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Show WILLARD SAYS HE'S AN IMPROVED BOXER By Universal Servk-e. XKW YORK, May IT. "I know twice as much about boxing as I did at Ha-I Ha-I viina, and I expect to beat Jack Dcrnp-i Dcrnp-i ac.y. Ho may be all they say he is, but I'm better than 1 was at Havana." 1 These confident declarations were made by Jess Willard, heavyweight champion, ! to an intimate friend, who returned here today, reporting Willard in good shape, training hard at Los Angeles, and in about, as good shape as on the night lie met Frank Moran at Madison Square ! Garden. I Johs hlmsellnf declared he was In better bet-ter condition than when he started training train-ing for the fight with Jack Johnson. "I don't feel any older," he declared. "I'm going to take off any weight I want to lose now and when I 'train on the battleground bat-tleground I'll only have to harden up and get on edge for the fight. Prefers Long Fight. "I'd- rather fight Dempsey a long fight than a short one, because I know I'll be In shape to fight all day, and I don't think he can stand the pace. I have all the endurance I ever had. "I don't think Dempsey can hurt me with a punch and I know there isn't a chance that he can tire me out. That's how it looks to me. "The new stuff I've learned about boxing box-ing is all stuff I can use in the ring, and you'll see I'm a better fighter when I meet Dempsey. For one tiling, the only left-hand blow I had at Havana was j a straight punch. I had a good right uppercut, but I couldn't uppercut with mv left. I've got it now;-I can jar them with it. "I've only seen Dempsey In the ring once, and that was a long time ago. He didn't impress me as a contender then. I don't see why I should be blamed for not taking him on sooner. I don't care whether it is Dempsey or anyone else, if the purse is wght. Eager to Meet Dempsey. "As far as Dempsey is concerned, I've been .willing to take him on any time. "I have been taking good care of myself my-self all the time," the champion declared in denying reports to the contrary. "I don't look like a boozer, do I?" he queried. "The reports about my drinking have always been exaggerated. I have never been a prohibitionist and I take a drink whenever I want one, but that Isn't often. 1 never drank enough to hurt me. "The trouble is that since I have been a champion I can hardly take a drink of soda without somebody spreading the story that I am sousing up." |