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

WILLARD'S STYLE OF LOSING CHAMPIONSHIP CAUSES DILLON TO ARRAIGN KANSAN'S "HEART"

(By Jack Dillon, Famous Light Heavy- weight, Known as "Jack the Giant Killer," Written expressly for Univer- sal Service.) _Toledo, July 4., - Lost the champion- ship sitting down. That's a sorry end to the pugilistic record of Jess Willard. It's probably the first tome in ring history that the championship was lost in such a cheap and unsatisfactory way. It showed that Willard, giant that he is, has something the matter with his heart. It's not a game, fighting heart. It's not the kind of heart that stands up under terrific punishment. It's not the kind of heart that will stay to the end, even though the first knockout blow on the jaw is inevitable. It's not the kind of a heart that a champion ought to have. _ Money has been, in a way, the un- making of Willard as a fighter. Money the last few years has made living easy for him. He has tasted of the luxuries and maybe this weakened his fighting heart more than his fighting body. _ I felt that Dempsey would win as soon as he had uncovered that tremendous left of his to Willard's jaw in the first round. It showed that Jack had suffi- cient power to floor the big fellow. That knockdown gave him a world of con- fidence in himself, even more than he had when he entered the ring. Though even then he was complete master of himself. Looking at his huge opponent, towering a head over him and weighing a half hundred pounds more than him- self, Dempsey must have had some mighty serious thoughts about the pos- sible developments of the next thirty minutes in that small padded square. But he never showed a trace of ner- vousness and I doubt if he felt any. I am sure he had no thought of fear. _ _Midget Deserved to Win _ It was the case of the midget David and the giant Goliath all over again. _ And the midget won as he deserved. _ That first round was certainly a whirl- wind. You can imagine the power that was behind those blows that upset a man fifty pounds heavier than Dempsey. Willard probably had a crushing blow in either hand if he had been able to land one fairly. But I really doubt if there would have been more driving force be- hind them than there were in those right and left smashes to the jaw that Demp- sey whipped over in the history-making first round. History-making because it was the first time Willard ever had been knocked down and the first time I have heard that he ever was so badly dam- aged in the face. _ Dempsey, I think, could have put Wil- lard away in that first round if he had continued his rushing attack incessantly. When the round closed I begun to fear that he might have missed his chance. Willard is such a giant that I knew he must have some reserve strength and the way he rallied in the second round proved that was true. _ But in that third Dempsey went at his task in his customary walloping style. He fought so hard that he began to look a bit tired but he wound up the round in a smashing way that showed he had plenty of reserve. In fact he fought all the way like a champion. He never fal- tered in his attack. He dared to go in close continually and risk the damage that used to be in Willard's wallops. But it was not there today. Willard, as I wrote three weeks ago when I boxed with him in training here, was slow and soft. _ _ Lack of Gameness Deplorable. _ You will remember, too, at that early date in the training after I had had a workout with Dempsey that I unhesitat- ingly and unconditionally picked Demp- sey to win the fight. I have some grati- fication in that but the signs of results today were unmistakable. It looked as certain as words could make it that Dempsey's superb condition, his rushing powerful attack, his confidence and his gameness would overcome the handicap of weight his opponent held. Willard did not have much else today. It's too bad that the pugilistic crown should change hands in such a way. It's too bad that the big fellow didn't have gameness enough to take his medicine to the bitter end. It's too bad that Dempsey couldn't get the credit for a clear knockout. But he is entitled to the credit of a technical knockout. He's a lion-hearted fighter. He'll make one of the most popular champions we have ever had. He has fought his way up from the bottom. He deserves everything that is good from the sporting public. _ Hail to the new champion.

THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION JULY 5, 1919

THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION JULY 5, 1919

DEMPSET WINS JACK DEMPSEY NEW KING WILLARD A PITIABLE SIGHT GREATEST HEAVYWEIGHT SINCE JEFFRIES WILLARD"S WIFE SORRY OF DEFEAT...

WILLARD'S STYLE OF LOSING CHAMPIONSHIP
CAUSES DILLON TO ARRAIGN KANSAN'S "HEART"
THE FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, JULY 5, 1919
Historic boxing newspapers and articles.