Jim Jeffries fought Tom Sharkey twice , a 20 rounder and a 25 rds bout. Both were tough fights ,Sharkey went the distance in both,though Jeffries was carrying an injury to his arm in the second fight. Question is, could a prime Sam Langford do what Jeffries did not? Stop Sharkey ,and, would he? 25 rds fight.
I think Sam could KO Sharkey. I think Jeffries could, too. But please don't think I saying Sharkey wasn't a tough, game bird.
Adam Pollack, 'In the Ring with James J. Jeffries' p. 124 (prior to Jeffries-Sharkey I) "One issue being discussed as a potential hinderance to Jeff's career was the fact that he has hand problems. 'In the fight with Ruhlin . . . Jeffries broke his right hand early in the encounter. The weapon is still weak . . . The left hand has also been broken by being struck over the back of the member by a club . . . Jeffries is in the position of a great race horse with bad legs.' Sharkey's manager said that Jeff's hands were weak, and that a punch on Tom's skull would not hurt Tom, but hurt Jeff's hands." pp. 133-134 (after Jeffries-Sharkey I) "After the fight, Jeff's thumbs were in poor condition, badly swollen and discolored. Jeffries said that during the fight, his hands caused him a great deal of pain, and as a result, he was unable to hit with much force, for every blow caused a twinge of pain to shoot through his arm, causing him to flinch. That was his explanation for why he did not punch even harder or try to finish Tom off. 'I would have put Sharkey out if it were not that my hands were in such poor condition. During the fight I hurt them by hitting Sharkey on the head. "Jeff said that his hands were not well even going into the bout. ''If my thumbs had not been injured I would have whipped him in nine or ten rounds. My thumbs have been in bad condition ever since I boxed with Van Buskirk.' Jeffries had fought several times in the past year and had not had sufficient time to heal his hands. 'I am going to rest until my hands get in shape again, as I can't hit with them.' One writer confirmed that Jeff's hands were a bit swollen before the fight started." p. 288 (Jeffries-Sharkey II, round 2 comments) "Jeffries later claimed to have reinjured his left arm when punching Sharkey hard in this round, which thereafter affected how hard and how often he could throw the left." p.308 (Pollack summarizes Jeffries after Jeffries-Sharkey II) "After the fight, Jeff ... said that the injury to his left arm that he had suffered in training bothered him during the fight, and as a result, he could not punch as hard or as often with his left, and had to rely primarily on his right. This explains why Jeff relied on his right so much, when ordinarily he mostly used his left." p. 652 footnote 895 (post-Jeffries-Munroe) San Francisco Bulletin, Aug. 28, 1904 (Pollack summarizes) "Speaking of the past, Jeff said that Sharkey caught him out of condition. He had hurt his left arm in training," (for Jeffries-Sharkey II) "and he could barely use it. He dropped Sharkey with it in the 2nd round, but it hurt so badly that he never lead with it for the next 10 rounds. He had to fight with his right. The first time he fought Sharkey, his hands were so swollen and sore it pained him every time that he hit him."
Jeffries is big on excuses. If this, woulda that. That's why he was so easy to whip mentally @ Reno. He didn't go one fast round. The heat of battle is not an exact science. If he was a better man he'd admit that, and overcome that mental stumbling block. Injuries in boxing aren't a possibility they are a certainty. It's just another lame cop out. Breaking your hands are an injury sustained in a fight! That's a commentary on his own capabilities. Sure the injury could be real, but maybe he also wanted a reason why he couldn't take care of Sharkey after Fitzsimmons knocked him cold (again!) lol (Langford puts Sailor Tom away) [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROUiZnnFfAw[/ame]
