Greatest wins of James J Jeffries?

This is my conclusion.

In the first fight he used a fight plan which played to Jeffries strengths.

In the rematch he took Jeffries a lot more seriously, and fought a much more mobile fight.

 

Fitz for quality of opponent and historical significance and Ruhlin 2 for spectacular.

 

Ruhlin was heavily criticized for not continuing by the contemporary press,they made that call ,not me.
"Almost from the beginning of the fight Ruhlin appeared to be scared. In the second round, when Jeffries landed a left hook on the jaw, it seemed that all the fight was gone out of Gus. In the fifth, after a round in which Ruhlin had all the worst of the fighting, he was assisted to his corner and claimed that a chance blow on the pit of the stomach had rendered him unfit for fighting. His seconds tried to induce him to continue, but Gus insisted that he was the victim of an accidental punch. Jeffries walked to Ruhlin's corner, asked what was the matter, and then turned and went to his dressing room, while the crowd cheered him and denounced Ruhlin as a quitter and a faker."


Ruhlin was nearly killed by Fitz a year earlier. how come he got the title shot? Johnson played with Munroe for the 6 rounds the fight lasted, the press commented he didn't even know how to throw a punch properly.Here are the reports
"According to the Philadelphia Record, it was plain Munroe had not really trained for this fight as he appeared flabby and pale, and had not learned anything since the loss to Jim Jeffries. As the ex-miner offered no real threat to Johnson, the Galveston heavyweight merely boxed with him from the third round on, making no serious attempt to put Munroe away but beating him badly.

"...Jack Johnson, the California colored heavyweight, made a veritable punching bag of Jack Munroe, the Butte Miner, at the National Athletic Club last night..."

"Munroe lasted the 6 rds but for the last three he was at Johnson's mercy."
Police Gazette.
Hart was 5'11.5" According to Pollack, he scaled 195lbs for the Root fight,192.5lbs for Burns ,and 195lbs for Johnson.

Jeffries was only 220lbs for title defences twice.
You don't think Fitz hurt Jeffries in their second fight? That's interesting because fight reports state he opened up cuts above and below both eyes and broke his nose hitting him when and where he pleased.Hype Igoe ,who was ringside said in later years Fitz punished him worse than Dempsey did Willard.
Didn't hurt Jeffries? Qualified ring observers have a different take on it!
"He outboxed and outpointed Jeffries who seemed unable to escape his cutting blows.Jeff's nose was bloodied in the 1st rd,his right eye cut in the 3rd,adn both eyes cut in the 6th.He was a sight bleeding profusely,covered in blood.His crouching attitude did not save him from punishment and at times he ,abandoned it.Fitz landed hard and often.
.Conversely Jeff's judgement of distance was off,falling short with most blows,and he was made to look clumsy and inexpert.Fitz did not appear distressed by his own exertions.he held the points lead thoughout,having the ebst of the fight up to the knock out."W. W .Naughton.
Fitzsimmons for 7 rounds fought as he had never fought before,cleverly and scientifically,and he surprised even his most faithful adherents.He had the Champion cut and bleeding and confused"The National Police Gazette
Although Jeffries earned the victory,the honor and glory of the battle rest with the vanquished,for 7 rounds Fitz made a pitiable spectacle of Jeff,landing at will cutting his face to ribbons"The San Francisco Call
Jeffries took a terrible mauling and his face was beaten almost to a pulp Fitz hit him often especially with the left.Bob would feint Jeffries into a knot and then stab him with a l;left jab and dance away.George Siler famous referee
After jabbing him to pieces in the 5th round Bob used his right more and some of the blows he landed on Jeffries jaw appeared hard enough to fel an Ox"Ed Graney the referee for the fight.
Fitz badly injured his right hand during the fight,Jeffries confirmed this in his autobiography,",I knew his right hand had gone,for once when he landed a very heavy smash on my forehead I could hear the bones crack,and though he kept right on hitting with it,there wasn't the same weight behind the blows."Jim Jeffries.
Fitz had broken the first two knuckles of his right hand.
He also," buckled the joints of his left hand towards the end of the fight."Fitz went into the fight with a damaged hand having hurt it in sparring with Hank Griffin.

 

Jeffries was 13lbs heavier than for their previous fight.I think Fitz badly underestimated Jeffries when he fought him the first time,apart from his inactivity ,Fitz had been carousing prior to their first encounter. He had been out of the ring for 2 years for they second fight too but knew what was in front of him this time. The papers all commented that if they had been the same age and approximate size, Fitz would have been the winner. Fitz smashed his already suspect hands on Jeffries head and after 7 rounds had nothing to keep him off with.Jeffries body shots took all the fight out of Fitz,one left to the body turning the finishing trick.
Fitz fought a clever defensive fight and avoided lot of the punishment that he sustained in their first encounter. Fitz was also a lot more mobile in the second fight,probably knowing he couldn't take Jeffries out with one of his big wallops.

 

As you are well aware because I told you before, the gentleman,and he is a gentleman, in the photo next to me in my avatar is the well respected boxing trainer Jimmy Glenn and the photo was taken in his boxing bar,
"Jimmy's Corner Bar"on upper 44th St NY,the bar is frequented by boxing fans and members of the fight fraternity.Rest assured if you had made such a slimy innuendo in there, retribution would be swift and decisive.
Your insinuation is pretty sick even by your standards,but I won't resort to sexual innuendos in reply .I can humiliate you daily just with logic, primary sourced facts,and referenced quotes.I don't need gutter talk to make you look the racist bigot we know you are.
I don't expect you to show any courtesy when you post on my threads and for my part I despise you,but you might have the good manners to not bring your hatred into others threads , the OP has begun an interesting series of threads on the old champs and is getting some decent responses for his trouble . Have the good grace to refrain from your irrational obsession about Jack Johnson when posting on them ,you pollute every thread you post on!

 

I agree with this post. Jeffries gained a lot of skill as champion and improved from his three best wins in 1899-1900 ( 1 , Sharkey 2 and Corbett 1 )

The improvement was mentioned in his last two fight before retirement with Corbett 2 and Jack Munroe, meaning Jeffries was starting to peak.

Unfortunately for his legacy, Jeffries quit the game too soon. After Hart defeated Johnson, Jeffries said he'd fight Hart next if the public demanded it. He would have smashed Marvin Hart in a fight that would have likely been filmed showing modern fans what he looked like in his prime on a clear film. The film significantly improved from the late 1890s.

From 1905-1907, I don't see anyone stopping him as long as he didn't fatten up to 275-300 pounds.

 

Congratulations, you and Jimmy look very happy together! I'll continue to expose your inaccuracy, lies, and bigotry here. It does not take much work. Then I'll pin you're with your own words and double standards and laugh in your face when you avoid my question which exposes as a guy WDKSAB! There's replay value as you'll make the same mistake, over and over and over... so try to learn something along the way.

We all know your a liar, a bet welcher and a sackless coward. Other posters are making short work of you here. Continue to please us with the entertainment!

 

Jeffries was bigger than Hart.

McVey's " attempt " to suggest the two are close to the same in size is just another one of his mistakes. And a double standard. He'll tell you Jeffries had 30 pounds on Corbett ad nausea. Corbett is roughly the same weight as Hart ( 190 pounds), who's he trying to say was close to Jeffries in size! Its rather funny isn't it?

Yes--Jeffries destroyed Ruhlin and Munroe.

 

Makes sense .. in addition, Jeffries may have been less focused because of the dominance of the first fight and Fitz's age and inactivity .. there is also the round and round story about the hand wraps .. was watching a Bob Foster fight a few weeks back and Don D. said that many people at that time felt Foster fought like Fitzsimmons, an analogy I find interesting based on their lanky frames and power.

 

Good place with very reasonable prices,and lots of boxing memorabilia.

 

After the fight Jeffries complained about the canvas saying it aided the lighter Fitz and hindered his own movement.He had the same objections after another of his major fights.
Jeffries examined Fitz's wraps very carefully in the ring ,that is documented in Pollack's Jeffries book.

 

I'm not continuing this, I want to talk boxing and respect the OP's thread. You can lie you stupid head off, fill your boots!

 

I agree but he also wrote in his own autobiography that Fitz wrapped his hands and he let him .. who knows w these guys ..

 

Wraps are not gloves. Fitz threw his gloves into the crowd when Jeffries asked to see them. A fact. Why would Fitz do this? Hmm...

Fitz used electoral tape in the wraps, which can make a fist feel like a rock. Jeffries trainer didn't see to care.

I posted a detailed round by round for Jeff vs. Fitz 2.. Fitz won two rounds clean, as did Jeffries, The other rounds are best desired as even