What of Jeffries now?

you have to respect Jeffries as a great fighter of his day and one of the best gloved fighters up until that point. These guys had limited reference in which to look to as an example and do's and don't s and he beat Corbett and Fitz and other good fighters of his day. I rate him neck and neck with Johnson,sometimes higher and sometimes lower depending on latest input

 

The same thing that happened to Christy Mathewson, Bronko Nagurski, and Valeri Kharlamov.

 

Jeffries was well paid to referee,otherwise he wouldnt have done it , he always had a very healthy respect for $$$$ and was known for his parsimony.

 

The fact that he was making a comeback earned him a fortune on the vaudeville circuit he did two back to back tours and made more than he did from the Johnson fight .If he had concentrated more on his preparations for the fight he might have done a bit better but the lure of the $$$ was to strong to resist.

 

1896-05-22: San Francisco Call (that's prior to his first pro fight listed at boxrec) wrote that "Jeffries has fought and whipped twenty men during his short career as a prize-fighter, and is now looking for big game."

Janitor,

I think there is more out there. Jeffries has reported KO wins over Frank Childs, Ed Martin, Kid Cotton and others.

If these fights are verified, it adds to his legacy. If they are not he was moved at a swift pace to the title.

 

There were various stories about Jim Jeffries having his professional debut in a bout with Hank Griffin, but I never could find any contemporary reports or news items of such a bout. But there was some contemporary mention of a tour by Jeffries in the Southwest at the beginning of his career with Billy Gallagher as his handler.

- Chuck Johnston

 

George Kid Cotton did not start fighting until 6 years after Jeffries was retired. Jeffries retired in 1904 Cotton was 16 years old that year.No one has come up with any evidence that Jeffries fought either Martin or Childs , if Adam Pollack didn't unearth any there isnt any period.
Whilst champion, Jeffries refused Martin's challenge that is a fact.

 

Hank Griffin himself mentioned being Ko'd by Jeffries in the 1890's in the papers when asked about his pick for Johnson vs Jeffries.

I think Ring Magazine many years later re-told the story. Never saw the initial fight report either.

 

There were quite a few Cotton's. It could have been Joe Cotton, who was active in California from 1892-1904. Cotton would not add much to Jeffries legacy, but Childs or Martin would add something. Older versions of the Ring Record book list these matches under Jeffries career, so I have read.

Reported KO's are often correct more often than not. If Martin fought Jeffries, I bet it was a short event.

Adam's research is limited to what he read. He did say much about Jeffries overseas matches as champion. I asked him this when he was doing research. According to historian Callis, Jeffries KO'd a few UK based fighters when he was in Europe. Who were they?

Many smaller papers went defunct in the American South West and West could have mentioned Jeffries earlier fights. Some were archived. Did Adam research them all?

It is estimated that boxing records are missing 75%+ of the fighter pre 1900

 

I have never seen any evidence at all of Jeffries fighting Denver Ed Martin--considering Martin's age, this fight would have had to have been when Jeff was champion.

But there is at least evidence that Jeff fought Frank Childs, from the San Francisco Chronicle in May of 1896.

"Jeffries has bested his opponents in short order. Two rounds, three rounds, five rounds is the history of his fights. He put George Griffin out in eleven seconds. Frank Childs, the 'colored cyclone' of Los Angeles went out in two rounds, and Childs had bested La Blanche and 'Billy" Smith. It took the young giant the same length of time to put out Joe Cotton."

This is quoted from Adam Pollock's biog of Jeff.

Adam has these comments--

"It is possible that Jeff did box Childs, who often fought in the Los Angeles area, as well as Cotton, who was listed as a Los Angeles heavyweight."

and

"It is unclear as to how often or whom Jeffries boxed from 1893 to late 1895."

Adam thought it odd that Jeff never later mentioned fighting Childs, who was a "colored championship" claimant--but perhaps that title wasn't really very mainstream and didn't mean much to Jeffries.

I have also read that Jeffries promised his family not to box until he was 21. I don't know how stiff-backed his father perhaps was, but I can see how he might have preferred to ignore this part of his career to maintain peace within his family.

Whatever, lost to history, but I wouldn't focus on Jeff's supposed lack of fights in his early career, nor get too excited about any of these victories. Childs was small, and the other names seem fairly obscure.

 

I am going to say no to Martin, but perhaps to Childs.

 

Thank you. It was Joe Cotton, not Kid. When a paper releases this type of detail, its likely true as the opposing managers or those int he fight game would jump on bogus press.

Childs was decent enough. Box rec had him at 173, which wasn't that small for the times. He defeated Klondike, Joe Walcott, Bob Armstrong, and LaBlanche.

 

From In the Ring With James J. Jeffries:

Billy Gallagher, who was in Jeff’s corner as a second for the Griffin fight, was very impressed with Jeffries. He encouraged Jeff to go on the road and fight everybody. He felt that they could make a lot of money together. However, Jeff did not feel like leaving home. Furthermore, as a minor, he respected his family’s wishes. It was not until two years later that Gallagher’s urgings began to sink in. Jeff was glad that he did not listen to Billy right away, because he gained two years of experience and maturity that gave him a level head.
Although a number of promoters offered him matches, Jeffries turned them down. Still, that did not mean he couldn’t learn a few things. At the Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC), Jeff boxed in occasional exhibition bouts, and sparred and trained with Gallagher and other pupils. “Billy Gallagher, coach of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, invited me to the club to box two or three evenings a week and I worked under him and learned much about boxing. When he resigned as coach…De Witt Van Court replaced him.”

...

A November 25, 1894 Los Angeles Herald article mentions Jim Jeffries as a boxer who would be sparring Billy Gallagher at a benefit to be held on November 27 at New Turner hall.
Jeff said that after the Griffin fight, “I boxed at every opportunity in the gymnasium and at every club smoker with the best men, understanding the bouts to be mere exhibitions.” He was itching to pursue a professional career, but remembered the promise he had made to his mother.

...

According to Jeffries, the two years of hard work (boxing training and boilermaking) following the Griffin bout had helped him. He had grown tired of boxing for fun (exhibition/gym sparring bouts) and decided to see if he could make money with it. He stood 6′1 ½″ and weighed 228 pounds, with a 33-inch waist.
Billy Gallagher was preparing to fight Danny Needham, and wanted Jeff to go to San Francisco to train with him, which he did. This makes sense, because Jeffries turned 21 and became a legal adult on April 15, 1896.
In May 1896, Jeff was in the San Francisco area training with the welterweight-sized Gallagher. Jeff claimed to have sparred with him for five weeks, preparing Billy for his early June bout with Needham. “He would swing on me as hard as he could and never budge me and he seemed surprised and would say: ‘Big Fellow, you take an awful wallop.’ I was learning.”

...

The Chronicle discussed Jeff’s ability and career to that point. “Jeffries has fought not a few men, and has won every battle he has had.” It described him as splendidly proportioned, having a frame like a “youthful Hercules, and quick-footed as a cat.”

Such force of propulsion, such speed, such controlled violence of force is fascinating. Jeffries has bested his opponents in short order. Two rounds, three rounds, five rounds is the history of his fights. He put George Griffin out in eleven seconds. Frank Childs, the “colored cyclone” of Los Angeles went out in two rounds, and Childs had bested La Blanche and “Billy” Smith. It took the young giant the same length of time to put out Joe Cotton. Jeffries is a clever and scientific boxer. His training in this line began early in life…. When he was about 14 years old Jeffries was put under instruction in the Los Angeles Athletic Club…. Jeffries’ first professional engagements were under Gallagher’s management. He made a tour of Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico, meeting all comers.

This report’s accuracy is questionable. No subsequent printing of Jeffries’ record ever mentions any of these bouts. This same newspaper, reporting Jeff’s record as of 1898, lists an 1893 KO15 against Hank Griffin in Los Angeles, but lists no other fight until Jeff’s 1895 bout with Hank Lorraine.
Jeffries did not mention any of these bouts in his autobiographies. In fact, his autobiographies contradict the claims, at least in regard to the out-of-state bouts. Jeff said that he refused to go on the road with Gallagher for two years, and did not have any professional fights until mid-1896, first fighting Dan Long. The wily Gallagher might have been generating false press releases in order to build up interest in Jeffries.
It is possible that Jeff did box Childs, who often fought in the Los Angeles area, as well as Cotton, who was later listed as a Los Angeles heavyweight. It is unclear as to how often or whom Jeffries boxed from 1893 to late 1895. Jeff appears to have been doing some training and boxing in the L.A. area, and could have fought these men in exhibition bouts, as he did with Hank Lorraine. This has never been confirmed. Certainly, a victory over Childs would be significant, given his prior and later successes. Childs later won the world colored heavyweight championship. However, given its significance, it would be curious for Jeffries never to mention such a bout.
The day after the Chronicle report hyping Jeffries, the San Francisco Examiner reported that it was said that Jeffries was an “embryo world’s champion who combines the strength of Sandow and the punching ability of Bob Fitzsimmons, with the agility of Jim Corbett.” Again, it was probably relying on Gallagher as its source.

 

The horse's mouth.:good