Jim Jeffries V Joe Frazier

How did Fitz and Corbett manage to connect on him so often?

 

Good question.

Both were slicksters with fast hands and acurate punch placment. Corbett was a an uber slickster. Neither was a swarmer like Frazier.

Jeffries was prety inexperienced when he fought Fitzsimmons and perhaps even Corbett the first time. Jeffries didnt really peak untill the second Corbet fight.

People look at the weight advantage that Jeffries had in these fights but they dont consider that he was an inexperienced fighter being thrown to the wolves.

 

When Jeffries fought Sharkey the first time he was oficialy 7-0-2. In his next four fights Sharkey would defeat Jim Corbett and destroy Gus Ruhlin in one round.

That boy was being thrown to the wolves big time. The only thing surprizing about this fight is that Jeffries managed a win.

 

Fitz did not connect much in the first fight and Corbett did not connect much in the second fight.

The first Jeffries vs Corbett fight is mis-understood. It was close before the KO, and beleive it or not Jeffries made Corbett miss on a few occasions. As Jeffries career progressed his defense became better.

 

Have many of you have seen a clear film of an entire Jim Jeffries fight or clear footage of extensive highlights ?

Or, for that matter, good film of his opponents ?

The best thing I can get my hands on is the Jeffries-Johnson footage, and that's a bit grainy, and besides, Jeffries was over-the-hill there which would explain why he looks a bit crap.

I would have to see the real clear film of the prime Jeffries to pick him over the evidently great prime Joe Frazier.

 

Which prime Jeffries fights are available on watchable film ?

 

There is some prety good footage of Jeffries sparring in preparation for the Gus Rhulin fight.

While it is of course not an actual fight it dose reveal certain details of his style. He slips and ducks punches. He is fast on his feet darting into and out of range. He has good ability to judge distances making his sparring partner miss repeatedly by pulling back a few inches.

 

He was a come forward boxer swarmer type fighter. That type of fighter is always going to get hit by technical boxers even if he has good defence.

Now consider that his fights were over 20+ rounds with 4oz mitts which would greatly increase the damage caused by the punches.

Now consider that he was thrown in against world class heavyweights with only a handfull of fights.

Realisticaly he was going to take some punishment.

Now you have to criticaly ask whether he actualy took as much punishment as legend has it.

 

It's funny how you consider Boxrec completely unreliable when it comes to Dempsey's opponents (25 years later), who were probably European champions with 0-0-0 records, but Jeffries of course really did have only 7 fights.

 

Yeah, I've seen that.
I was wondering what film there is of him in a real fight, something we can base speculating on him against Frazier on ?

A few seconds of sparring with his brother or whoever, doesn't really cut it.

Please tell me you guys have seen something more substantial. The way people talk about what prime Jeffries would do to fighter X, surely they've seen something else.

Otherwise it's just childish fantasizing.

Pulling back from punches against Frazier in particular was usually a risky business at best, and often a dreadful error.

 

I Really Have Not Seen Jeffries Fight Other Than The Johnson Fight AND A FEW OTHER CLIPS AND TRAING FILMS, When He Came Back After 6 Years At The Age Of 36 And Had To Lose 100lbs With No Tune Up Fight. I Think Jeffries Had A Much Bigger Disandvantage Than Ali Did Vs Holmes Or Louis Did Vs Marciano Or Holmes Vs Tyson. The 6 Year Layoff, 100lb Weight Loss And Inactivity Were Hard To Overcome Without A Few Tuneups To See If Jeff Had Anything Left. I Think This Fight Would Go Into Late Rds And Speed And Sharp Punching Would Be On Fraziers Side But Stamina And Durability Would Be On The Side Of Jim. I Can See A Late Tko For Either Man, Who Would Hold Up Better?

 

Indeed, Apparently there was a regression in the quality of record keeping in 1920 that made it less reliable than in 1900.

 

You notice that I qualified it by saying officialy.

Personaly I believe that Jeffries might have had unrecorded fights but as a champion his record is obviously going to be more complete than most. At a guess I would say that Jeffries had a dozen fights or less at this point.