Jeffries Retired Because He Was Terrified Of Being Defeated

O'Rourke had sour grapes from Jeffries Sharkey II. As I told your before Delaney and Jeffries had an acrimonious parting, and Delaney was in Johnson's corner barking out orders during Jeffries vs Johnson.


O'Donnell I believe was ill, and withdrew from their first scheduled match, prior to the double header where Jeffries was scheduled to fight Armstrong and O'Donnell on the same day.

Jeffries broke a thumb in the Armstrong match, but almost had him out of there in 10 anyway. Would a man afraid to lose take on back to back contenders in the same day while angling for a title shot? No way!

Your a forgetful dolt Mcvey. You might was well question Marcaino's courage next for retiring young, and not returning to the ring.

 

With all respect to McVey , this is a silly thread.

 

Without stepping into the deep _____ here, I didn't find these quotes all that revealing, really.

1--"Jeffries licked Fitzsimmons because the latter was 50 lbs lighter, and was overconfident for him."

"Corbett wasn't strong enough for him, and Sharkey was 40 lbs lighter."

This is a non-criticism. Jeffries was big. So be it. He would have been big in any era prior to the sixties. This might be a point of sorts in h2h fantasy fights, but says nothing about the man in his own era.

2--"If Jeffries ever met a man his own size, and weight, who could fight better than average, he would lose."

A circular argument, at least as applied to Johnson. Johnson in 1904 or 1905 would not have been the tallest or heaviest opponent Jeffries faced, and several of these men (Ruhlin, Armstrong) were certainly top heavies in their day.

3--"Johnson was the first man of his size the latter ever met and, as soon as Jeffries found he was up against it he lost confidence in himself."

And Jeffries was 35 and had been off for six years and still lasted until the 15th. Could Johnson have laid off for 6 years up to age 35 and come back to defeat the Jeffries of 1904?

4--Jeffries wanted to quit against Fitz and Sharkey.

Hearsay which bumps head on against the fact that Jeff did not quit in either fight and won them. I don't take this seriously at all.

5--Jeff was afraid of losing

Okay, but he actually retired when the top contender was Hart, not Johnson.

Jeff was certainly outspoken about not defending his title against a black opponent, but only Jack Sharkey among pre-Marciano white champions actually fought so many top black opponents over the course of his career.

 

What you cite seems all so true. What normal thinking man other than a Kamikaze pilot , would not have apprehension as Jeffries is alleged to have,
fighting a prime strong Jack Johnson, AFTER a 6 year retirement from active boxing, shedding 75 pounds of farm fat, training with an old Joe Choynski,
and without a darn tune-up bout, tomorrow going up against a Jack Johnson , at the age of 35 years . He surely must have known that he {Jeffries} was a shell of himself ,doomed to defeat in front of his adoring
fans...He made the biggest mistake of his career agreeing to the pleas of people as Jack London, to come back and "save" the white race....An old man on a foolish errand....

 

Like Marciano.

If Jeffries never fought Johnson, people who nuthugs old timers would say he would always find a way to win.