The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-04-09
WILLARD EXPECTS
HALF THE WORLD
In RETURN BOUTS
Jess Tells Everyone He Is In
Great Shape And Is
Training Well

NEW YORK, April SIT isn't
quite four years since great big
fat party, the largest and latest
that ever poised pugilistic coronet
upon his skull, heaved himself
through the ropes of ring out in
bounce and ricochet from corner to
floor to corner.
When it was over and the black
proved Jack Dempsey had vowed, as
all of them do, to fight all Corners
the big fat delegation blethered
through his lacerated lips that he
had made grave business error.
He had held his opponent in low
esteem. He had neglected to grid
his whiskers and his plethoric mid
die with the trained defense that
a title requires. He had chosen his
sparring partners with a keen view
to the low price of their hire, but
With no regard at all for what they
might do toward making him fit
20 fight fighter. In fact, Jess Will
lard had sparring partners only be-
cause the people were willing to pay
their fourbits to see him buffet
them about the training ring. The
people would not pay for seeing him
run on the roads about Toledo SO
he didn't run. He said that run
ming would crush down his arches.
ReJuvenated, Says VIII.
Now, in Excelsior Springs. Mo-,
Will Mccartney, who has been slam
ming the pans in this prize fight
racket for a long time, asks the
prize fight clientele to believe tnar
Jess Willard Is knocking his spar
ring partners loose from their shoe
leather and is. in his odd moments,
tooling off nonchalant eight miles
a day over the hills. without so
much
to agitate his feet. For the last
week or so, Mr. Mccartney relates.
the vast Mr.. Willard has been remiss
in his ring work due to the presence
Of myocitis on his arm, a myocitis
being q postgraduate Charley
Horse. But he has been running his
daily eight miles on the road, Mr.,
Mccartney would have the world be-
leve that the porcine Mr., Wizards
arches have. in the rorty-first year
spring and endurance, fit to with
stand the pressure of his two hun
bred forty-odd pounds on the up
sardes of the Ozark roads. Mr.. Nc
Carney, as one might suspect, is
employed by Mr.. willard.
Not doubling the word of Mr.. Nc
Carney. but not making book by
it either, the New YORK fight com
nilsson has ordered Willard to re-
turn here within the next three
weeks and go under physicians
stethoscope. He may yet be permit
ted to go through with his fight
| with Floyd johnson. for a guarantee
of $4,000 at the milk fund show in
May hut the show would be far
more pleasing to the clients if Mr..
Willard should be asked to resign
and Luis Angelo Fipro should BE-
nominated in his place.
Jess Not a Fighter.
Willard never was fighter, but
an Unconditional workman with no
more lust for his job than a mule
has for the furrow. Dempsey. Ben
ny Leonard. even Johnny kilbane,
when actually engaged in the de-
are filled with the primal urge TO
conquer. The only urge that goads
Willard to his jabs and crosses is
the same that keeps a digger in the
ditch till the clock strikes five. He
has always delivered the least pos
sible effort in training and in the
ring for the greatest obtainahle
front of all the young heavyweiGnts
price.
Firpo and Johnson stand far in
who have come along in the last
year to hack one another for the
is. of course, Harry Wills, the color
ed party, but Harry neglects to
| promote himself and nobody has
been very eager to do it for him.
| And there is Tom Gibbons, eligible
to meet the champion provided,
/ however. that he first knocks out
| Jack Renault, which isn't being
| done. Willard certainly wouldn't
try it.
| o O o
! A Trusting Soul.
Willard seems to believe that if he