The Portland daily press., 1899-11-03
Nharkey and Jeffries to Meet at
COney Island.
Both Men Said To Be
In Fine Condition.
Reports of Jeffries' Sickness Are
Denied.

New YORK, November S.-Jtm Jeuries
and Tom Shsrkcy will meet tomorrow
night In the arena of the Coney Island
Sporting club for 25-round battle, the
result Of which will determine the heavy
weight pugilistio championship Of the
world.
The event is looked forward to with
intense interest by the sporting element
throughout the United States. This city
10 full OF sporting men who have come
from neatly every town OF prominence
from the Pacific to the Atlantic and from
the Gulf to Canada to witness the big
light. The latter Is the theme Of AMI
mated discussion tonight at every sport
ing resort In the city. Je6ries, by his
defeat OF Fitssimmons. i've months ago.
earned the title Of champion Of the " orld
Ia the heavyweight class of pugilists.
Many OF those who have tackled the
game of chance say that the big fellow
will be defeated and the championship
will revert to the Irish American sailor.
On the other hand the big California
Loilermsker has a host Of friends. They
are sanguine of Jeffries's success and
their belief is backed up with q big army
of American dollars
Many strange stories have been told Of
Jeffries since he went to England and
since his return. Billy Delaney of San
Francisco, who trained Corostt for his
successful venture against John l.. Sulli-
van and brought JEFF riss east to defeat
Fitzsimmons, who whipped Corbett at
q arson City. taid today: "My nan
Jefiries will be heard from to good adj
vantage tomorrow night. ! told you five
months ago. before he met Fitzsimmons.
that IL was a sure thing for him. Now.
take my advice. don't worry about all
those stories which you hear sof Jim q
sickness. He's all right and he'll win
sure
The llenhurst training quarters were
deserted this afternoon. Jeffries, D~lan-
ey, Tommy Ryan, and a bunch of attend
ante, CLOSED mp the shop and came
Gotham wards. VIII Curiey, the English
feathsrweight who met George Dixon to-
night at the broadway Athletic club.
left the Allenhurst cottage shortly before
nine o'clock in the morning.
Before Jsffries left Allenhurst he hal
gone over several miles at a jog trot,
after which he skipped the rope $50 times
without q miss and his leg movement
was all that could be desired. Other
than this work, he did nothing and sim
ply prepared himsslf for his "move on
Sharkey," as he expressed It,
When the camp moved from Allehhurst
all hands were In the bsst OF SPIRITS and
none of them was more confident than
Jeffries. They arrived here late this af-
ternocn and repaired to the Vanderbilt
hotel where Jeffries will rest until tomor-
row morning. Boehm's seaside resort at
New Dorp, s. l., where Sharkey has been
training for some weeks, was also the
scene Of an exodus today. Sharkey, who
never seems to tire Of work, was on edge
late this afternoon, when q message
came from his manager, Tom O'Rourks,
of New York, to break camp and come
city wards George Dixon has been in
training steadily and earnestly with
Sharkey for the last five weeks and both
fighters took their release from their
gruelIing neighbors as q boon.
Sharkey said: "rm in tip top oondi-
tion. So is Georgeihere. Aren't wes"
said the Irish American sailor, address
ing his little dusky partner.
"You bet your life," replied George.
"Both of US win be on top at the end Of
the outfit. I'm surer of your success
than Am of mins and that means
neither OF us can lose."
Sharkey Was never In tsttor condition.
He has t-ainsd faithfully and in every
sense Of the word has lived up to the
Instructions given him by his manager.
A comparison between his condition and
that of Js,friss could scarcely bs dra wn.
Each has trained assiduously. A promi
nent man up town, who is in the habit of
holding u great many bets, said tonight:
"Ipterest in tomorrow nights light
seems to be- at fsver heat aud yet men
win not wager their money. Queer re-
ports In the respective training quarters
of the fighters as to their inability to put
up o good argument seems to have mad
q deterrent effect in the betting market.
But TO my mind both men are In the best
possible condition The most oonssrva-
tive and well informed patrons Of the
ring agree with me that the contestants
will have a hard battle for eight rounds
and II 1t lasts longsr 1t will be a question
of the man with the stamina to win
out"