This content is protected It is my contention that Fitzsimmons should be rated among the all time greats as a middleweight and he, in fact, was a middleweight for most of his career. The idea that Fitzsimmons was anything more than a middleweight is a myth. Fitzsimmons began boxing professionally in 1883 and when he won the middleweight championship of the world in 1891 by knocking out the “Nonpareil” Jack Dempsey he weighed 150 ½ pounds. For his 1894 championship defense against Dan Creedon, for example, he weighed 155 ½ according to the Oct. 13, 1894 National Police Gazette.When he fought for the heavyweight title he was stripped down and privately weighed on the morning of Mar 17, 1897, the day of his fight with champion James J. Corbett, and “tipped the scale at 156 ½ pounds” according to Bob Davis a reporter and friend who was following Fitzsimmons (See Book of Boxing p 71). Further the San Francisco Chronicle reported the day before the second Jim Jeffries fight that “Fitzsimmons claims to weigh only 160 pounds and hardly looked that heavy.” Gene Tunney wrote, (1940), that Fitz always considered himself a middleweight, “Fitz, incidentally, was funny about his weight, for, after defeating Corbett, while alone in a Turkish bath with Jim Coffroth, he kept repeating, 'eavyweight champion of the world--and I’m only a bleeding middleweight.”
Yes, but Corbett had the luxury of height and reach over Fitzsimmons. Greb was rather short. Tunney said you have to fight Greb. Style Wise Greb has to force the action to land, and this plays right into Fitz's superior power. Greg could not take too many of Fitz body or head shots. I'm sure Greb would land some too but he did not hit hard enough to worry Fitzsimmons. Those of the times felt Fitz had good hand speed. Fitz TKO in the mid to later rounds.
Regarding Fitz’s attitude to training I read Adam Pollack’s definitive book “In the Ring with Bob Fitzsimmons” and what I recall is that Fitz was a diligent trainer. He did put plenty of roadwork in which considering the potential length of the bouts they were fighting was obviously a given, although the mileage I can’t recall off hand. Regarding the outcome really we’re talking two one off’s here, there probably hasn’t been anything like either of them since. I’d probably go with Greb to eke out a hard earned UD, I think he’d basically be a bit too busy and too fast for Bob. However Fitzsimmons was a freak and despite Greb’s durability he could end it at any time if Greb got careless, especially down stairs, as Harry was floored in his time with body shots.
I h ave it and liked it very much. But it's like footnotes compared to Clompton's. And no background on lesser fighters.
We can expand on this subject further if you want, but this thread is probably not the place to do it. The bottom line is that I wont be able to give you a definitive answer either way. Just various contemporary people's opinions.
I never once said he weighed 180. 168-9 at most. THAT'S why his record is so great. What don't you get Rich? No more time wasted arguing with you.
Fitz was a demon trainer, never bested at roadwork, he used to run behind a trotting sulky and his sparring partners could never keep up with him.Gilbert Odd's book goes into detail how ferocious he was on roadwork.
Fitz was 39 years old for the second Jeffries fight and had been out of the ring for 2 years.His hands went on him in the fight but not before he turned Jeffries face into a bloody mess.
I have read that Choynski and his camp thought they could run Fitz to death in an attempt to intimidate him much was common in that era like the famous Jeffries bear hug of Fitz? Choynski and his camp did not seem to think he was much of a fitness type at least compared to themselves though he was known for being healthy with good habits and thought they could run him into the ground before their fight only to discover that he had a natural running gait and deep lungs and essentially could run just as fast or faster than they could without fatigue. Fitz later books on fitness culture is actually very good as he clearly believed in functional fitness. His belief that movement and staying trim would stave off the aches and pains that comes with middle age weight gain jives completely with modern knowledge of "motion is lotion" range of motion importance in physical therapy.
That shows you how great Fitz was a natural middleweight beating up on Jeffries imagine had his hands held up???