Rank These HW in terms of Functional boxing strength

Even so, it is as credible a source as you are going to get, without somebody actually having filmed the event.

I am actually quite accustomed to lifting heavy things, because I lay railway track, for a preserved railway.

There are all manner of methods you can use to lift heavy objects, if you are not actually concerned about getting recognition for a record.

 

...when primo carnera tried to bully joe louis, joe picked him up off his feet and set him down again. carnera weighed about 265 at the time. no, joe didn't lift him way up in the air, just off his feet.

 

Was Duneknhorst big enough? Jeffries blew him out in a 3 round ex match. If not how about Monroe, who was 215 pounds and lasted but two rounds.

Jeffries manhandled every one he fought in his prime, including Tom Sharkey who had the strength to bend coins with his bare hands. Strength is not confined to weight. On film you can see Jeffries picking up a charging Sharkey into the air in what for a moment looks like a body slam, but Jeffries let him down gently.

In the first fight when Sharkey got rough, Jeffries picked him up and shook him like a small child.

In the Jeffries vs. Johnson match, when Jeffries was fresh he pushed Johnson backward more often than not on film until he became tired. There is reference to Jeffries picking Johnson up and depositing him on his other side, but its not on film.

Those are functional strength references in addition to the on Janitor used, which was in front of a group of people

If you want to see film, go ahead and watch Jeffries spin his brother ( who was 200 pounds ) around like a top in a filmed sparring session.

Check the 14 second mark. Did Liston or Foreman ever do something like this? Maybe they could have, but I never saw it.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CauVMvNspIY[/url]

 

As a former personal trainer, we referred to "functional strength" in our industry as strength that effectively applies to the exact sort of physical activity that the user requires it for and how well that strength is utilized. For most of these men I'd say they put their strength to effective use as seen by the success of their careers. I will say however that of all the men listed Jim Jeffries probably falls shorter than most of the list.. This isn't to say that he wasn't functionally "strong" by any means.. In fact he may have been stronger than all of them.. But I'm not sure that it was always put to the best use, especially given his style and the considerably smaller men he often faced.

 

Jeffries koing Dunkhosrt means nothing, we are talking about strength not hitting power and by the way Fitzsimmons kod Dunkhorst in just 2 rounds and he was giving him nearly 80lbs he dropped him for the count with one left hook. Jeffries did not manhandle Munroe, I have the summary of the fight Munroe was scared to death. Sharkey was 32 lbs lighter than Jeffries and 6 inches shorter. There is no reference to Jeffries picking up Johnson at any time during their fight Johnson picked up Jeffries and placed him in the corner which Corbett was in,all the while talking to Corbett.
You are spinning fairy tales again.
Reports of the fight and Adam's book confirm Johnson handled Jeffries with ease. I've seen tiny people do that stunt with the arms locked behind the head.

I repeat there is no film of Jeffries manhandling anyone his own size.
Johnson handled Jeffries with ease ,he allowed the heavier man to expend energy forcing forwards , all the while holding his arms so Jeffries was unable to land punches in close.

 

I posted a video link. If you don't think Jeffries was man handling his brother ( 200 pounds ) and moving him any way he wished in the clinch or in the air, you're wrong. By saying his own size you are DQ'ing anyone in the division who did not man-handle anyone 220 pounds or greater.

Ali
Louis
Holmes
Jack Johnson
Liston
Foreman
Jeffries
Tyson

How many opponents did they fight over 220 that they man-handled?

In terms of " functional strength " Raw power, leverage, and the stamina to use it throughout a fight, I'd say Jeffries is #1.

 

Louis manhandled 260lbs Carnera,Johnson manhandled 227lbs Jeffries and over 200lbs Moran.
I'm stating categorically that Jeffries never showed evidence of great functional strength in a fight against an opponent near his own size.
You can say what you like ,it won't make it true.

 

Jeffries was booed in a couple of fights for doing the Wlad stunt of laying his weight on opponents.I agree with your opinion.

 

That doesn't mean that he wasn't one of the strongest heavyweights of all time.

His exploits outside the ring rather suggest that he was.

 

This isn't an argument about weather or not he was a strong man. Its an argument about how he rates to the other combatants in terms of functional boxing strength.

 

I would want those exploits verified, tales of carrying deer for miles and lifting 500lb bales of hay into wagons are just that tales, ever asked your self why anyone would make a bale of hay 500lbs? I'm on farms every day, bales are made a manageable size so that one man can lift them. Jeffries was the bigger man in all his fights and in some by up to 60lbs plus, that is not a reliable way to test a man's strength. Jeffries did not use his size and a strength in an effective way.His fights with Choynski,Fitzsimmons Corbett, and Sharkey clearly demonstrate this.

 

And I'd also like to know the exact size of the deer he was carrying. Was this a fully grown 300 lbs buck or was it a bamby size fawn?

 

On Jeffries strength. Here are what historians had to say:

Testimonies to Jeffries' strength are numerous. Houston (1975 p 15) said, "There was nothing fancy about James J. Jeffries. He was a die-hard fighter of the old school, relying on his considerable strength and durability to bring him victory." He added that Jeffries had a "bear-like" appearance in his slightly crouched stance, was almost impossible to hurt or discourage, and delivered clubbing blows that took their toll. He also said "If Jeffries could not outbox an opponent, he could certainly outlast the best of them."

Odd (1974 p 18) said that Jeffries was the strongest of the heavyweight champions in both hitting power and build.

Carpenter (1975 p 34) called Jeffries a bull of a man out of the California iron foundries who traded on strength.

It has been written that no man was the same after being pounded by Jeffries' fists. With "TNT" in each hand, he delivered heavy, relentless blows that imparted their damage to the foe.

He cracked two of Bob Fitzsimmons' ribs in one of their bouts. He battered Tom Sharkey, breaking his nose and two ribs. Diamond (1954 p 62) said Sharkey was hospitalized for three days and suffered three broken ribs. He bashed in Jim Corbett's right side in their second match. He sent Joe Goddard to the hospital with a severe beating and dealt Pete Everett head and back injuries that kept him bed-ridden for days. Yet, Jeffries, himself, said he never hit a man with all his strength for fear of killing him.

Grombach (1977 p 50) said Jeffries was a natural puncher who was so big and powerful that he could deliver damaging blows from an almost extended left-hand that did not have to travel more than a few inches.

Keith (1969 p 127) asserted, "Jeffries probably owned the deadliest left hook the prize ring has ever known."

Tex Rickard, famed fight promoter, said "There's no style to him, but he's the hardest hitter I ever saw. And that includes Dempsey" (see McCallum 1975 p 15; Durant 1976 p 47).

Diamond (1954 p 60) described Jeffries, "he was something more than a mere slugger. He was a rough, tough battler, with a mighty punch."

Sports columnist Ned Brown, said, "He was one of the most powerfully built, could take a solid punch, and had acquired a fair amount of boxing skill by the time he tangled with Jim Corbett in their second match. Jeff had as deadly wallop as any I've ever seen" (see McCallum 1975 p 12).

Odd (1976 p 163) quoted Fitzsimmons describing Jeffries in battle, "The first time he really hit me in the body, I thought his fist had gone right through me. His crouching stance and the way he tossed that long left. Every time I hit him, he punched back even harder."

Cooper (1978 p 107) remarked, "James J. Jeffries was one of the ring's indestructibles" and asserted, "Apart from having a punch that might have knocked a horse out, Jeffries' greatest asset was sheer patience."

>>>There you have it. Photos reveal the build of a man who had a lot of raw strength.

 

I put these stories in the box along with the tale of him curing himself of pneumonia by drinking a case of whisky.