THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA SATURDAY, JULY 5, 1919

Big Kansan Proves No Match For Utah Mauler And Seconds End Fight

Willard lands First Two Blows of the Battle After Which Dempsey, Hav- ing Gotten the Range, Proceeded to Batter the Champion at Will, Send- ing His Wallops to the Head and Body as He Pleased - Knocked the Big Fellow Down Seven Times in the First Round and Bell Alone Pre- vented His Finishing Him - "Kayo King" Outclassed His Antagonist From Every Angle, Forcing Willard to Hang On to Avoid Further Pun- ishment.

(By the Associated Press)

_ Toledo, July 4. - By virtue of one of the speediest and most one-sided battles that ever decided a big fistic event. Jack Dempsey today became the world's champion heavyweight boxer. _ To all intents and purposes, he wiped out the huge Jess Willard, fa- vorite in the meager betting, in one round. Dempsey thought the referee had announced him winner and ac- tually left the ring. But he was call- ed back and the butchery continued for two rounds more when Jess, sitting in his corner, with a bewildered look on his swollen face failed to respond to the gong for the fourth round. _ "It was of no use to continue," said the ex-champion. "My strength went from me in the first round." _ He sat there, apparently the most surprised man in the United States at the moment. His right eye was closed and his right cheek swollen and blue with bruises. Blood covered his body and his arms hung so helplessly over the ropes that it seemed as if a child might hive him further abuse without arousing his interest. _ Dempsey was breathing hard when the fight ended, but it was from exer- tion and not from punishment. He escaped almost unhurt, but as he had been using his arms like trip hammers

JACK DEMPSEY

_ New World's Heavyweight Champion. Jake is here shown with his famous fighting scowl.

on the anatomy of his opponent for nine crowded minutes in a sun that sent the thermometer to 110 degrees, his heart was still pumping at the high pressure and he appreciated the breathing spell. Crowd Thought Fight Over _ In the first few seconds of the con- test it looked as if the experts who had been assigned to keep detailed account of all the blows struck might come measurably close to doing so, but it was only for a fraction of a mo- ment. After that, the experts did well to count Jack's blows, let alone take note how each was made. The challenger knocked the big fellow down five times in the first round and had him hanging helplessly on the ropes or draped over his own shoulders most of the time when he was not taking advantage of the count. _ The crowd thought the fight was over in that round. Willard was down for the seventh time and the count was apparently about to end when the gong sounded. It was a modest gong which could not make itself heard be- fore so many people, and even Demp- sey did not get it. He crawled through the ropes and was headed out on to the shoulders of screaming fans when the truth was broken to him, and he was hauled back. _ Such fighting as the Kansas ranch- man produced was placed on exhibi- tion at the onset. He had stood in his corner a picture of confidence. His smile seemed that of one who had a brief and not unpleasant task before him. He certainly was all set to go, for just before time was called he was heard to remark: _ "Let's get this thing over." _ He measured the attendance, which disappointed estimates by about 50 per cent, with an appraising eye. Dempsey Presents Contrast. _ Dempsey presented a contrast. None of the confidence of his training camp statements appeared in his bearing. The man across from him outweighed him 40 pounds and looked as big and impregnable as a metro- politan bank building. The mood of the challenger was plainly thoughtful and more than one ringside gazer whispered: "He's licked right now." _ When they were introduced, Jess sauntered over with the cordial man- ner of one desiring to reassure a youngster and took his hands in the friendliest way. Jack's handshake was friendly, too, just then, but it was the last token of friendship from those gloves. A minute or so later they were using Willard for a chop- ping block and some in the crowd were crying, "Stop it, it is plain mur- der." _ Dempsey's first effective blows, and the ones which apparently settled Willard's fate, were a right over Jess' shoulder to the jaw, a left to the body and a right to the jaw. Jess stagger- ed. His eye was closing and he reel- ed, and the challenger, with all the energy of his pulsing youth, began hit- ting him at will. _ The attendance was below expecta- tions. Seats were built for 80,000, and the estimate was for not more than half of these were occupied. Specu- lators lost heavily. They resold their tickets at anything from $5 to $15 under the gate prices. No betting was re- ported at the ringside nor was there much elsewhere, so far as could be as- certained. _ The heat of the day was terrific, in- tensified as it was by the vast acreage of green lumber. During the prelimi- nary bouts, which lasted from 11 o'clock till 2:30, a thermometer ex- posed as were the spectators and fighters, jumped to 120 degrees, which was the limit of what the instrument could record. it showed 110 degrees when Willard and Dempsey entered the ring. Police Disperse Crowds _ When Dempsey was proclaimed winner, the crowd surged on to the mat in the wild scramble to shake the hand of the new champion. At times some of them toppled over on to the telegraphers and reporters just below who were struggling in the mad dis- order to report what had happened. Police eventually dispersed them by hustling Dempsey away. Willard was taken to an automobile and disap- peared from view of the crowd which then itself began the task of covering the four miles from the arena to the city as best they could, by street car, automobile or on foot. _ While the passing of the heavy- weight championship was one of the most dramatic events of modern ring history. It was lacking entirely in high-class boxing. With the excep- tion of the first three snappy jabs with which Willard opened the con- test, the combat was simply a series of terrific drives and smashes, vir- tually all of which were delivered by Dempsey. _ The first of these crashing swings to land on Willard's jaw and body ap- peared to completely daze and take away from the title holder all power to either protect himself or fight back as had been expected by his admirers. Whether he could have stood up bet- ter under the battering of Dempsey a few years ago will always be a mooted question in the years to come when today's battle is discussed. It cannot be denied, however, that Willard was in good physical condition and dis- played gameness up to the moment that his seconds persuaded him to relinquish the championship to Demp- sey. Took Terriffic Punishment. _ This was demonstrated by the fact that the Kansas giant received in nine minutes of fighting time far more punishment than did Jeffries at the hands of Jack Johnson in their 15- round bout at Reno, and yet was able to respond to the bell had his seconds been calloused enough to send him again to the slaughter. Even after the disastrous ending of the first round, Willard flashed a momentary comeback in the second, which for a few seconds led to the belief among his supporters that he would weather the storm and carry the battle along on even terms for a few sessions at least. It was the last flicker of a spirit which was stronger than the flesh. Another sweeping right arm smash that flew over Willard's shoul- der and landed flush on his swollen, bleeding jaw, took the last ounce of resistance out of the giant and made his own downfall a matter of but minutes. _ An analysis of the newly crowned champion shows nothing new in his fighting methods. He tore into his op- ponent at top speed as has always been his fighting custom and simply battered his way to the pinnacle of pugilism by the speed of his blows and the overwhelming power that traveled from the huge shoulder muscles down through the brawny arms and into the clinched fists ar- mored with five-ounce gloves.  He made little or no attempt at de- fensive work and not more than five or six times during the nine minutes of battling did he resort to foot work to avoid Willard. _ Once the new canvas was stretched there was little delay in bringing the principals into the ring. Dempsey appeared at 3:55 o'clock and Willard a minute later. They were stripped, ready for action, Willard wearing short, tight-fitting blue worsted trunks with an American flag belt, while Dempsey wore short, loose trunks like those of a sprinter. During the few preliminary details both were covered with huge umbrellas to keep the sun from their uncovered heads. The Fight Begins _ At 9 minutes after four, the weak gong, which later caused so much confusion, clanged, and the battle was on. _ ROUND ONE: Willard loomed up like a Goliath against his five-inch shorter David, and opened the en- gagement by pumping his long left twice into Dempsey's face with force enough to make the latter blink. The challenger missed a swing, and, slip- ping into a clinch, landed three body blows, with the free left hand, carry- ing but little force. Willard had him easily in a clinch and partly turning him around, used his rapier-like left again, once to the head and once to the body after the break. _ Then Dempsey, as if he had got the range, opened his heavy artillery and swung a jarring left to the jaw, fol- lowed by a right and left to the body. The almost superhuman power of the punches was immediately apparent. A partly silly, partly stupid expres- sion overspread the champion's face and as he rocked on his heels, his whole body quivered. _ He pulled himself together and, as Dempsey crowded in again, shot a left to the mouth and repeated to the eye. The blows did not even cause his youthful nemesis to hesitate, and darting past the outstretched left as it snapped for a third time, he whipped over the right and left almost simultaneously, the blows landing flush on Willard's jaw and for the first time in his championship career, Willard was dropped to the floor. He was up again at the count of six, only to be sent to the canvas with another right as he rose slowly to his feet, the blood began to pour from his mouth. _ He turned away from his opponent, who struck again twice with his right, Willard falling on his hands and knees. When he arose Dempsey crowded him into a corner and with a right and left to the face sent him to the floor again. as he arose, a fusillade of body blows dropped him in a corner where he sat when the bell terminated the round and led Demp- sey to believe that Willard had been counted out. _ ROUND TWO: Dempsey started where he left off and Willard with a big cut under his eye, appeared to be in a bad way. he managed to snap a lefts to Dempsey's face and a puny right uppercut to the chin. Demp- sey replied with several body drives and Willard fell partly through the ropes. When he regained his feet he stumbled into a clinch but Dempsey easily tore loose and proceed to bat- ter him almost at will, the champion retaliating with but three feeble stabs to the face during the malee. When Willard went to his corner he fell heavily into his chair and it was seen that his right eye was completely closed and that side of his face was swollen entirely out of shape while Dempsey was unmarked. _ ROUND THREE: The final session was simply a series of rapid fire swings which fell on Willard's face and body with pile-driving power which left Willard completely help less, as he staggered about the ring and wobbled along the ropes utterly unable to defend himself. Blood bub- bled from his mouth with every gasp for breath while the crowd about the ringside began to yell to Referee Pecord to stop it. Just as the bell rang and Willard collapsed in his chair he spat out a tooth and it was seen that he was in bad condition. As he sat lolling from side to side his chief second, Walter Monahan, talked earnestly to him and when Willard nodded his head Monahan walked over and spoke to Pecord. The ref- eree threw up his hands and hurried to Dempsey's corner. He gesticulated in the uproar and finally pulled Dempsey toward the center of the ring before the new champion real- ized that Willard's second had thrown up the sponge. As soon as he grasp- ed the situation he started for Wil- lard's corner and the late title holder arose and stepped weakly to meet him. They shook hands and Willard muttered something in reply to Dempsey's remarks and the fight had passed into history.

WHAT THE TWO PUGILISTS HAD TO SAY AFTER THE FIGHT

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ (By Universal Service) _ Toledo, Ohio, July 4. - "The result was just what I expected," said Jack Dempsey after becoming champion of the world. "I said I would knock Willard out in the first round and that is practically what I did. I will say for him that he stood a lot of punishment before he quit. Toward the end he was so feeble I hated to hit him." _ Willard had no alibi to offer. He hadn't broken an ulna bone or been doped or anything like that. _ "I have no excuse to offer," said the ex-champion. "The better man won. That's all there is to it. Dempsey is the hardest puncher I ever faced." _ "The pitcher went to the well once too often." _ "I'm through with fighting. I'm going o Chicago for a few days then back to the farm in Kansas."

THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION JULY 5, 1919

THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION JULY 5, 1919

JACK DEMPSEY NEW KING WILLARD A PITIABLE SIGHT GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHT SINCE JEFFRIES WILLARD'S STYLE OF LOSING WILLARD"S WIFE SORRY OF DEFEAT...

MORE NEWS OF THE DAY:

_ (By Universal Service) _ New York, July 4. - The nationwide bomb plot said to have been planned for today failed to materialize. Not even the slightest disturbance marred the hottest independence day in many years. _ The police authorities of New York took extra precaution to prevent any outbreak. _ Thousands of policemen were sta- tioned about public buildings and the homes of public men and prominent citizens.

JACK DEMPSEY vs JESS WILLARD
THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, JULY 5, 1919
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