|
Mark Hatmaker
This is the story of two boxers, one legendary for his skill, Jack Johnson, and the other legendary for chopping that legend down--Jess Willard.
First, Mr. Johnson. Jack Johnson was one of the slickest, most skilled heavyweights we've ever had. Watching old film of Jack may not be as stunning as it once was because his canny defensive style which kept him out of the pocket and his copious use of pats and catches makes him resemble the fighter of today more than a relic from the past. But, we modern viewers have the jaded experience of many fights viewed afterward on our side to, perhaps, blinker us a bit as to what Jack Johnson brought to the game.
Jack Johnson was the first of the heavyweights to adopt some of the cagey craftiness of some of the lighter weight classes and bring it to the world stage that is the heavyweight championship. To that point, more often than not, heavyweight bouts centered around doling out and receiving punishment in a grand manner as opposed to a focus on defensive skills. Sure, Jim Corbett brought the jab to the fore for the weight class, but body movement and glove-on-glove catching were eschewed for stiff-arming and a bit of side-stepping but not much more.
When we watch Johnson in his prime, we see a fighter so competent in his glove-on-glove defense it can appear effortless. We see a fighter with small shifts in footwork making those small shifts result in big misses for his opponents. We see a fighter who actively uses the tie-up, the clinch to dampen the danger just when his opponent finally made it to his preferred range. It is this tie-up habit that infuriated many opponents and fight fans (well, that and vicious racism, of course). This tie-up used so successfully by Jack Johnson has became a mainstay because of his successful use of it, but I offer that this tie-up also might have led, at least partially, to his downfall. Once Johnson had the title there was a particularly odious portion of the population that hated to see him with the belt simply because he was black. Barbaric, yes, I know. What is all the more barbaric is the extent that governmental institutions wielded their thuggish power in aid and abettment of that hateful creed. Because of this sickening mindset there was a great hue and cry (whatever that is) to find The Great White Hope. Many were called, some stepped up, none stepped out of the ring as champ. After years of defending his title, his life, his reputation, and his freedom Johnson agreed to a fight with big Jess Willard--and I do mean big 6' 6" and 235 pounds--mighty big in the good old days. Jess, by all accounts was a gentle man who did not enjoy using his great strength to hurt others (he had killed a man in the ring--Jack "Bull" Young with a punch to the head in the 9th round). Because of his reluctance to hurt others he had adopted a counter-punching style of his own, while not exciting he did use it to great effect until he ran into Mr. Dempsey in a viciously legendary match. Like Johnson, Jess Willard also used the tie-up, as a matter of fact, you can find footage of him training it specifically in camp by including it as collar-and-elbow play, wrestling style, as opposed to the single and double over-hook tie-up we associate with boxing. It is this difference in approach to the tie-up game that I postulate contributed to his victory over Johnson. Yes, by the time they met, Johnson was a bit past his prime, yes, he came in a bit soft, but to be frank it wasn't really an issue in other circumstances. In the early rounds he looked good, still patting and cuffing punches with ease and each time trouble began we see the clinch initiated by one fighter or the other. I call your attention to the way the clinch is used--Johnson uses it to control Willard's arms to halt or minimize damage. Willard uses the tie-up to bull Johnson around and to give him his weight. I also call your attention to the way the tie-up/clinch was disengaged. Willard seems content to either ride the clinch providing weight and when he chooses to break it he gives a slight shoulder wheel which wrestlers know is far more energy efficient. Johnson breaks his clinch more often than not with a shove or push, another waste of precious energy once you've already been carrying a big man's weight. Now, I am not saying the clinch was the only factor that contributed to Willard's victory over who was inarguably a much better boxer, but a careful view of the fight should reveal that better clinch use by Willard (whether by plan or luck) contributed greatly to tiring out the champ and taking much of the snap and bounce of what was his usual game. Hindsight is 20/20 so, take my subjective observation for what it's worth. Agree with me or not, dial up that fight as it's mighty instructive.
| 
