He was very good at taking punishment. Very tough dude that would keep coming and in the end wear you out. He came back to fight Jack Johnson because of the media pressure, which is a shame as Jim Jefferies was happy at his farm, he was retired. One thing I will say is that Jim did very well to get back to fighting shape against Jack Johnson, but in the end, the layoff took it's toll, he was never going to win. I don't think Jim would of beaten Jack Johnson anyway because Jack was your typical counter puncher and Jim would of got outboxed, but he was very tough.
He was a beast. He fought 25-rounders with 4 or 5 ounce gloves. Those fights were bloodbaths. Real fights. Punching the sh!t outta each other. Real fights. Not that f*aggot-as$ fake sh!t we saw the other night.
He was a unique fighter. All the best heavyweights from 1892-1926 said Jeffries was the best. This includes Corbett, Jackson, Langford, Burns, Johnson, and Dempsey to name a few. A poll of historians in the 1950's ( no less than 12 ) rated Jeffries #1 of all time. Jeffries was a big man ( 6 1 1/2, 220 pounds ), with top level athletic skills. Today he'd be around 230 pounds easy. Jeffries had the stamina to fight 25 hard rounds, a knock out punch ( floored every man he fought, save his lame come back attempt ), good speed/agility and perhaps the best chin of all time. On defense he was quick to slip or duck punches, and was too strong for anyone in the the clinches. Unfortunately there is no clear film on Jeffries in his prime. 99% of what people see is his come back attempt vs Jack Johnson. Jeffries was out of the ring for 6 years, had to lose 80 pounds to get in shape, and face his old trainer ( Jack Delaney who knew him best ) in Johnson's corner. He lost in 15 rounds, but the fight was close up to round ten. What if the only film on Ali was vs Larry Holmes? That's Jeffries problem. Those who saw him are all dead, and those today only see him at his worst. The below training film which includes sparring with pro fighters shows you what he had in his prime. Judge for yourself. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CauVMvNspIY[/url]
One of Jeffries' opponents : [url]http://www.irish-boxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/tom-sharkey.jpg[/url] Nowadays boxer : [url]http://www.nowboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/Paulie_Malignaggi.jpg[/url]
Who told you the fight was close against Jack Johnson? Jack johnson was taunting Jim througout the whole fight. Took the **** out of Jim.
Ive always felt he could have competed in any era. He was fast of both hand and foot, had legendary stamina and was tough a fighter that has ever entered the ring. People forget the conditions fighter fought in back then and the equiptment they used. Today in comparison is a powder puff league. Not saying there arent great fighters today, but you have to question if some would hold up to the rigors of togher eras.
Off topic, I have many of the filmed rounds from start to finish. It was a slow fight that took place in the desert in July. The rounds shown by Ken Burns are selected for reasons, and are near the end of the fight. It was close to ten rounds, then Johnson took over. The last five rounds were not close. The first ten were. News papers that scored it round by round say Jeffries won the 4th and 9th clean. Rounds 1-3 were about even, though many felt Jeffries was slightly in the lead after round four rounds. Jeffries drew first blood ( Cut Johnson's lip ) early in the fight. Hence the first ten rounds were close. I hope that clarifies things. If it was a ten round fight, it could have been called a draw. Being old and out of the ring for years, his stamina / timing was terrible. Bob Fitzsimmons who Jeffries defeated for the title said Jeffries wasn't a quarter of the fighter he meet in the ring years ago. [url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CauVMvNspIY[/url]
Prime Jeffries was in beast mode, a true genetic freak. Incredibly fast for a hw and very powerfully built without even touching weights. Prime Jim could run 100 meters in 11 seconds. World class sprinters today on steroids have trouble getting below 10.5. Very few men have ever made below 10 seconds. Jim retired for 6 years, gained 100 lbs, was smoking and drinking heavily. John L Sullivan noted that Jeffries was in no condition to fight when came back vs Johnson. His speed and stamina was completely gone. In his prime Jeffries would of beat Johnson. Jeffries was a completely different animal than Jess Williard that kicked Johnsons ass. Yeah, he would of lost to Willard after his comeback but in his prime he woulda destroyed Williard. Look at Jims speed, foot work and cordination :57 seconds. [yt]CauVMvNspIY[/yt]
True Mendoza. What if the only time people seen Mike Tyson fight was vs Danny Williams and Kevin Mcbride? Tyson would not be regarded very kindly. Jeffries is not judged fairly by most boxing fans. Boxing experts, pundits and fighters that seen James J fight in his prime, believed that he was the best.