After his arm injured, would it not make sense that he would take on a weak challenger to test how it would hold in a fight against somebody who could fight back? The fact that this fight took place in a 12 month period where Jeffries fought the three best heavyweight challengers available makes it easy to excuse.
Since none of those three were fighting the best black fighters out there at the time, such as Denver Ed Martin, and Frank Childs, the claim that they were the best available is tenuous at best ,and disingenuous at worst.
In terms of heavyweight---it was..... Now, the lighter weighted fighters who were champs did fight many non-title fights if the weight limit exceeded their championship weight limit... Then we move 83 years into the future to 1983 when Holmes fought Marvis Frazier... The WBC refused to sanction that fight and soon stripped Holmes for failing to sign a contract to meet Gregory Page immediately.... Thus, the IBF was new and gave Holmes there belt in early 1984 in which Holmes opted to TKO Bones Smith later that year on HBO.... MR.BILLbbb:hat
One more thing regarding records of old timers on Boxrec. Lufcrazy was smart and right when he chose to question the accuracy of Finnegan's record. Most contenders from that era whose records show almost as many losses as wins (in some cases, MORE losses than wins) are sporting incomplete ledgers. This is mostly due to how difficult it is for the records keepers to actually FIND these fights in the old newspapers. Speaking for myself, I have literally stayed up until 3 and 4 in the morning sometimes scouring newspaper archives for fights. It's an arduous (albeit rewarding) process. Finnegan is one of the rare instances where the sparse number of fights is accurate. But I knew that top contenders like Tim Callahan, Jack McClelland and Charley McKeever had to have more fights than Boxrec listed. I've found something in the area of 30 or more wins for each guy just in the past couple months and there is still more to be found. Be patient my friends. In a few short years we should have mostly complete records for just about every champion and challenger who has fought since the gloved era began. Maybe even the trialhorses and 4th raters thumbsup:smoke
Well Martin dosn't become a factor for a couple more years so we can count him out. The best black contenders at the time of the Finnegan fight were George Byers, Frank Childs and Bob Armstrong. These guys were good fighters but I don't think any of them would have posed much of a threat to Bob Fitzsimmons. Furthermore Jeffries had beaten Armstrong before he fought Fitzsimmons for the title and some evidence suggests that he might als have beaten Childs I am quite happy to say that the best heavyweights when Jeffries won the title were Fitzsimmons, Sharkey and Corbett.
Couldn't Jeffries have tested his arm in exhibitions like the one with Griffin,in 1901, or the 4 rounder fight he had with Joe Kennedy a week after? We are talking about a world heavyweight title fight here. By the way ,after the Sharkey fight, Jeffries was on a continuous tour throughout the US taking on all comers, on a nightly basis.I think he would know exactly what shape his arm was in wouldn't you? Still, as long as you are happy :good One question, when the 39 year old Fitz came out of a 2 year retirement in 1902 and got an immediate title shot. What do you think Denver Ed Martin's thoughts on it were ? Do you think he would have been a trifle peeved he was not considered instead? Or do you think he just thought "it's only the White heavyweight Championship ,so it doesn't really count"?
Well, I am curious as to why Jim Jeff at ages 24 to 29 fought "Corby and Fitz" after 1900 if the comp was so good and fresh at the time for peak Jeff to feast on.... Hmmm... I smell spoiled fish on the table.... Jeff was also between 6' and 6' 2" tall depending on what source you follow and was close to 220 pounds of muscle in his prime..... Corby and Fitz were much smaller and weaker than Jeff, but overall--better boxers in a sense.... In these cases, youth, strength and power overcame age, skill and experience.... WORD! MR.BILL:bbb:goodhat
Having done it once ,was it necessary to bring them out of 2 year retirements, [one being 37,the other 39,] to do it all over again? If it was ,it doesn't say much for the depth of Jeffries competition does it?
Boxrec is cool---despite the fact they **** up times, dates and weights a lot...... bbb:good MR.BILL:hat
Perhaps.? But 'Jeff' already sits high on many old-timers lists' and J.J. only had 21 pro fights from 1895 to 1910... 21 pro fights for a IBHOF fighter from 1900 is sketchy... BUT! Based on his popularity, **** it, I also give him my vote.... I like Jeff.... :bbbgood MR.BILL:hat
It's going on 4:15 a.m. here on the east coast of the USA and I have my tape of Bronson in the '76 western called: "Breakheart Pass" that also co-starred his wife Jill Ireland and had a small role with Archie Moore as a train cook and conductor..... Bronson fights Moore on the roof of a train-car and kicks him off into the river..... CLASSIC! bbb:admin MR.BILL:hat
Jeffries is entitled to a high place in the early days of the sport, this is one man's reconsidered view of him. Why Jim Jeffries has dropped in my rankings: While I do not question Big Jeff's athleticism, strength, or endurance there are 3 reasons for dropping him from my list: He only won 18 pro fights. There is a lack of good quality film in which to make a realistic assessment of his ability. His punching power is over rated based on his record. The claim that he hit as hard as Foreman or Liston seems nonsensical based on an overall lack of early round knockouts. Jeff wore down his opposition he did not overpower them early. If one is considering all era's and all rules, e.g. 45 round fights to the finish, both 5 and 10 oz gloves, bare knuckles, rules that allowed a lot of holding etc., then Jeffries could be argued into the top 5. However, when assessing boxing as a modern sport the standard should be a 20 foot ring, 8-10 oz gloves, modern rules and a 15 round standard that dominated most of the last 100 years. Monte Cox, giving his reasons why Jeffries does not make his top ten.
I'm 15 miles south of Jack Johnson's 1946 car crash site / death.... I'm in Wake County of Raleigh, NC., and J.J. was killed north of here in the next county of Franklin.... I've been up and down the street (N. Main) he lost control on, but no marker whatsoever exists there today... Yet, talk has been spoken with no action thus far...... patsch:hat MR.BILL:good