Prime: Jim Jefferies .vs. Jack Johnson

One thing is certain ,it would be nothing like the onesided thrashing their fight was. Frazier Ali, anyone?

 

I have been very busy as of late, but it looks like I will have time to post for a while.

According to Unforgivable Blackness, Jeffries while champion offered Johnson a fight in a bar, and Johnson balked.

Had the two meet in their primes, Jeffries knocks Johnson out. When Johnson fought a top level guy man near his size or greater, in his prime or near prime, and with experience, he often lost or drew.

Choynski KO
Klondike KO
Griffin UD
Hart UD.


Hmmmm......

For those who want to read Johnson's words about the 1910 fight, its a feature article in a boxing magazine on the stands right now.

 

Johnson ,talking to Tommy Burns ,after Reno," pretty easy wasn't it".

 

Johnson, wanted to fight Jim jefferies when he was champion and got turned down numerous times. Johnson would have always whip jim jefferies to much skill and power.

 

I'll fight you in a cellar ,but, I won't take a chance on losing my title to you?

How many of these did Jeffries meet?

 

For what it's worth an interesting take on the Jeff-Johnson fight from ring veteran Bob Armstrong:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4QobAAAAIBAJ&sjid=20gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2128,1719769

 

Beating an in active 300 pounder who had not fought in 5 years should have happened faster than 15 rounds. Read what Johnson said in a recent boxing magazine. He said Jeffries did well in a few rounds, and he only really went after him when Jeffries almost went down in the 14th and was dead tired.

I have several rounds on dvd. Johnson certanly landed some head snapping uppercuts and ripping body shots. Johnson was not holding back much. It took a prime Johnson many rounds to get the job done.

When an ATG faces a wahsed up in-active champ, the fight should be over in the early to mid rounds.

Johnson did not escape clean. He was cut too, and rocked from body shots.

 

That is not what he said. Jeffries said to Johnson that he could not draw flies, circa 1903. Jeffries was very much about the money in prize fighting.

Instead Jeffries offered him a fight on the spot. Had Johnson sacked up, and show something, word might have got out to create an interest in a boxing match that had a big purse. But Johnson balked.

 

Interesting stuff ,thanks for posting it,this concurs with the gist of "Iinvisible Blackness."

 

I don't need to read what a boxing magazine purports Johnson to have said, over a century after the event took place.
I have his direct quotes, immediately after the fight, given in the ring.

Johnson, in notated quotes, said Jeffries had one good round the 4th,and it is doubtful that he won even that.
Johnson was not cut by Jeffries he had a split lip when he entered the ring a result of a sparring injury by Kid Cotton,this was reopened in the 4th rnd.

Jeffries never hurt Johnson at any time ,indeed Johnson stated immediately after the fight "he can't hit".

Johnson carried Jeffries to increase the movie rights,it is common knowledge.


Johnson could have stopped Jeffries early ,certainly after the 7th round.
Uppercuts?
It was Johnson landing these,in the 3rd round he landed 4 in a row.

"Jeffries started out to cut me down in the 4th ,which is about the only round he did real well in" .
" Johnson was in charge through rounds 5,6,7,8.
He bloodied Jeffries mouth,reopened an old cut,on his right cheek,closed his right eye.
At one point he encircled Jeffries with his arms, and walked him towards Corbett's side of the ring asking,"where do you want me to put him , Mr Corbett?"

Between rounds 7, and 8 Corbett grabbed Jack Jeffries ,Jim's brother, and said," your brother's whipped".

They decided Jeffries should foul out to save himself from a prolonged beating, but neither had the balls to suggest it to Jeffries.

The body punches Jeffries landed in the 9th and 10th had no effect on Johnson, he countered with a left that staggered Jeffries.

Johnson turned, and called out to Tommy Burns, at ring side , " I didnt

show you that one in Sydney."


It was a cat playing with a mouse.

Jeffries nose was broken in the 14th.

After the massacre, Johnson, still in the ring , said, "It was easy"
"I wish it was some longer",
"I was having lots of fun"
."Not one blow hurt me"
" He can't hit",
He won't forget two punches I landed on him".
"He was only half the trouble Burns was."

It was a one sided beat down , with the only saving grace being Jeffries courage ,in accepting the punishment.
I have heard you have a blind loyalty to Jim Jeffries .

Nothing personal but-----------------------------

If you think Jeffries was in any way competitive in this fight, you would indeed appear to be blind.
This was Holmes versus Ali.

 

Boucher,

Have you ever seen the full fight? I doubt it. I have seen most of it. It was a slow paced fight. Jeffries was the better in rounds 1-4, Johnson from 5-8, Jeffreis came on a bit in 9 and 10 and likely took round 10, then pretty much gassed out and it was all Johnson.

Maybe if you see the flim, you get a better understanding of things.

You are also wrong, Jeffries did hurt Johnson a bit with body shots. Read some of the press articles. Educate yourself. This wasn't Holmes vs. Ali. Ali did not win a minute vs. Holmes and was an active fighter.

 

So Jeffries might have won a 10 round decision?:yikes

 

I know that is not what Jeffries said, if it was ,I would have put quote marks above it,but that is what it amounted to.

Jeffries said he would go down in the cellar and fight Johnson.

Johnson replied, " I ain't no cellar fighter".
He wanted the title, not bragging rights from a bar brawl .

 

Ali was not an active fighter ,he had been retired for over 2 years ,and he was nearly 39 years old. Jeffries was 34.

No disrespect ,but I do not think you can educate me on this subject ,because you cannot be objective on it.
I do not want to get into a protracted argument on it, I have seen all the footage of the fight that survives, there is not an entire print.
Jeffries was not the better in any rounds,Johnson let him come in and neutralised his atttack by holding him like a baby.Jeffries got a hiding.
There is no profit in engaging further with you on this, I see the stories about your love of Jeffries are well substantiated.
Besides which, we are veering off the thread, which is prime for prime.
Keep you fan worship by all means, but that is not unbiased discussion.
Have a nice day.

 

"There are none so blind as those who will not see".atsch