Did Jim Jeffries Benefit From Being Born At The Right Time?

Jim Jeffries started as a pro around 1895,his best early victory was over another novice, Hank Griffin, he followed this up with a draw against Gus Ruhlin 6-2-0, and another draw against the classy, but hugely outweighed [67lbs] Joe Choynski.
Jeffries next win was over the 40 year old Joe Goddard in 4 rds. Goddard had lost his last two fights to Theodore Van Buskirk 4-1-2[ allready beaten by Jeffries, ] and ,been kod by Tom Sharkey.
Jeffries next took on the alcoholic, and 3 years retired 37 year old Peter Jackson , who was in the first stages of T .B. Jeffries, predictably stopped Jackson in 3 rds.
Jeffries then faced Mexican Pete Everett, who had beaten no one, and, would only beat one name fighter,Sharkey, on a dsq .
Jeffries would now fight 5 foot 8 inch Tom Sharkey ,we don't know what Sharkey weighed for this fight but ,7 months later he scaled 173lbs when he fought Kid McCoy. Jeffries scaled 205 lbs so around 30 lbs weight advantage to Jeffries ,plus ,up to 6 inches in height.
Sharkey was a face first brawler , exactly the wrong sort of style to do well against a bigger, harder hitting, stronger man like Jeffries ,yet he went the 20 rd distance and gave Jeffries a very hard fight.
Then came Bob Armstrong, really best known as a sparring partner.
Armstrong had been kod a month before by Mexican Pete Everett, and had a history of underperforming in actual combat he was known as a great" gym fighter."
Armstrong lost on points and in his next fight, could only draw with 40 year old Goddard.
Armstrong was conceding 25lbs to Jeffries.

Jeffries now met the Champ, legendary Bob Fitzsimmons,but Fitz was 37 and, had not fought in 2 years, he was ready to be taken by a young, strong challenger, especially one who had a monstrous 39lbs weight advantage over him.
Jeffries took some stick, but kept walking forward and stopped Fitz in the 11th.

Five months later Jeffries faced his old play mate Sharkey, Sailor Tom, giving away 32lbs to the new Champ,gives Jeffries the fight of his life, and quite a few think he is entitled to no less than a draw ,after 25 very closely contested rounds.Jeffries gets the nod.
A joke of a defence against John Finnegan 4-2-4 ,giving away 60lbs to Jeffries, is followed by Jim Corbett the champ before Fitz.
Corbett is now 33 years old ,giving 30lbs of weight away, and 8 years in age

Corbett has not fought in 2 years, nor won a fight in the last 6 years, yet , he outboxes Jeffries and is in front after 23 rds ,before Jeffries finally nails him for the finish.
Next up is a debacle, Hank Griffin, described as" looking like a famine sufferer "giving away 40 lbs, is stopped in a no contest.
Joe Kennedy is the next sacrificial lamb ,no serious threat is Joe he could only manage 2 draws in his last 2 fights with" famine sufferer" Griffin, and had previously been kod in 2 rds by completely washed up ,alcoholic Peter Maher.

Then comes Gus Ruhlin, a novelty for Jeffries, because he is nearly the same size as the Champ. Ruhlin could be good and he could be horrible, seriously inconsistant he had been recently kod by Fitz in 6 rds and, been beaten by our old friend Joe Kennedy 5-2-0.
Ruhlin fights a back pedalling fight but Jeffries catches him in the 5th with a body shot ,and Ruhlin is retired between rds.
He is the only man of any quality Jeffries will face, up until his first retirement, who is anywhere near his size.
It's the turn of old Fitz again now and old is the word, nearly 40, Fitz has not fought in 2 years and is now giving away a whopping 47lbs to the Champion, plus 13 years in age.
Fitz makes light of his handicaps, and beats the **** out of Jeffries for 8 rds smashing his face into a bloody pulp, unfortunately for the Ruby one ,he also smashes his hands to bits on the plodding Champs bony face . Jeffries knocks the old man out in the 8th.
A year later the retired Jim Corbett, now nearly 37 ,and inactive for 3 years challenges Jeffries.
Again Corbett concedes weight 27lbs, and his legs are no longer nimble .Jeffries finds it easier to trap him this time and stops him in 10rds.
A joke fight against Jack Munroe is mercifully short, tko 2rds.
Now Jeffries retires, just at his peak and ,as the cries for him to defend against his standout challenger the looming Jack Johnson begin to increase in volume. Jeffries waves the white flag of racism, and avoids Johnson by retiring.
Well ,was Jeffries fortunate to come along when he did ?

Meeting 2, aging, past their best , considerably smaller , inactive champs ,a quality fighter
[Choynski] whom he drew with ,although receiving 67 lbs in weight advantage, and a seriously undersized Tom Sharkey[ 5' 8" ,and 30lbs] who nevertheless, gave him lafe and death for 45rds in 2 fights.

Jeffries met one man who was any good who scaled 200lbs. he drew with him in one fight and stopped him in the other.
Sharkey who gave Jeffries such hard fights and whom ,some thought deserved the nod in one of them, was twice wrecked early by Fitz, yet he went the distance twice with the giant [to him[ Jeffries.
Jeffries was a huge man , [for his times] fighting ,for the most part undersized old past it men.
Was he lucky to be around when he was ?

 

Langford raved about how Jeffries was going to beat the crap out of Johnson too, he could not have been more wrong.

Langford said he would fight any man, except Jeffries ,true.
Now lets look at it a bit closer.

Jeffries had his last fight as Champion in August 1904 ,in December of that year Langford then weighed 140lbs small wonder he did not want to fight Jeffries who then scaled 219lbs.

He was still drawing with lighteweights like Jack Blackburn at the time.

Jeffries was challenged by Sam Mcvey ,whom Johnson beat in dominant fashion three times, Jeffries ignored his challenge, as he did Johnson's .
Jeffries beat what was in front of him,but he avoided the best fighter out there, Johnson ,and, retired rather than face him . FACT.
There were many newspapers calling for Jeffries to face Johnson so somebody must have thought Johnson had a chance against the man you say was considered "unbeatable".
Many unflattering editorials ,implored Jeffries to give Johnson his chance they are easily found for those who want to look.
This thread was put up as a response to Mendoza's asking if Jack Johnson was born in a fortunate era?
I contend that he could not have been born in a more unfavourable time, both as a boxer, and as a man of colour.
If Johnson was lucky ,then Jffries was a damn sight luckier in that his two most celebrated opponents were past their best, inactive , and considerably smaller than him ,and that his other toughest opponent was a 5 foot 8 inch , come forward brawler with no science at all.
Two of Jeffries other title defences were against Jokes that would make Frazier's against Stander and Daniels look respectable .

Jeffries was the first reallly big heavyweight champ over 6 feet , and,200lbs plus and he had an appreciable size advantage in 99% of his fights.

Those are the facts.

 

On what do you base this deduction?

 

Joe Woodman, Langford's manager put Sam's challenge in the newpapers, it was while Jeffries was still active as a fighter, so my point is valid.
Given that Jeffries had a hell of a time defeating a retired Corbett being behind at the time of the stoppage and, had his face made into hamburger, by a Fitz a couple of months off of 40 years old, one is entitled to ask how would Jeffries have done had they both been prime?
I like your posts ,and respect you Bert, and we share a huge admiration for Jack Dempsey, but I have somewhat mixed feelings when Jeffries name crops up.

 

Ruhlin went 20rds to a draw in one of the fights with Jeffries. Kennedy,and Munroe are not reliable yardsticks to measure Jeffries effectiveness against men near his own size in my opinion .

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Jeffries and the mighty. Jack Munroe.

Van Buskirk ,an early victim

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Joe Kennedy

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