Prime to Prime Jim Jeffires vs Ezzard Charles

I think Jeffries and Fitzsimmons were both about 6 feet tall. From most photos I have seen, Fitzsimmons had middleweight sized legs with a heavyweight upper body.

 

I agree w SQ that the heights of these guys are off .. the 6' 2.5" , 225 pound Jeffries is off. I see him as 6' 1/2" based on many photos next to Corbett, Fitz and Johnson. Corbett is under stated as I see him as about 6' 2" and Fitz about 6' ... still, in a day before serious weight training Jeffries has the shoulders, back amd legs of a natural adonis. The guy would be 230 ripped today, easily ...

 

Men obviously get shorter with age ,but films and photos of Corbett standing and sparring with Tunney[6 foot] show his given height of 6' 1in to be about right,Fitz was a quarter of an inch under 6 foot ,the same size as Frazier,build changes perceptions doesn't it?
As you mentioned Jeffries a power house for his times looks shorter than his listed 6 foot 2in.

 

Famous photo,doesnt Fitz look taller than 5 ' 11 3/4'' ?
Look at his legs to Jeff's, earlier when Fitz wore the long tights ,he used to stuff them with cottonwool ,to make his calves look bigger.

 

I know a thing or two about photography. To judge a person's height, their keens need to be locked. As people walk, then bend their keens and appear to bounce up and down. When this photo was taken photo Jeffries is walking toward Fitzismmons, who has his knees locked. I have photos of Jeffries next to other fighters 6' or more, and he looks a shade taller..of course his knees are locked in those snap shots. Most Newspapers say Jeffries was 6'1 1/2" or 6'2".

 

Interesting point ...

 

The San Francisco newspapers consistently gave Jeffries' height as 6' 1" in their tale-of-the-tape writeups of his fights.

My guess, off all the photos I have seen of Jeff, is that he was somewhere in the 6' to 6' 1" range in bare feet, about the same height as Johnson. Corbett definitely looks taller in all the film and photos I have seen.

 

Their keens need to be locked ? :huh:huh:huh

 

I'd guess that Ol' Jeff was more so 6' 1/2" to 6' 1" tall fully upright and stretched......... But, he usually stooped down or crouched upon attacking, so he'd appear shorter than his actual height........ And we all know camera angles can play tricks on the body as well......... Regardless, Ol' Jeff buddy was a monster / hulk for 1900 circa..... I'd pop a woody to go back in time to see him tango with Bobby Fitz in San Francisco......

MR.BILL

 

Of course if Jeff gets shorter and his weight stays the same he only gets bigger.

 

..mrbill is the only one to point out that jeffries fought from a crouch. nat fleischer always referred to jeffries' "famous crouch" and others at the time also wrote about it. incidentally, fleischer is one who saw both jeffries and marciano. he also saw ali. i'm not sure about any after that.
the only film clip, other than the johnson one i've seen is a brief bit of his fight with sharkey. he's straight up in that moment but it is too short to see him in a crouch.

funny how this has now turned into a discussion of inches...giving lie to the comfort many have felt when they were told "size doesn't matter."

 

Whatever his real height,he was the first real modern heavyweight in terms that we know.
Sullivan qualified, but he was in the transition period.
Jeffries was a perfect physical specimen.
In the early 1900's he must have presented a very daunting task.

 

I may be wrong but its my under standing ,that Fleischer never saw Jeffries box.

 

Off what I have read, he did see the Johnson-Jeffries fight.