Who was the greater fighter out of Jack Johnson and James Jeffries?

Corbett?

 

He was only 33 in their first fight, he was 36 in their second and Jeffries won easilly.

 

Corbett was 33 and 36 when they fought. Struggled the first fight and the fighting was pretty even in many rounds from the newspaper report of the second fight.

Fitz and Corbett make up about a 5th of Jeffries record. Nearly half of Jeffries’ opponents were over 30.

I’m not overly impressed with either Jeffries or Johnson.

 

Jeffries was more dominant fighter at his best, but he has short career. Johnson is more like Wladimir - nice longevity with lack of top tier wins.

 

You feel like Jefferies would be able land enough clean punches on Johnson?

 

The next day report stated Jeffries was in controll from the start, and Corbett was hurt badly in the second round.

So what? Plenty of fighters are in their prime in their 30s. Some fighters have peaked in their 30s.

Early 30s and 40 are very different ages for a fighter.

The only time Jeffries fought someone aged 34 or older and had a hard time with was Fitzsimmons in their rematch.

In terms of old opponents, he fought a 40 year old Goddard and a 36 year old Peter Jackson on the way up. Plenty of his opponets, Joe Choynski, Gus Ruhlin X2, Bob Armstrong, Tom SharkeyX2 were in their 20s

 

I just read a newspaper report that provides a round by round break down. The fighting seemed pretty even for a lot of it. Corbett just couldn’t hurt Jeffries. Not surprising since Corbett was a soft puncher.

Corbett hadn’t fought in 1.5 years and hadn’t won a fight in 6. In the first fight...

It was hyperbole. Corbett and Fitz weren’t prime.

Why 34 years old specifically?

Again, nearly half of his opponents were over 30.

 

For whatever it's worth, I'd go with a prime Jack Johnson beating any version of Jeffries. I admit it's hard to accurately evaluate these guys from what films have survived. Head to head I'd pick Johnson, and I'd rate Johnson higher on an all-time Heavyweight list, also.

 

It doesn't sound bad at all. Most fighters are in their primes after 30.

 

You’d be hard pressed to find fighters that were better after 30 than before 30. And for every name you do find there’d be many more to oppose it.

 

I think Johnson’s resume is far deeper and more extensive.

 

Tbh by modern standards both their title reigns were pretty bad though I’m sure it was perceived very differently at the time with the sport being relatively young.

It also seemed at the time of Jeffries first retirement there was a concerted effort by some newspaper media to get him to defend the title against Johnson. I wonder if his subsequent retirement under the reasoning there were no more good white contenders left and the colour line disqualifying Johnson washed or was perceived as a duck by Jeffries?

 

The Police Gazette December 17 1904
JEFFRIES TO FIGHT AGAIN OR RETIRE IN THREE MONTHS
Continues to Draw the Color Line, but will Fight any white Man the Pugilistic Writers Select for Him.
Champion Jim Jeffries continues to reiterate that he will not fight a negro, ridicules the idea that he will be matched against Jack Johnson, and says he will allow the newspaper critics to pick out any opponent for him from the logical white aspirants for his honors and if one is not found within three months he will say farewell and retire from the ring. That he is not justified in taking such a course without first lighting Johnson is the consensus of opinion among the newspaper critics, and Sandy Griswold, of Omaha, srikes the keynote of the situation when he says.
"I suppose Jim knows his own business best, but it strikes me as rather ***** that the grandest fighter the game has ever developed should draw the line on an antagonist of any hue, let alone black, he has put up his mitts with negroes on several occasions, and taking this fact into consideration, as well as many others that could be mentioned, it seems ill-grace, indeed, for the champion to assume this nice attitude. Not that I think for a moment that Jell has the slightest apprehension as to the outcome with Johnson, for I believe he would be as easy as Jack Muroe, but his lofty stand is ridicnious in the extreme. Again I don't see how as shrewd a fellow as the big Angeleon is, could for an instant overlook the garnerlnu of such a harvest. he took down $12,000 for making a holy show out of that big Montana booby, and owing to the peculiar condition of things Just now. I think be would double the sum by showing up the ****."