Old Black Wills

A photograph of a wall-eyed youngster with protruding ears, a puckered mouth, and neither shirt nor collar on his thick wrinkled neck appeared on the front page of a famed daily last week under the caption "YOUTH SUPREME." The youth in question, one Jack Sharkey, had just demonstrated in a bloody bout in Brooklyn his supremacy against black Harry Wills, once known as "The Brown Panther," and long the Nemesis of Jack Dempsey. All through the fight Sharkey chopped and hacked at Wills, closed his eye, made his mouth bleed; all through the fight the referee skipped between the two saying, "Don't do that; don't do that." Wills was the offender; in every break he swung over illicit punches; he hit backhanded; he butted Sharkey with his hard, black head. Perhaps Wills only did these things from force of habit; he has long been famed in the ring for his sharp practices, as also for his tireless pursuit of a match with Dempsey. But old black Wills will pursue no more heavyweight champions; he was tired; even his foulest punches had no sting. In the 13th round, after ten warnings the referee disqualified him for fouling.

Astute, pudgy gentlemen of the sporting fraternity were stirred into a semblance of interest in 1924. Floyd Johnson, Homer Smith,

Al Roberts had been successively vanquished by some young brawny Boston Lithuanian. But, then-- Johnson was a has-been, knocked out by fat Jess Willard; Smith was a trial horse, only fair; Roberts, who had ever heard of him? Astute, pudgy gentlemen relaxed; the heavyweight situation seemed unchanged. . . . Later came news of the defeat of clever Jack Renault, tough Johnny Risko at the same hands. The hands belonged to square-jawed Jack Sharkey, carried the potential power of dynamite. Binghamton-born, Boston-bred, this Lithuanian with a famed Irish name* served in the navy, has boxed professionally for but two years. In Boston, he is regarded as the next champion. Away from the ring, the hulking battler is quiet, home-loving; has two little daughters.

*Tom Sharkey, onetime heavyweight contender ; ferocious fighter, ex-sailor.