The San Francisco call., 1899-06-11
.)EFFRIES
TO FIGHT
SHARKEY
Gives the Sailor Preference
in Planning for the
Future.
WANTS SMALL RING
Declares That in the San Fran
cisco Mill the Navy's Pride
Ran Away From Him.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, June 10-Jeffries bears
his honors very modestly. 1t was after
o'clock. this morning when the new
champion reached the Vanderbilt Hotel,
but there was a great crowd awaiting
him and he received an ovation as he
entered the hotel. He nodded and smiled
pleasantly to his admirers, and, after eX-
changing greetings with a few intimate
friends, went to bed. He arose early this
morning and when he appeared on the
street he showed few marks of the battle.
There was scar over his left eye, caused
by the blow from Ftzsimmon's right, and
small black lump stood out over the
right eye, the result of a collision with
Fftzsimmons' left hand. Otherwise he
was looking natural and perfectly happy
After breakfast he jumped into a car
riage and rode to Brady's office, in the
Manhattan Theater building. During the
journey from the Vanderbilt Hotel to the
theater building he was followed by
large crowd of cheering enthusiasts. At
l oclock he left for Philadelphia. His
journey to the Quaker city was a tri-
umphant one, cheers greeting him all
along the line.
Asked about his plans for the future
the champion said he would defend his
newly acquired title against any man in
the world, giving Sharkey the first
chance. He will take things easy for a
short time, although he would prefer to
fight Sharkey within six weeks. Brady,
however, does not want the big fellow
to figure in ring contests until after he
has reaped the fruit of his success over
Fitzsimmons. so that it is extremely i'm
probable that Sharkey and Jeffries will
fight before six or seven months have
elapsed.
"When Sharkey and I do meet" said
Jeffries, Il will insist upon one condition
being incorporated in the articles of
agreement, and that will touch on the
size of the ring. l want to fight Sharkey
in a 16-foot ring, so that he can't run
away from me like he did when l fought
him in San Francisco. l beat Sharkey
fairly and squarely then, and if he had
would have knocked him out. But you
can bet the next time we face each other
he will not go the full distance"
Jeffries said that ne was feeling re-
markably well. He spoke very highly of
Fitzsimmons qualities as fighter, and
said that the former champion had put up
a great battle.
'.Fitzsimmons is a very game fellow"
said Jeffries. Il gave him a hard punch
ing and he took it pluckily, He stayed
right there until he could fight no
longer"
Speaking of his wonderful Improvement
as a fighter Jeffries said it was due to
the splendid work of Billy" Delaney and
Tommy Ryan. Jim" said that he had
entered the ring in such fine shape. His
newly acquired knowledge of the scien-
tific principles of boxing, Jeffries said,
was due to his sparring bouts with Tom
my" Ryan, the welter-weight champion
Ryan" said Jeffries, taught me all
of Fttzsimmons' tricks and also few
tricks that Fitzsimmons did not know
He made me not only clever with my
hands, but fast with my feet. l thor
oughly mastered Ryans left hand feint
for the body, which caused Fftzsimmons
so often to draw his body in and his
head forward into position for left
hand hook on the jaw 1t was just that
kind of a blow that finally Strengthened
Fitzsimmons up in the eleventh round and
gave me the opportunity to swing my
right hand with knockout force on Fftz-
simmons Jaw My crouching position
was also the result of Ryan's tuition. My
failure to fall victim to Fftzsimmons'
feints was due to careful practice with
Ryan.
precisely how Fitzsmmons would try to
feint me into a position for knockout
blow with either hand. When | entered
that ring I knew every move that tttZ-
simmons was going to make. Ny antici-
pating Fits movements and quickness
in evading the champion determined eff
forts to land on my jaw had its effect on
FitZsimmons and contributed greatly to
nv success When FitZsimmons tried in
the first and second rounds to locate
vital point and missed it greatly discon-
floor with a left-hand jolt in the second
round he was the most astonshed man in
the building. l knew after that I could
beat him. and now, after beating him, L
feel that | can defeat any man In the
Jeffries praised Brady for the shrewd
manner in which he secured the match
for him with Fitzsimmons.
The new champion has offered to spar
with FitZsimmons at benefit If the lat
ter desires one.