What Happened in Reno, July 4, 1910

I think part of it was that Jeffries just didn't have a style that'd age well, too much reliance on his physical gifts.

Drying out is an interesting idea, but I've never really seen evidence for it really making you perform worse, even though that's the current accepted wisdom. (I don't imagine it'll be good for you though).

If he never believed he could really win that could have made him perform worse. I'll need to rewatch it though.

I think it's not impossible for the reports on Jeffries' condition were flattering to hype up his chances, or over optimistic by people who just wanted him to win. How often is there newspaper reports before a big fight saying one of them is a mess?

 

Didn’t Choyniski say he looked awful in sparring? His coordination was off? Either way being fit and fighting fit are two different things. The man was out of the ring for 6 years and took on the top heavy of the day without so much as a tune up. Fight had big loss written all over it if people of the day weren’t so blinded to see Jack lose.

 

Great point! There is a difference between being fit and fighting fit! Yes! Being fit does not mean the same as being fit to fight! Brilliant!

 

I too have rad endlessly of the entire era. Johnson was just SOOOO great, no heavyweight in history is taking 6 yrs off and beating him. Jeez, at his very best, maybe no super in shaped trained heavyweight of any time beats Papa Jack, which btw is my fav book about this subject. Roberts reports of Jacks fights are art themselves.

 

You've read Pollack's account.
Choynski felt Jeffries suffered mental collapse.
Corbett that he handicapped himself by not sparring more.
Langford said he was in good condition ,otherwise he would never have been able to absorb the punches he did. Jeffries had 18 months to get down to weight and was 230lbs in October 1909 8 months before the fight .
No doubt it would have been a different fight had both been prime.I think Johnson would have won ,but it would not have been the one - sided drubbing it turned out to be.A Jeffries fanatic here states it was level after 10 rounds.In truth Jeffries was outclassed and out manned.
The round by round account is available.

 

He was lucky to last as long as he did that day....plus his sparring was poor for such a huge bout

 

I'd need to have another look at the reports, but I thought it was just a pretty lackluster performance from Johnson, who let Hart lead.

 

To keep it simple he was afraid especially to lose in front of people......fighting in front of crowds is no small thing especially when you think you are going to get beat up and look inadequate

He had to carry a lot of societies weight into the ring he had never done that before that is a ton of pressure

 

To me it seems Likely Choyniski would pick Jeffries since he ko’d Johnson and fought to a lucky draw with Jeffries. As for Corbett an out and out racist him picking Jeff was more a product of wish fulfillment than actual objective analysis one would think. And I fear the same probably held true for many that were picking Jeffries.
Not many people are going to give honest assessment to the media regarding the fighter in their camp and I think most reporters of this era probably didn’t have the eye to even know what to look for. Tyson looked great post prison physique wise but was never close to the fighter he was pre prison and he was both younger and gone for half the time Jeffries was, when he returned. I find it amazing Jeff lasted as long as he did that day. 110 degree heat, first fight in six years with an opponent hell bent on kicking his butt. I know Johnson could of removed him sooner but that was not his style, still Jeff amazes me to go that long absorbing what he did and the pressure he faced carrying the hopes of so many ppl

 

Bingo- that was a point I was alluding to at the end of my post as well. This was a whole new ballgame for Jeff. It’s one thing to be confident in your abilities in you athletic prime involved in a sporting contest. Another to have the build up of society for years trying to find a savior. To have it thrown at your feet when all else failed in this monumental event of a fight. The pressure on this guy was enormous he probably even froze up in the bout some.