Jeffries v Sharkey2, How close was it?

Jeffries iced Fitz and Corbett. Not in opening rounds, bu they were crushed and KO'ed .. at the time he fought Sharkey in the rematch his hands were in bad shape.

Jeffries was not a face first bomber .. he was a semi-cautious fighter ... he did not come storming out to blast guys away ... there is a diference between early KO's and any KO's ... when he stepped up in class of course the better fighters lasted longer ...

What is often overlooked regarding Jeffries besides bad hand troubles was the fact that he was a novice compared to so many he ought. He was a tremendous raw talent but had so few actual fights before competing on the championship level. All of this needs to be factored in ...

 

That was not my point. It was a throw back to SuzieQ who think Jeffreis wasn't a big puncher because he did not finished Sharkey.

I was merely pointing out that Marciano had his hands full even more so vs a journeyman in Lowry in two fights. That does not mean Marciano could not hit.

Jeffries produced at least one knock down in all his fights, save the Johnson come back fight. He could hit for sure. He just did not fight as aggressively for the most part as Marciano or Frazier did, yet his KO% remains high, and he fought far less journeyman than any other champ I can think of.

 

Mcvey great post. Jeffries had 6" in Height and 30lb in weight advantage and was unable to bomb out a man who was standing right in front of him to be hit. How long do you like a 5'8 180lb brawler would last going toe to toe with Liston, foreman, or tyson? How long would sharkey have lasted against Liston?

 

But you guys are throwing out many factors here.

Who knows, maybe Sharkeys style was tailor made for Jeffries. Maybes that why Jim had trouble putting him down.


Like I think Mendoza said, history proves that sometimes even the hardest of punchers will have trouble putting down the opponent.

 

I think we have to make some allowance for Jeffries injury. How many champions would have taken a fight against a top contender with their left arm in that state?

Jeffries currency fell a little as a result of this fight having been on a high after his domination of Fitzsimmons. He was however given credit for taking on a dangerous challenger so early in his tiutle reign, where his predecesors had sat on the title.

Jeffries himself said after the fight that if he had fought Fitzsimmons in the same condition he would probably have lost. He was probably right.

As for Jeffries power, I think he packed a heavy punch but failed to fully capitalise on it due to a safety first approach, and reluctance to commit to finish an opponent.

 

Again, Jeffries was a cautious fighter. The point I was addressing was his power and he KO'ed both Fitz and Corbett, twice. It as simply how he fought.

 

Sharkey was 185 with a longer reach than Marciano. INteresting that you feel a fighter than was close to a physical duplicate of Marciano, a fighter you constantly lobby for as an all time great regardless of size, should have laid down to Jefferies based on his stature ...

 

Well I do pick Foreman, and Tyson to bomb out Marciano early. Jeffries is the same size as those men and hurdled by some here as having "ATG power". If Jeffries is this 6'2 220lb Monster of a puncher, he should have had no trouble disposing of these supermiddleweights or midgets.

I do not see why you bring up Marciano. I am comparing Jeffries to liston, tyson, and foreman. Men that are equivalent of size to Jeffries. Clearly he is nowhere near these guys in terms of punching ability. Once again, how long does Sharkey last with those 3 men?

Not to mention far more skill with his feints, torso movements, and his ability to fight defensively from a crouch.

 

Hegrant, i just don't think you realize how special a fighter like Dempsey or Marciano was. They were freak of natures. Him, Langford, Dempsey all freak of nature 185lbers. They were so strong. So strong for 185lbers. Other 185lbers thru history can not do what they can. They just can't. That is why these guys are special. That is why these 3 are legends. They are so good that they can afford to give up plenty of size to skilled opposition and STILL win.

 

The marciano fans are making far too much of Jeffries going the distance with Sharkey. For a start, Sharkey was one of the very best fighters of his era. Arguably the third best behind Jeffries and Fitzsimmons. It is a fact of life that boxers are going to go the distance with other boxers from time to time. Particularly when they fight very good fighters. This is why Ali did not KO Frazier (or norton for that matter). Tyson did not KO Bonecrusher Smith or Tucker, Louis had fighters go the distance with him etc. Sometimes it just happens.

It is like the other guys trying to make something of the Ted Lowry/Marciano fight. (Actually i dont know why the Willis "red" Applegate fight isnt dragged up as well. Anyone know what happened there?). IN the scheme of things, id doesnt matter. Both fighters won the fights. That is all that can be asked for.