THE GREAT FIGHT.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 181, 7 April 1915, Page 5

THE GREAT FIGHT.

JOHNSON KNOCKED OUT. j. WILLARD, THE WHITE HOPE. The match between Jack Johnson, the world's heavyweight champion, and and .Tesse Willard, the cowboy White Hope, was fought to a finish yesterday. The fight lasted 26 rounds; in that round Jesse Willard knocked the big negro clown and out, and thus won the title of •'•'World's Heavyweight Champion." Details of the first seven rounds appeared in yesterday's issue. The balance are as follows: HAVANNA, April G. WILLARD GAINS CONFIDENCE. Round eight saw Willard gaining confidence, and he tried forcing the pace. Johnson accepted the challenge, and' betk. battered each other across the ring, neither getting the bettor cf matters. Willard aroused a lot of enthusiasm by landing a right to Johnson's mouth. Johnson then uppercut Willard over the heart, and the big white man bounced to the ropes. : coming back landed a left to the jaw, the round ending with the negro scoring blows to Willard's head. In round nine Willard assumed the aggressive, but the champion landed frequently, but his blows appeared to lack the old-time force. Johnson v s setting a fast pace and started a raßdriving three hard blows to Willard' stomach. The white man was not id' and a. left started the negro's moi: 4 ' bleeding. The latter, however, did v. i break ground, and drove his oppone to the ropes as xhc round ended. WIT-LARD STAGGERED.

Johnson was slow in. corning from his corner in the tenth, and Willard went at him, scoring two lefts to the face. The negro swung the left to the ribs following up his advantage with half a dozen blows to the body. He reached the jaw with a hard right which staggered Willard, but he rallied and was strong at the close.

In round eleven the crowd derided Johnson, who kept on fighting, answering the sallies with the same humour as in the fight with Jeffries. Willard tried to stop the negro from backing and drove a left to the mouth taking a right hook to the body in return. Johnson tried to annoy Willard by talking loudly, but the white man was not to be drawn, and fought carefully. Round twelve was chiefly clinches, wherein Johnson pursued the same tactics as in previous battles, and drove heavy smashes to his opponent's body, but with apparently little result. Willard was taking a lot of punishment, and his ear and cheek were bleeding freely. WILLARD TAKES A HAND. Round thirteen saw Johnson landing continuously on Willard's stomach, but the. White Hope drove Johnson to his corner, and landed repeatedly on his face, the negro failing to keep him off.

In round fourteen Johnson was beginning to miss his leads, but there were several good ex<?h an ■:.-*. Willard laughed at Johnson's efforts to brad. Round fifteen opened by Johns»n rushing Willard to the ropes., landing several body blows, but they had little effect on Willard, who 1 ought bach ic the end of the round. The sixteenth saw Johnson again beating Willard to the ropes, but his blcw.s lacked force, and the white man was not severely troubled. Willard reversed things in the seventeenth, getting home heavily on Johnson's body. BOTH SHOW SIGNS OF W.EAE. Johnson retaliated in round eighteen, and smashed his opponent heavily on the jaw and head, ; and hail a good lead In round nineteen both were showing effects of the fast fighting that had been witnessed, -and the rallies were slower, and the interchanges lighter. Till-: END IN SIGHT. The crowd frantically cheered Willard in the twentieth round when he landed several blows to the body, obviously distressing Johnson.'and it was the beginning of the end. Rounds. twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three and twenty-four degenerated into a slow punching fight, Avhercin little apparent effort was achieved by either man. The twenty-fifth round saw both going Avell, clinches and a right and left to the body by Willard effectively stopping Johnson's aggressiveness, and the negro looked a beaten man. The, tAventy-sixth and last round saw Willard rush the negro, and swing a terrific right to the jaAA', knocking the negro out, amidst tremendous cheering, and the Avildest excitement. The crowd went nearly mad, and rushed the ring, threatening Johnson, soldiers being needed to clear tho mob from the building, and protect the fighters.