Jeffries offers to fight Johnson in a cellar

BY 1904 Johnson had allready earned a title shot, who deserved it more?
If he kod Munroe in 10 seconds, it would have made not the slightest difference because Jeffries would not defend against a black man.

THis Is From The Trenton TImes.
29 February 1904

Sharkey a “Has Been”
Munroe Won Bout

Miner Will Fight Jeffries for Championship
But It Will Be a
Shame to Allow It

 

when your an ******* people treat you like an *******.....to be fair johnson seemed like an *******.

 

The only fighters Jeffries said he really disliked were Theo Van Buskirk and Jack Johnson. Both talked trash to him and Jeff hated trash talkers.

 

You could add Jack Munro to that list. He was a trash talker who would have made James Toney blush. Jeffries said that he normaly let an oponent stay for a couple of rounds to give the crowd a show, but that he went after Munro from the opening bell because he hated him.

He also expressed disdain for Tom Sharkey due to his trash talking, though he later developed a grudging admiration for him. He also expressed his admiration for Bob Fitzsimmons because he "came to fight not engage in silly talk."

 

Incredible as it might seem, many people did indeed perceive Munro as the logical challenger.

To understand this, Johnsons own career provides an insight. Johnson to his disbeleif, found areas of the press who had previously been critical of him calling for Jeffries to meet him after he knocked out "poor old Bob Fitzsimmons" to use Johnsons own words.

It seems that a win over a name fighter like Sharkey or Maher carried weight back then, even if they were shot.

 

Exactly. Jeffreis had black friends. Johnson wasn't only an a-hole, he was a pimp, and a wife beater, and a man who said racists things about his own people.

 

Jeffries said that Munro is the only man he ever really tried to hurt and prolong things a little bit. He said that he considered that Munro was yellow and had no place in the ring with him. But he also said that he was wrong about this and he felt embarassed to have done so, after Munroes heroics displayed in the war where he showed more courage than Jeffries believed that he himself could have done.

 

Johnson sent Jeffries a congratulatory telegram for accepting the match, Sam Berger advised Jeffries to respond " thanks I anxiously await the fight" Jeffries overuled him and did not reply .
Johnson was allways complimentary to Jeffries ,even to the extent of calling him Mr Jeffries you will go a long way to find a compliment towards Johnson from Jeffries.
Johnson praised Jeffries for his courage after their fight,as he did Langford and Burns all three trash talked to him.I think you have it arse about face.

 

Sharkey had engaged in 3 fights in 3 years and won only one of them he was finished. Maher was an incurable drunk when he fought Munroe and gave him life and death.Any credit to Munroe should be shared by his manager who was smart enough to engage Kid McCoy to train ,and teach him some moves.

 

Johnson campaigned ,and gave speeches for aspiring black politicians you dont know what the **** you are talking about ,so nothing new there then .

 

Jack Johnson laughed and toyed with James Jeffries. Enough said. He humiliated him. He was so much better than Jeffries. Jeffries knew on his best day he could never beat Johnson, and he admitted it. Jeffries realized it's a lot different muscling around 5'9 165lb fighters compared to fighting a fast skilled powerful 6'1 210lb man.