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Toledo, Ohio, July 4.-By virtue of
one of the most speediest and most one-
sided battles which ever decided a big
fistic event. Jack Dempsey, who may
now wish to be known by his full
voting name of William Harrison
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 countenance 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."
Willard Dazed
He sat there, apparently the most
surprised man in the United states at
the moment. His right eye was closed
and his ditto check 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
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.
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.
Thought Fight Was
Over.
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."
Attendance
Disappointing.
He measured the attendance, which
disappointed estimates by about 50
per cent, with an appraising eye.
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."
First Effective
Blows.
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.
Crowd Surges to
Mat.
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.
Last Ounce of
Resistance.
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 um-
brellas to keep the sun from their un-
covered heads.
At 9 minutes after four, the weak
gong, which later caused so much
confusion, clanged, and the battle was
on.
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