Jeffries is one of the most interesting old timers to piece together in my opinion. Reading about his earlier fights, around the 1899-1900 period, gives you the impression that he's the 1900s heavyweight stylistic equivalent to Teo. He could look great, even brilliant, when he's being reactive; countering, dancing around on the back foot. However, when he's forced to be proactive and force the fight, going forward, he looks downright sloppy and almost like an entirely different calibre of fighter. It wasn't until he came under the tutelage of Bob Fitzsimmons in 1902-03, after their rematch, that Jeffries became known as the most complete heavyweight in history up until that point. I’d pay to see either version of Jeffries, the Ryan-or-Fitzsimmons-trained versions, against the likes of Foreman, Frazier, Liston, Dempsey, Louis, prime Johnson, Langford, or even bigger guys from today aside from obvious mismatches like Fury and Usyk.
To be honest we never really saw the best of Jeffries. He retired at his absolute peak in my opinion, and when there were finally some emerging contenders capable of giving the post Fitzsimmons Jeffries a real test.
Prime Jeffries from 1904 in a 20 round fight is an absolute nightmare for any slugger and pressure fighter. I think boxers like Ali, Holmes, Ezzard Charles, Gene Tunney would have it easier, but against opponents, who are ready to slug it out, he absolutely has a chance against any of them. Iron Chin, never ending Pressure, excellent Stamina and fight ending power in either hand. Jeffries was a Tank.
He could have probably beaten Johnson. If he is forcing Johnson into a 15 round fight after almost a 6 year lay-off he could have won if he was still active. I just think it is interesting from a historical perspective. When does the color barrier get broken then? Who does it? Against who?
