The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-13
WILLARD RETURNS AS
5HERO TO THOSE WHO
ONCE SCOFFED AT HIM
.FTpo Has Comparatively
Easy Time Winning Over
MCAuIiff With Knockout

-" NEW YORK, May 12.-Jess Willard
the pugilistic ancient, swung his right
uppercut to the point of young Floyd
81 Johnson's unprotected chin, and sent
'As'the 22-year-old Iiwa farm boy flop
o. ping to the mat. knocked limp and
senseless in the eleventh round of
their fight in the stadium Saturday
afternoon.
In the bout just before this. on
the highly exploited milk fund bene
gift program, Luis Angelo Firpo, of
x the Argentine, accomplished the first
clean, concise knockout of his
e American career, dropping young
Jack McAuliffe of Detroit with an
overhead right smash on the teeth.
- which spread him on the mat like
butter.
Both of the defeated brawlers had
Ito be dragged to their corners, their
.t-knees and toes accommodating resin
- lust from the carpet.
Old Jess. now on the wrong side of
40 years and frosty at the temples
when he forgets to have them cam
rtouflaged with a youthful close trim,
walked ponderously to his corner
when johnson dug his nose into the
= mat He stood there. heaving and
trembling, his little gray blue eyes
glinting fiereely like those of an
indignant elephant. The bell changed
and the stool was showed beneath
- Willard to receive his bulk He
watched Johnsons handlers scramb bic
through the ropes in tremendous
~ agitation, rush to their man and
fasten their grips beneath his arms
and fetch him away. He watched the
work over the unconscious youug
Iowan, wondering whether the kid
could come back
The crowd extending far from the
II = n bp Ia ri hn Ian III
ers and rising precipitously in the
towering grandstand, broke in with
volume of noise that almost stifled
i the clang of the bell. felt ha,
dIsailed over the ring. Another fol-
slowed. Cushions from the ringside
tchairs began to skim out of tho
.rdepths of the mob
~ Nothing To Do but Surrender.
Seconds passed and the bell, for
>rthe twelfth round, caught Johnson
sAstll dazed and uncertain what it was
soall about. There was nothing to do
sbnt surrender, as Willard did that
eisday in Toledo four years ago.
~ Then Willard came to life and
a stepped quickly to Johnsons cor
ner. He touched glove tips with him
a in the formal way that the winner
;1has Of consoling the loser In the
firing.
9d' The crowd at the singside was
Afyelpng to him now to face about
lover the ropes and let them snap his
tssmile of victory as it will now be
-,known. 1t was the same sort of
crowd. which at Toledo. had risen
from their chairs to call him a great
big bum and shout that he had
logged it-had quit, the only world
champion ever to lose title while
,s,sitting In his corner.
Floyd Might Have Won.
81. The decision might possibly have
"il5 rounds for the reason that he was
lashing and cutting, poking, pound :
ling and jabbing Willard continuous
i:ly almost from the bell that began
1.-THE trouble. They were futile blows
9 for the most part and they looked
especially puny when Willard, tow
ering above Johnson and holding
him in his arms would laugh through
z the rain of boxing gloves bouncing
Z off his massive features.
4 Jess Not To De Denied.
y Along toward the end of the elev-
4 enth. they We're still going along at
: the same sprightly gait when viii
I lard at last got home Il right upper
! cut bang on the point of Johnson's
!. chin. Johnson went down with a
! booming sound He rolled to his
z knees and took the count of nine.
: AS he came up Willard, not to be
4 denied this time. floundered after
him, driving him about the ring by
! the sheer weight of heavy swings
4 which landed on his arms or ribs.
In nobody's corner, Willard brought
! Johnson's failing guard down and
4 then the final blow crashed home.
. Johnson fell in that peculiar. abso-
! lutely limp fashion which signalizes
I the complete knockout.
I His face hit the canvas with a
. hideous, squashy sound. And that
! was the finish of the 22-year-old boy
! who got fresh with a man of more
Z than 40 who wasn't as old he
4 looked
But by beating Johnson. Willard
\ only demonstrated that he is not the
\ man to fight Jack Dempsey again.
h Johnson is a weak puncher and his