Jim Jeffries Has Some Choice Things To Say About Johnson.

Whether it was in step with the times or not, you can still identify someone as a racist per their words and behaviours.

The definition for a racist makes that a simple exercise.

Now, I’m not sure (either way) whether all that was printed in the press came straight from Jeffries’ mouth or not - be it actually from his team or total free licence exercised by the press.

We know for a fact that the press played around with exaggerated affectations to Johnson’s speech.

It was also claimed by the press that Jeffries said he could never have beaten Johnson - I don’t believe Jeffries would’ve said that.

He was also quoted as saying he wasn’t the same fighter anymore and that during his prime, a bout between he and Johnson would’ve been much different.

I’ve also read that Jeffries asked his handlers to ask Johnson for Jack’s gloves after the fight, as a keepsake.

Again, that doesn’t add up - Jeffries refused to shake Johnson’s hand before the fight and Jeff’s handlers deflected Johnson from shaking hands with Jeff after the fight.

But after the fight, we’re supposed to believe that Jeff even handedly afforded Johnson superiority for all time AND asked for Jack’s gloves???

Jeff was also well documented as being taciturn, not very talkative - yet his quoted statements supplied by the press suggest a somewhat outspoken, opinionated man, so that seems a bit at odds with the profiling of Jeff otherwise.

Another possibility is that, if they were Jeff’s words, he might’ve felt obligated to say same to satisfy others - but still Jeff’s responsibility if that’s how it came to pass.

When he spoke in hindsight, Jeffries said he was hounded by the press to come back and without such coercion, he would’ve preferred to have stayed retired - but then it seems that Jeff did have $$$ problems which posed as another possible motive for his returning to the ring.

If Jeffries was racist, it can be argued that he wasn’t totally in step with his own times - and the problem is two fold - since again, it can be argued that Jeff wasn’t only racist but also played the race card to blatantly avoid fighting Johnson during Jeff’s reign.

There were winds of change during Jeffries’
time, sections of the sporting community stating that Jeffries should fight Johnson - that race notwithstanding, the best should fight the best in the ring.

Even those calling for the fight to happen, likely included people who practiced racism otherwise, in varying degrees - but they were still people who wanted competition in the ring to be kept absolute, no caveats.

Jeffries literally stated that he wasn’t going to be, in all possibility, the white man who lost the title to a black man - a potential loss of the title to a black man smearing the honour of the white race.

To make that a fail safe proposition, Jeff simply didn’t defend against any black fighters.

Apparently he grilled Burns for even granting a title shot to Johnson - and after losing the title, Burns was grilled again.

Perhaps Jeff was also angry because Burns’ loss triggered the embryonic stage of the call for him to come out of retirement and win the title back for the white race - a call initiated and spear headed by Jack London, a screaming racist and perhaps a screaming something else also, lol.

Burns spewed all types of racial barbs re and at Johnson (interestingly, in later life, Tommy apparently regretted such behaviours).

STILL, while he held out for the most possible $$$, Burns ultimately did fight Johnson - so that can be contrasted with Jeffries’ adamant refusal to give Jack a shot - Burns being very much a part of Jeff’s own “times”.

Prior to fighting Jack, Burns said he barred no man, and that if he did bar anyone, he could hardly call himself Champion of the World.

Tommy’s statement made perfect sense, and it made sense to a lot of other people of his time, all the way back to the early 1900s.

 

I didn't know ol' Mickeyvey was such a deep thinker