Jim Jeffries Has Some Choice Things To Say About Johnson.

Pre-fight hype. The Press made this fight bigger than it was because of the racial angle. Jeffries had been retired for 6 years and came down from 300 lbs. I dont think Jeffries would have beaten Johnson in his prime unless Johnson just tanks out, Jeffries might have outlasted him but thats about it.

 

It will never cease to amaze me that people raised today who believe what society tells them to believe are shocked & appalled by people who did the exact same thing in their day.

 

Wrong.


https://www.boxing247.com/weblog/archives/101336

Jeffries had ballooned up to 300lbs during his retirement and training was not easy anymore for a 35-year-old man.

Source: Time Tunnel: James J. Jeffries – The Forgotten Grizzly Bear • East Side Boxing • News Archives (https://www.boxing247.com/weblog/archives/101336)

 

Big deal, youre trying to apply 2023 standards to over 100 years ago.

 

He probably was a racist. But it was the times. If he had been born 100 years later he might not have been. It’s easy to judge people from a different period with hindsight. I’m sure many of my ancestors were racist or prejudice against one thing or another

 

I dont care if he was racist any more than I care about Johnson hating whites, theyre dead. But theres still plenty of racism in boxing today.

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Jeff really needs a snickers, sheesh

 

Not sure if it was in Pollack's book but there was one anecdote about Jeffries refusing to fight a black opponent because he insisted that black folk smelled too horrible and that gave them an unfair advantage in the ring.

 

Okay, but it’s a pretty meaningless insult to someone who lived in that time. If, 100 years from now, society is on the same wavelength as it was in Jeffries’ time, people would be calling you a piece of ****, were you a public figure. Seem fair?

 

Hank Griffin must've had to put extra deodorant on to get Jeff to sign that fight