Jeff or Johnson-best comp as champ?

There seems to be a general belief that Jack Johnson fought very weak competition as champion & Jim Jeffries very strong. Both drew the color line and there were more good black contenders in Johnson's day, although Jeff avoided Johnson. But what do the facts say about the men they did meet in championship fights?
JOHNSON:
1. Tommy Burns--27 years old, either 168 or 176 lbs depending on source--39-3-8 with 31 ko's. Had never been knocked out. Had lost early in career to Jack Twin Sullivan, Phil Jack O'Brien, and Mike Shreck. In title fights, had beaten Hart, O'Brien, Flynn, Squires, Moir, and Lang and was active and on a long winning streak. Johnson toyed with him.
2. Al Kaufman--23 years old, 6' 1" 191 lbs--actually outstanding contender. Had won 20 of 21, with 17 ko's. Only loss was at 19 in 6th pro fight to O'Brien. Was on 15 bout winning streak, with ko's of George Gardner, Mike Shreck (who beat Burns and twice ko'd Hart), Olympic champion Sam Berger, Fireman Jim Flynn, Jack Twin Sullivan, and Jim Barry.
After his loss to Johnson, avenged loss to O'Brien and beat Lang. Still top contender until ko losses to Flynn, Palzer, and McCarty in 1911 & 1912 elevated each to top contender status.
3. Stanley Ketchell--23 years old, 5' 9" & somewhere in 160's. 53-3-4 with 46 ko's. Best p4p puncher of era with ko of O'Brien. Only super-middleweight at most, but 35 lbs he gave up Johnson was less than Fitz gave up to Jeff and many little men got shots in those days.
4. Jim Jeffries--35 years old, 6' 1 1/2" & 227 lbs--17-0-2 with 14 ko's. Unbeaten ex-champ who was rated by many as greatest ever heavy and entered the ring a strong favorite over Johnson. Dismissing this fight is pure Monday morning quarterbacking, and as Jeff never lost to anyone else, how can we be certain that Johnson doesn't deserve more credit than some are willing to concede for dominating the old champion?
5. Fireman Jim Flynn--32 years old, 5' 9" 175 lbs--30-8-14 with 21 ko's. Weaker opponent, but still not that bad, Had fought Burns for title and had wins over Gardner, Squires, and Papke prior to losing to top men such as Johnson, Kaufman, and Langford. Had bounced back to go unbeaten in last 11, with ten stright victories in bouts which went to a decision. Included were a knockout of Kaufman and a very impressive victory over top prospect and supposed coming champ Carl Morris. Flynn was certainly one of the top white contenders in 1912 when he fought Johnson, but went downhill fast after that bout.
6. Frank Moran--27 years old, 6' 1" 203 lbs--24-9-7 with 18 ko's. A young man with a speckled record, but who had bounced back from several substandard performances to score a crushing ko of the huge Al Palzer, displaying big league power. This power continued to be obvious after the Johnson fight, with ko's of Bombadier Billy Wells, Jim Coffey (2), Tom Cowler (2), Jack Geyer, Homer Smith, Frank Goddard, and Joe Beckett. He also got a shot at Willard in 1916.
JEFFRIES:
1. Bob Fitzsimmons 36 years old, 5' 11 3/4", 167 lbs--40-3-5 with 35 ko's. Great p4p fighter who moved up to heavy, and ko'd Corbett, Ruhlin, and Sharkey, making him clearly Jeff's toughest opponent despite age, a two year layoff, and diminutive size.
2. Tom Sharkey-26 years old, 5' 8" 183 lbs--33-1-5 with 30 ko's. Impressive opponent who had only lost to Jeff (although was probably extremely lucky to escape w/o a ko defeat to Fitz). Went to close 25 round defeat. The majority gave nod to Jeff, but Sharkey had his supporters and all judged the fight close. There was talk of a third fight to prove who was really the better man, but Jeff chose to fight Corbett instead and Sharkey eventually fell to Ruhlin and Fitz, eliminating him.
3. Jim Corbett--33 going on 34, 6' 1" 188 lbs--15-2-3 with 3 ko's--that boxrec record is crazy and Corbett certainly had a great many more fights and victories, but most had come a decade or so earlier. His last major win was over Charley Mitchell in Jan of 1894, six and a half years earlier. He had not defeated--and would never again defeat--a man who weighed above the 160's after Sullivan in 1892. Was coming off consecutive losses to Fitz and Sharkey. What did he have left? The fact that Jeff struggled into the 23rd round with him provides the evidence that he was still the "old" Corbett rather than merely an old Corbett. Johnson dominating Jeff provides evidence that Jeff had nothing left, but is Johnson being penalized for being tougher than Jeff in the first place?
4. Gus Ruhlin--29 years old, 6' 2" 200 lbs--19-5-2 with 12 ko's--Average contender who got draw with Jeff in 1897, before losing to Kid McCoy and Joe Kennedy, and being blown out in 1 by Tom Sharkey. Did not seem to be going anywhere until he upset Sharkey with a 15th round ko in 1900, but immedately was himself ko'd by Fitz in six. Somehow was picked over Fitz by Jeff for a title defense and come through with a lagomorphic performance. I judge Ruhlin as nothing special.
5. Fitz--now 39--but still Jeff's toughest opponent and gives him a brutal going over before running out of gas, despite another 2 year layoff.
6. Corbett--now 37 with three year layoff.
7. Munroe--a couple of months shy of 30 years old. 5' 11" 186 lbs--9-2-2 with 7 knockouts. Had lost and drawn with Griffin earlier, and had a ko over the faded Peter Maher and a newspaper decision over the faded Sharkey. Got the shot because he allegedly floored Jeff in an exhibition. Mediocre contender at best.

 

Granted, but I just wanted to compare the men they actually fought as champion. I may have run on in my initial post, but here is an effort at being succinct:
1. Burns had an impressive record until he fought Johnson
2. Kaufman had better credentials than Ruhlin and Munroe
3. Johnson is criticized for fighting small men in Burns and Ketchel, but a small man, Fitzsimmons, was better than any of Jeff's other foes.
4. Jeff is utterly dismissed, but Corbett considered a formidable foe, although Corbett was almost as old and hadn't won a fight in over six years. The different evaluations rest entirely on Jeff's struggle with Corbett and Johnson's easy handling of Jeffries.
5. Johnson's foes were younger and generally bigger, and I didn't even count Willard.

 

Yes, but I am questioning why Corbett is considered a more formidable defense than Jeffries, when Jeffries was in fact considered even by Corbett as the best heavy of the era. Corbett had not won a fight in six years either.

 

Well, Jeff certainly fought exhibitions with Berger, and Eddie Muller of the SF Examiner mentioned "private fights" with Bob Armstrong. Corbett probably fought exhibitions. But all this avoids, I think, my question. Is Jeffries getting extra credit against Corbett because he struggled with Corbett, while Johnson gets less credit because he handled Jeffries easily?