Why did Jack Johnson agree to a 45rdr with Willard?

Didn't he agree to fight Willard to come back to America and avoid Jail?
In that case the terms were probably out of his hands.

 

''Given Willard’s immense durability, the conventional wisdom going in was that the Kansan’s best chance of victory would occur if he took Johnson into the later rounds. With this in mind, Willard’s manager Tom Jones requested a scheduled distance of 45 rounds, more than twice the length of Willard’s longest bout to date. Stunningly, Johnson and promoter Jack Curley accepted. Perhaps they remembered that Johnson had engaged in two previous 45-rounders against Jeffries and Fireman Jim Flynn and scored knockouts in 15 and 11 rounds respectively. Also, a subsequent fight against Flynn was the last unlimited length fight in boxing history and there, Johnson won by ninth-round disqualification when Flynn – driven to madness by Johnson’s constant holding – repeatedly, wildly and deliberately rammed the top of his head into Johnson’s face. Finally, even a past-his-prime Johnson possessed more ring craft than Willard could ever hope to have and he probably thought that asset would see him through no matter what the scheduled distance''.
Boxing historian Lee Groves.

 

How did that work out?:think

 

Why wouldn't Curley accept it? It was he who chose Willard as the opponent his thinking being over a long distance the big strong durable cowboy would have the advantage.

You don't think he was rooting for Johnson do you?

Jeffries stipulated 45rds fight not Johnson,what was he thinking?
Flynn began butting in the first round he wasn't driven to anything.

"Flynn displayed no ability throughout the fight. He was cut about the face until blood ran down his breast in a stream. He was utterly helpless from the first round on and by the sixth was deliberately trying to butt the champion's chin with his head" Flynn trained for a dirty fight fouling his sparring partners daily his trainer Tommy Ryan quit in disgust at his antics.

 

Tell is to Lee groves its his words not mine.

 

Well why don't you enlighten us all...

 

You're quoting him ,I'm just saying what I've read. Nothing personal.

 

It was never on the table it's another myth . Like those that Sugar perpetuated ,if you want to be enlightened on the subject [and you pop up on every Johnson thread lately,]buy Pollack's books, highly recommended.:good
ps .I'd imagine regular posters here already know .:think

 

What wasn't on the table?

I'm sure ill get round to buying them at some point.

 

An offer of leniency/pardon if he threw the fight.
You won't be disappointed in the bios,if you are interested in that era.

 

Since when is Lee Groves a boxing historian???

 

Lee Groves is a boxing writer and historian based in Friendly, W.Va. He is a full member of the BWAA, from which he has won 12 writing awards, including nine in the last four years and two first-place awards since 2011. He has been an elector for the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2001 and is also a writer, researcher and punch-counter for CompuBox, Inc. He is the author of “Tales from the Vault: A Celebration of 100 Boxing Closet Classics.