Sullivan, 1907, on himself vs. Jeffries

I think we need to branch out from the San Fran Chronicle, and read what the LA Times had to say. If Jeffries made a tour of Southern California, Arizona and New Mexico, meeting all comers the LA Times is closest to the action, not San Fransisco Chronicle.

Does the LA Times Article give dates and names to the early matches? A historian who researched a topic, even one as good as Appolack is only as good as his sources.

 

Good post.
As punchy and old as he may have been , he was still clearer minded than most of the posters here. A matter for thought for them. The only surprise for me there is Sullivan's honesty and realism .

 

The older the better. Alexander Mocdon > Sullivan

 

The SanFrancisco Call in 1896, I cant recall the exact date but May I think, said Jeffries had twenty fights, all victories and he also had grown to 6-2 1/2!

 

Love the avatar mattdonellon. Maher certainly fought some greats.

 

Sure did, from the cover of the book.

 

I have no feeling concerning this one way or another, but the following excerpt comes frm a 1932 book titled 'Champions Off Guard' by William Inglis:

"Many good judges believed that Jeffries was the best man that ever fought in the ring. Certainly he was the biggest and strongest that ever held the championship.

"Suppose," I said to Mike Donovan (late 1800's U.S. middleweight champion) one day as we were walking up Fifth Avenue, "Jeffries and Sullivan could be matched, each in his best condition; wouldn't Jeff beat John L.?"

"Hah!" Mike snorted at the absurdity of my question. He grabbed my arm and swung me around to face him. "If those two were to fight," he said, "each one at his best, all Central Park wouldn't be big enough for Jeff to run around in. I don't mean to disparage Jeffries: he's a fine fellow and a good man - but there never was anyone in the Big Fellow's class. He blasted men to bits. Jeff deserves to be champio - but there'll never be another Sullivan."

 

Donovan was right in one respect.

Jeffries was never in Sullivans class as an offensive finisher.

I dont think that anybody was untill people like Langford and Dempsey came allong.

 

Wow, very interesting if true!

It wouldnt be totally inconsistent with what we know of his record, it seems.

 

Jeffries pro debut does seem to have been the Hank Griffin fight.

Reports on his amateur background are conflicting, as are those on his early fights.

 

Donovan was a proud Irishman and might be guilty of being a tad biased toward his kin. Speaking of Corbett, I researched him to be 59-0-3 leading up to the Fitzsimmons fight, though a good amount of those fights were 4 rounders where the press gave a decision.

I think Jeffries had more offensive skill than Sullivan, and was matched vs. a much better class of fighters. Its easy to be a good finisher when you don't fight top level guys.

I pinged Tracy Callis. He's a senior historian, who will check out the LA Times article. I recall someone telling me that Jeffries was something like 24-0-2 with 20 KO's leading up to the Fitzsimmons fight, with the program magazine of the fight listing many of the matches.

 

Billy Gallagher was ballyhooing Jeff at the time of The Call report of the 20 wins (May 22, 1896) so maybe we should take it with a pinch of salt.

 

The Call report sais Jeff was only 19 which we also know to be wrong. Jim Jeffords also claimed to have beaten him as an amature but I never saw this substanciated. Personally I think if JJJ beat Childs we would hnow and I see no evidence at all that he beat Ed Martin.
On the other hand Maher beat a green Ruhlin while on a tank-town tour and this was not wildly known.

 

I agree that Sullivan dominated a much weaker era than Jeffries after him and Jem Mace before him if we are going to extend comparisons the other way.

I will stand by what I said about Sullivan being a better finisher however. Nobody was even able to hang with him. They either fought to survive or got anihilated quickly, even after he lost much of the use of his left arm and was dilapidated by alcoholism. Even in a weak era sombody should have been able to give him a fight.

In summary, he did as Donovan said "blast men to bits".