Jeffries, he would take some punishment because Sullivan was fast and a serious hitter, plus he was a sturdy 198lbs, top rated guy something that Jeffries only faced once, in Ruhlin.[I exclude his comeback as that is not relevant]. Sullivan was probably the better hitter,but he would be sustaining damage himself ,coming in to Jeffries left all the time .Ringsiders describe Jeffries as being slow to attack,not slow afoot, but cautious in style and appearing to wait till his opponent was demoralized before seizing the initiative. I think Sullivan goes the distance whatever it may be, if Sharkey a smaller man did twice, Sullivan, who was only counted out once when fat and bloated fell from exhaustion, manages it too. Jefffries by decision in a slam bang affair that puts serious ring mileage on both their clocks I would take Jeffries in a bareknuckle contest too,in fact he might have been unbeatable in those.
Here's a link to a Jefferies-Sullivan thread that was started a quarter-year ago http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=144184&highlight=jeffries+sullivan that thread itself has a link to a yet earlier thread on this matchup, in which apollack, a biographer of both fighters, gives his opinion.
To rehash my post from the previous thread: Around the time This content is protected retired this was the single most discussed fantasy fight. Sort of like Dempsey vs Louis when Louis retired or Louis vs Ali when Ali retired. Looking back on the debate we see many of the same trends observed in fantasy fight debates on this forum. The younger crowd argued that This content is protected was too big and strong for This content is protected and that he represented an evolutionary advance in both technique and physical dimensions. Little were they to know that the future genaration of great heavyweights would be more the size of This content is protected than This content is protected and that it would be another 70 years before an all time great with the physical parameters of This content is protected would emerge. The old school crowd argued that This content is protected was tougher and fought in a less gentle era that This content is protected might not be able to adap to. Rule set In most respects This content is protected would have been more suited to a modern rule set than This content is protected . He fought in an era when most states limited boxing matches to 4 or 6 rounds and while 2-4oz gloves were normal some states mandated 8 oz gloves. In many of his fights This content is protected was contracted to finish his opponent off inside 4 rounds or forfeit sums ranging from $50 to $1000. Having said that he also fought some finish fights under London Prize Ring Rules that lasted two or three hours so his ability to fight over the duration cannot be denied. This content is protected for contrast built his career around fights ranging from 20 to 45 rounds. The 20 round fights were a considerable test of stamina while the 45 round fights were essentially finish fights in all but name. This content is protected fought with 4 oz gloves for the most part. In summary I would say that This content is protected was a fighter who specialised in short fights where a quick knockout was imperative while This content is protected specialised in longer fights where he could take his time to wear down his opponent. On the other hand it cannot be taken for granted that This content is protected would hold the edge in stamina due to This content is protected ’s proven record in finish fights. Competition It is fair to say that This content is protected fought a much higher calibre of opposition. This content is protected title reign included defences against other great fighters like Fitzsimmons, Sharkey and Corbett. At the time his title opposition was regarded as being better than that of previous eras and it continued to be viewed as being a golden era up to the post-war era. This content is protected ’s prime coincided with one of the weakest eras in the history of the heavyweight division. The top challengers of that period were seen at the time as being much weaker than the best fighters of the previous era when Jem Mace was champion. They would later be seen to be weaker than the top fighters who came along late in This content is protected ’s reign such as Killrain, Jackson and Corbett. Having said that This content is protected was far more dominant as champion than This content is protected . He was not just beating the best around at his peak he was going through them like a young Mike Tyson. He contracted to knock out some of the top elite of the period in 4 rounds or less or forfeit $1000 and he was doing it easily. I would say that the only fighters This content is protected faced who were as good as the top fighters of This content is protected resume were Corbett (obviously) and Killrain. This content is protected opponents like Charlie Mitchell and Dominick McCaffrey might be on the level of somebody like Joe Choynski. Style Both these guys fought out of a crouch and were fearsome two handed punchers but that is about where the similarity ends. This content is protected was an offensive attacking fighter in the mould of Jack Dempsey and Floyd Patterson. Probably the nearest thing to him you will find on film is somebody like Terry McGovern. Above all This content is protected was a finisher in a different class to This content is protected . He came out of his corner from the opening bell looking for a knockout. He used head movement to avoid punishment and was methodical in placing his blows. He seems to have been able to target areas like the chin, solar plexus, neck and bellow the ear with considerable precision. His pet punch was a blow to the jugular. This content is protected was a methodical fighter who broke his opponents down and generally took his time to do it. Despite his reliance on his size and durability he was cat quick on his feet and had the reflexes of a rattlesnake. He sometimes made opponents miss punches by a couple of inches by pulling his head back like Muhammad Ali. In the second Sharkey fight he switched from an orthodox stance to a southpaw stance because his left was out of action. Despite his method involving breaking opponents down, he did develop into a good finisher later in his career. Firepower This is the hardest area to compare. In terms of power we cannot say who hit harder but it is fairly certain that This content is protected was the superior puncher and above all the superior finisher. Both fighters could carry their power late. In terms of durability I have to give the edge to This content is protected . This content is protected was never knocked off his feet before his ill fated comeback and probably fought more big punchers. This content is protected suffered a flash knockdown against Charlie Mitchell which could be compared to This content is protected hypothetically being knocked down by Choyinsky. In terms of physical parameters This content is protected was the bigger man. This content is protected was 6’ 1’’ and weighed in at 220lbs. He would probably have been a squat super heavyweight today at 230 lbs or more. This content is protected was 5’ 11’’ and weighed 190 lbs+ for LPR fights and about 200-230 for gloved contests. He was sometimes reported as being in the pink of condition (to the untrained eye) at 220-230 lbs. My guess is that he was naturally bigger than Dempsey and Marciano. In terms of physical strength an wrestling ability I have to give a clear edge to This content is protected because he is known to have fought world class wrestlers on equal or near equal terms.
sulllivan pounds the **** out of jeffries, jeffries only survived against fitzsimmons and choynski because they were under 170 lbs. sullivan had 30 more pounds and that added weight tells.
Always a possibility. I am convinced that Sullivan was in the same class as Jack Dempsey as a puncher.
