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Show CORBETT SAYS WILLARD GOT THE WORST BEATING GIVEN A CHAMPION OF LATE YEARS I James J. Corhett in his story of the i champion prize fisht at Toledo, says: Jack Dempsey. the greatest heavy-weight heavy-weight fighter since Jim Jeffries was in his prime, is the world's champion today and for the good oi the game,! am glad. From the lime that Willard stepped Into the ring shortl) after 4 o'clock, j there was never any doubt in my mind 88 to the outcome There can be no i doubt when a man 38 years old, flabby, .untrained, soft and without any of his gTpat fighting instincts, meets a i husky youth, just 24 years old. trained (to the minute and a nautral fighter, every inch of him. I said Willard had none of the fighting fight-ing instincts he has just one, and that fa ganuness He took this afternoon after-noon more punishment than has been 1 meted out to an heavyweight tighter in my day and all the terrific pummelling pummel-ling and bombardment came within , three rounds just nine minutes of ' lighting The blows came so fast in the first round that it is almost impossible to j tell which were most responsible for the champion's downfall. As they squared off, Dempsey clear-Ij clear-Ij was nervous and it was a full ruin-uie ruin-uie before he established his bearings. Once he had started, however, there was no lull. He played no favorites I as far as punches go. There were right 'hooks, left hooks, full round swings, (terrific jabs to the stomach, upper-cuts upper-cuts everey blow known to pugilism Willard fell when the first full blow, a right hook, caught him farily on the ' jaw. He picked himself up plainly in dis-itrcjss dis-itrcjss and Dempsey was on top of him, tearing at him like a wildcat Willard dropped again and fell against the ropes He managed to get on his feet and just one blow and again he dropped, this time taking the coutn of four. Willard managed to work himself to the other end of the ring and there was greeted with the hardest blow of the fight, a powerful hook to the jaw. Gong Saves Willard. He fell, and Pecord had counted seven sev-en v,hn the gong rang and saved him. His seconds worked over him, while he lay helpless on the floor, and he succeeded in getting back to his corner cor-ner Just as the gong sounded for the second round. The second round was noted chiefly fo rthe fact that W il lard managed to sta ythrough it. This was due to only one fact. Dempsey had tired himself j out in the first round. WillaTd showed I some slight recuperative powers, but It was only a flash. What little abil , lty and strength he displayed in the Becond session was due not so much to himself as to Dempsey's leg and arm weariness after the great pace he had set, and also to a natural caution against any chance blow which migh rob him of the victory which was so clearly his if he bided his time. Willard's right eye was closed, his face was smeared with blood and he was little more than a human punching bag and not much of one at that, when the second round came to an end. "The third round was a repetition of the second with Willard getting more helpless with heach punch. Dempsey. although plainly tired, kept coming in and the champion was utterly powerless power-less to stop him He reeled from one end of the ring to the other, unable to get out of the way of any swing, and helpless in close fighting By the way, Dempsey cut loose with a number of I beautiful right uppercuts Future aspirants as-pirants for the title may as v. ell know ; right now that v,hen they' beat Demp-se Demp-se they will have to lick a man who has more tha none good punch Willard could not find his corner at ' the end of the third. His seconds led the groping champion to his seat and he crumpled up in his chair. As the gong sounded for the fourth round, Willard announced that he was throng. i, following which his seconds tossed the towel in in token of surrender. sur-render. bumming it all, Willard was ttoo old. ttoo flabby, too soft, both physically and in mental attitude. He was champion cham-pion but he was not a fighter. 1 iemp . on ihe other hand if the ideal age, the ideal weight, the ideal type. He may be a bit deficient in defense, but put this down as a cold, hard fact he gave a man fifty pounds heavier the most terrific beating ever handed a heavyweight champion, and there is no tighter in the limelight today who would stand a chance against him. In other words, Jack Dempsey is a real champion. My hat's off to Jack, the great scrapper who measures up with the world's champions of oQi' r days. |