Jack Johnson Interviewed About The Jeffries Fight.

I honestly find it impossible to pick between Jack Johnson and Jeffries prime for prime

 

This interview tells me a few things:

1. Johnson did not just want to fight Jeffries because Jeffries held the title, he saw defeating Jeffries as a career objective in itself.
2. Johnson's tactics were to play it safe, and tire Jeffries out, just as I had interpreted.
3. Although an empty sell, Jeffries did show flashes of his old self, and fought a game fight.

 

The heavyweight division in many ways is unique in that not many times did the very top fighters cross paths at the same time (throw out the unfortunate color barrier situation, and just take the records for what they are). The lower weights have many eras when multiple champion grade fighters were in the top ten at the same time....up to today.

 

It is a phenomenon that we see occasionally, that a fighter becomes more fixated on beating the best fighter of his generation, than he is on winning the title!

You would have thought that Johnson would have celebrated when Jeffries retired, because that eliminated the only man who might be able to stop him.

You watch the scene in Rocky III, when Mr T confronts Balboa about his decision to retire, and you think "OK this makes things easier for you, just murder whatever bum they match you against for the vacant title!"

I think that thee might have been a bit of that going on with the Haye Bellew fights.

 

Thanks for posting up this great article.

 

Question: Jack clinched a bit. Was that a technique to him,back then? Was it playing safe?

 

Pretty much what I have been saying for years, and unlike you, I have seen many of the rounds. Jeffries was washed up, 35, and out of the ring for six years, hardly close to what he was. Fitzsimmons who sat ringside said he wasn't a quarter of the fighter he met. To make it even more difficult, Johnson hired Jeffries old trainer Billey Delaney who knew Jeffries very well and barked out orders. With limited film study back then, hiring the x trainer and cornerman was a tremendous advantage.

- Jeffries won round 4 and 9, as I explained and drew first blood. Johnson agrees. He was also slightly the better in rounds 1-3 via action if you watch the films. If this was a ten round match, the verdict of the times could have been a draw.

- As I told you if you watch the film Jeffries while he was fresh was often the one pushing Johnson backward. Johnson says so.

- Johnson did NOT carry Jeffries. Read his own words. He was cautious for a reason.

- Like I said before by round 14 Jeffries was gassed and could barely keep his hands up. Johnson works him over in this round. The camera work is terrible, but you can see the shadow action in the corners. In round 15 Johnson went for the finish.

 

Not that there's much truth to what you claim, but that's like saying if Fitsz and Corbett vs Jeffries were 10 round fights he would have been soundly beaten

 

Do you have the film? Did you read what Johnson said? What I said is correct.

Jeffries beat Fitz pretty easily in the first fight and would have take the decision if it was 10 rounds. Maybe Jeffries Ko's Fitz if it was only 10 as he was pretty much done for in the 10th, in a 20 round match.

The second Jeff vs Fitz fight was over before 10 rounds, so how they heck would have Jeffries been soundly beaten? You really do not know what you're talking about Webbiano. Don't let your rooting interest format your opinion over facts.

Corbett was losing badly in the 2nd fight. In the first fight, if it was 10 rounds, Jeffries fights it s a different pace. You just can't cut more than 50% of the fight out and predict a result.