BOXING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 7 April 1915, Page 7

BOXING

DEFEAT OF JACK JOHNSON.

{Paasa association. —(jopybighi.) HAVANA, April 5. There was a crowd of 15,000 to witness, the fight. When it commenced 'both fighters were received with prolonged applause. The fight was postponedfor half an hour owing to someone' forgetting the gong. In the first round Johnson feinted, and landed a left on Willard's jaw> and gave repeated uppercuts with rights on Willard's jaw. Wil- . lard drove .two lefts on the negro's body. In round: 2 Johnson neatly biock.ed Willard's lead, scoring a right and left on £he jaw, and drove Wiilard- to the ropes.' In round 3 Johnson rushed and score'd with' a left" on'the : body and right" on the jaw, Willardjs lip bleeding. Wiilard scared a left on Johnson's nosfe; In round "4 the negro Smashed hard'at Willard's .ribs. "The cfiampjon rushed Wiilard.'.to the rows, "scoring" on the head* and body. Willard'was badly dis/ tressed, and looked like an amateur. In round six - the negro beat* Wiilard to the ropes" with a Tusdade of lefts.. ...At the; bell !Johnson was hammering his ; opponent's Head and bddy'. : Willard's left' cheek .was' cut. In round 7 Johnson-was using every artifice to force the fighting. He rushed Wiilard to the ropes, slogging with b'otli hands repeatedly. Wizard's long left temporarily"blinded the rifg--1 rb's left, but Johnson came back with i a series of swings to the body. It had ! been a clean fight so far. In round-eight Wiilard was gaining j confidence,''and "tried forcing the "pace. 'Johnson, accepted the challenge, and both j.battered each, other across the ring, neither getting the better. • Wiilard landed one on Johnson's mouth, and Johnson , uppercut Wiilard over the heart. Wiilard bounced *to the ropes, and landed a left on the jaw. In the next round Wiilard assumed the aggressive, and the champion landed frequent blows,' but" he appeared to lack-his old "time force. Later he. drove the whrLe. 'man to the ropes. In round 10 Johnson was slow in .coming from his ■ comer. Wiilard scored with two lefts on the face. The negro swung his. left to the ribs; and delivered half a dozen blows on the body and jaw. A hard right staggered 1 Wiilard. In round 11 the crowd derided Johnson, • who tried to ahr«u,v Wiilard by talking loudly. The next round was chiefly clinches, in which Johnson drove heavy smashes to his opponent's body, iwith apparently little.result. In round 13 Wiilard drove Johnson'to the corner, and landed repeatedly on r his face. In round 14 Johnson '.-was ;.beginning to miss the leads, and there 'were good exchanges, Wiilard laughing at Johnson's efforts. In round 15 Johnson, rushed Wiilard to the- ropes with heavy body blows. In round 16 Johnson again scored, beating Wiilard to the ropes. "In the next round Willard's lead was.getting home heavily on Johnson's "body/'"" In round 18 the negro smashed 'his opponent heavily' oh the jaw and. headl In round 19J .ihoth were, showing effects, 4«,d'tHe'nglitihg"was r slo\yer. The crowd' 'feahtScq^yy'''/cheered!: "Wiilard i|v the twentieth round when. he landed several blows oh the,body', obviously distressing Johnson... Rounds 21, 22, 23, and 24 degenerated into a slow -punchinlg fight,', in which little apparent effort wa s achieved. In the 25th round both were going 'well, but slams with the right and left by Wiilard effectively stopped* Johnson's, aggressiveness. Final-ly.-Wiilard in": the 26th round smashed Johnso.n with a,terrific right swing on the jaw, and knocked the negro out. , ■ \ The erowd rushed: the ring,; threatening Johnson, and soldiers-were needed to clear* the mob out and protect the •fighters. ' -

. (Jess Will'ard, a white pugilist, . was ;borh in. 'Batt'owatomie '.County;, -Kansas', on 29fch December, 1687. His height Js 6ft 7in.' .■•The-'fight was- to "be one of 45 rounds, or-practically a "bout to: a finish." J. To his credit ■ Willard lias '-several: victories—-seven- in 1911. seven "in 1912, eight in 1913, ; and six in 1914. He lost to "Gunboat" Smith in-19i3).'