidence In his
ability to get in condition until he
engages someone who knows q little
about such matters. willard didn't
begin fghting until he was past
twenty-five, yet he developed sufh-
cisnt egotism to assume that he
knew enough about the game to
train himself for the most important
match of his career.
HAD FEW ASSISTANTS.
He had . few assistants At Toledo.
but willard mapped out his own
work. He put In most Of his time
boxing. and the hght was so brief
that condition. probably cut little
figure. He was in no shape when he
entered the ring.
After a man becomes champion he
hates the training course willard
was no exception He seemed to
think all he needed for Dempsey was
hair cut johnson. at Havana.
trained in much the same manner for
Willard. doing little road work. and
.vit f~- - q uisto y,fc
johnson had Sam McVey at Ha-
vana, but Jack did not care much
about working with Sam. Tho OK
nard burly was a little too careless
with Jack. Tho champion preferred
Dave Mills and the like.
For q State that Is most inhos-
pitable to boxers, Kansas has pro-
duced quite a bit of fstic tonnage.
Willard was born at Pottawatomie,
and Fred Fulton was born at Blue
Rapids. a town which frst crashed
upon the sporting map by being the
scene of a game between the White
Sox and the Giants when they started
around the world in 1913.
JOHNSON LIVES THERE.
Kansas runs mainly to ball players.
1t has produced Walter johnson. the
|Coffeyville cyclone, among others. But
the state does not tolerate prize hght-
ing or prize fighters. save under the
circumstances which take Mr.. willard
and Mr.. Johnston there.
Few followers OF the boxing game
believe that johnson will ever be able
to effect a comeback. However, there
are some who think that Will
lard has a very good chance against
Dempsey. Among these Is Tom
Jones, who carried Willard to the
heavyweight championship after Jack
Curley had dug up the match.
Jones was East not long ago. and
he said:
AL willard has to do 10 to get
himself in condition. II you will
think back to the third round of the
AFFAIR at Toledo you will remember
that Mr.. Dempsey was very tired,
and that Willard chunked him one
under the chin that almost turned the
thing around completely.
Suppose Dempsey hadn't landed
the damaging punch he did in the
first round. and that willard had all
his strength in that third. What
would have been the result7 willard
would very likely have won. and l
think he is a cinch Ito win when they
meet again. Dempsey burns up rap
idly and unless he can hit Willard in
the earlier rounds, he will soon tire.
"On the other hand, Willard Is
tremendously powerful man, with
great reserve strength. Let him get
through the first stages without be-
ing damaged and you will see much
different fighter from the man you
saw at Toledo. ] don't like hair In
his head, but he can tight"