The Marvin Hart, Jack Johnson and James Jeffries Triangle

Trying to decompress from work I've dove back into A Pollack's outstanding book on Jack Johnson's title reign. I especially enjoy the significant portion and detailed coverage of Johnson's 1910 title defense against James Jeffries. Putting aside the historical significance of the bout, one of the top three of the 20th Century, it leaves me more undecided than ever about how a prime Jeffries would have done against a pretty prime Johnson in say 1906.

The 1910 version of Jeffries was a shell, period. He trained, blah, blah blah but he was nothing like the versions that peaked destroying Juhlin 2, Corbett 2 and Monroe ... that version was a beast at the top of his game. He was thirty and choose to draw the color line against a 28 year old, physically prime Jack Johnson, the poor decision that cost him his place in history.

On July 4, 1910 Jack Johnson beat on James Jeffries worse than Larry Holmes beat on Tex Cobb. The difference was that Jeffries was a shell that had absolutely no right to even be in that ring. Any argument that he did is agenda driven. He took a frightful beating in blazing heat in front of his world and gave his all , never quitting, his Red Badge of Courage for his horrendous color line drawing and pathetic , inexcusable arrogance in handling Johnson right up until refusing to shake his hand before the opening bell ...

By all accounts Johnson looked superb. He was still near his own physical prime, had been active and was highly motivated by money, respect and revenge. Afterwords he received much praise as perhaps the best ever. Many wrote that Jeffries at his best never would have had a chance. All that is ok but I can't get over the fact of the Marvin Hart fight.

Jack Johnson, highly motivate and in his own physical prime could not dominate Marvin Hart. Jack likely outpointed him and possibly by more than a little but he could not come anywhere close to administering the sort of beating he delivered in Reno so I have to ask myself how can anyone so quickly dream he'd have handled a prime Jeffries, much bigger, stronger, harder hitting, faster, with a chin of steel and terrific stamina if he struggles with Hart ?

My guess is that Jeffries ultimately cursed himself. By drawing the color line while both men were in their primes , completely his own doing based on arrogance and ignorance he cheated himself of a fight he very well might have won.

I am a huge fan of Jack Johnson and feel he was an exceptional fighter both of his day and any day. He was in the class of the Chris Byrd, Whitaker, Mayweather, Hopkins sort , defensive minded but cobra dangerous .. I also believe Jeffries may be terrifically underrated based on many things from his own inexperience ( very few actual fights ) to bad hands which handicapped his demonstrations of power to of course Reno .. I just remain unresolved on how these two ultimately match up ...

 

I was stressing his peak , essentially his last three fights of overwhelming dominance. Jeffries had hand trouble most of his career. He broke and injured his hands multiple times and it plagued him though out his title reign. There is no doubt he nursed them in power shot and punch output ..

Interesting compared to Dempsey who I recently read never had a hand issue in his life .. like many in many things a lot is luck ..

 

All we know is that Johnson never serious hurt him, made him retreat or came close to stopping him. Hart may be vastly under rated, a kind of Gatti of his day according to A Pollack .. that being said , he took everything a prime Johnson dished out, rarely too a back step and forced Johnson to back up .. this was a fight that Johnson badly wanted, a match up against a top white fighter and he did not dominate ... this is why it makes me think that the prime Jeffries, much bigger, stronger, faster and harder hitting than Hart might have made a historic mistake by drawing the color line ... the weathered version that was so dominated was a ridiculous substitute .. the cost is truly Jeffries place in all time rankings .. if the prime Jeffries fought and defeated Johnson as virtually all at the time believed he would have his place in history would have been more solid .. as it stands, mostly on the Johnson loss we have no clue if he was a true talent or a Chuvalo fighting in an early age ..

 

Completely Jeffries ... his drawing the color line was openly debated in the press, he was arrogant and condescending ... in addition, his behavior towards Johnson at all points leading up to the 1910 bout was disgusting ... MY point is that Jeffries screwed himself. ...

Reread Adam's book .. Jeffries suffered from hand troubles through out his career ..