On Jim Jeffries 75th birthday he was interviewed by Fleischer

Thanks for sharing :good.

I never knew Choynsky dropped Fitzsimmons :think.

 

Hes a guy that would be interesting to look into. I remember reading in Unforgivable Blackness that he gave a young Jack Johnson nightmares, must be a tough guy.

 

excellent thread, some real good stuff in here

 

Don't imagine he would do too well today. It's a stacked division of trained, groomed modern athletic fighters.

Jeffries never impressed me much. He seemed to impress his contemporaries more with his size and strength, which is nothing out of the normal today. And no need to recount his 100 yard dash time or high jump. They aren't that impressive even for his size. Also, he seemed to have a lot of trouble with very crude, very under-sized heavies and seemed to possess none of the power with which was so lauded in his day. He wreaks of average when compared to later champs.

 

Choynsky

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There is a video of Jeffries talking about his career. It only lasts a minute or so.

He says as a boy his father was astounded of his strength, and told him he'd make another John L Sullivan.

Jeffries says Corbett was the best boxer he fought, and Fitzsimmons was the greatest fighter. The quote on Fitzsimmosn was something like any man who fought Fitzsimmons knew the next day he was in a fight.

 

I try not to rate the time when a man fought. I prefer to rate the man himself. While its true some boxing techniques were crude in those days, that doesn't mean if fighter YXZ was around today he would fight that way.

IF Ali was in his prime in the late 1890's to early 1900's, he would not look box the way he did in the 1960's, BUT clear films of him would reveal the raw athleticism to suggest he could have learned modern boxing.

Jeffries was athletic, strong, had wonderful endurance, and iron chin, and a great will to win. He is the lone old time heavyweight, with modern day size.

I suggest you watch his work out clips. I never saw a more agile man his size. Jeffries makes guys miss like Jersey Joe Walcott, and has the flexibility of a gymnasts. I think he'd take to modern boxing like a fish to water.

 

Here is Jeffries, getting into the water.

Jack Johnson knock down James J. Jeffries - Archive Photo - 1910
Jack Johnson knock down James J. Jeffries - Archive Photo - 1910

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Come in ,the waters lovely!





Only joking M

 

I am with you on that one.

Jeffries is shown as a verry different fighter from the lumbering giant of legend who relid on his durability to absorb punishment.

A common criticist is that he often fought smaller oponents but if you put him in with some people his own size I can see him running rings round them.

 

What was his 100yard dash/long jump?

 

Reputedly just over 10 seconds, so an 11.4 or so 100 meters. Athletic for his times. No great shakes today, not even on a dirt track. There are 14 year old girls doing this. His high jump was 5 foot something. This time, not even worth mention.

Regarding Choynski, I agree he had big time assets in the punching dept.

 

This is not an athleter who specialises in these sporting disciplines.

It is a profesional boxer who is able to do these things as an aside.

How many profesional fighters since that time could have matched Jeffries track records.

I get the idea somtimes that if a fighter of this period walked on water you would say that it was because he couldnt swim.