The Washington times., 1923-05-12

Clouds and Mild Rain, But
Richard Says Ring Stars
Will Perform.
BY DAVIS j. WALSH,
international News Service.

NEW YORK, May 12.-Ore of
the greatest crowds that ever
witnessed a fistic event In
America will be present at the
Milk Fund bouts, featuring Jess
Willard in a return to the ways
of the fist at the Yankee stadium
this afternoon. Willard will take
on Floyd johnson, youthful Iowa
heavyweight, if all goes well, IN
the first of two fifteen-round
bouts, concluding the best boxing
show ever presented before a
fistic public anywhere.
Tex Richard, promoter OF the
milk fund bouts, announced At !
o'clock this afternoon that the
fights would be held. 1t had been
showering and the clouds looked
like more rain.
All precautions have been made
60 take care of and protect the
crowd, which figures to be the
largest that ever saw a bout in this
country or elsewhere, the only ex-
ception being the Dempsey arpen'
tier bout at Jersey City two years
ago. The massive stadium will be
patroled by $50 uniformed police
men and 100 in plain clothes will
circulate through the crowd to frus-
trate pickpockets and TO ana IN
keeping order. The police will be
aided by 372 ushers, who will show
purchasers of tickets to their seats.
Fifty Rounds of Fighting.
Barring knockouts, the customers
will see fifty rounds of boxing In an
all.heavyweight program. The main
attraction, of course, is the meeting
of Willard and Johnson in the fiji
teen-round final bout. but other at
fractions are many and varied. In
the second of two feature matches,
Luis Firpo and Jack McAuliffe H.,
OF Detroit, will try ponderouS con-
illusions, and in the bout immedi-
ately preceding this, Fred Fulton
will tote his funny chin into the ring
and a corner opposite Jack Renault,
of Canada. This affair may or may
not go ten rounds. They say it will
Al Reich, who dives for form only,
Is scheduled to box Tiny Jim" Her
man, of Omaha, in one of the pre-.
liminaries. Tiny James is six feet
seven inches in height and is said
to pack a sock. 1t, therefore, looks
like a short afternoon and a merry
one. This bout is scheduled to go
six rounds, but we fear the worst.
The opening attraction names
Harry Drake, Of England, and Joe
Mccain. merely of Newark, in a
four.round bout. Drake is sparring
mariner for Willard, and Mccain
daily absorbs Firpo's flying fists
In consequence, it is expected that
they will have a nodding acquain
lance with leather.
If the weather alters, it is antici
pated that every seat will be solo
before the Drake Mccain affair goe!
on. This means a 10000 crowd anc
the placing Of many milk bottles or
worthy Manhattan doorSteps. At al
early hour today however, thous
ands of choice seats were still to b'
bought with American money at the
box office at Madison Square Garden
Odds Favor Willard.
This will be kept open until 2:3
o'clock this afternoon, the gates o.
the Yankee stadium meantime be
ing opened at noon for the accom-
mediation of those who like to com
early and bring their lunch. Tn
reserved seats will be placed OF
sale at the stadium this morning.
Odds on the bouts strongly faVo
Willard and Firpo as the winner
of the two main attractions. Wi
lard, making his first appearance
in the ring since July a, 1919, a
Toledo, where he was beaten int
human hamburger by Jack DemT
sey and suffered the loss of hi
heavyweight title, is liked by mos
gambling men at odds of 8 to
with the possibility that he ma
4. be a two to one favorite over JohE
son by the time the men enter tn
ring.
The huge Kansan has done VIVA
many Judges of .fistic form believe
Continued on Page 2. Column IL