The San Francisco call., 1899-06-10
.JEFFRIES IS
WONDERFULLY
IMPROVED
Honest John Kelly Once
Thought He Was
a Dub.
VERY DIFFERENT NOW
Never Has He Seen a Man Who
Has Made Such Great
Improvement.
BY JOHN KELLY.

NEW YORK, June 9.-There is no simi.
larity between the James Jeffries l saw
attempt to knock out Bob Armstrong at
the Lenox Athletic Club in August, 1S98
and the James Jeffries who put Robert
Fitzsimmons to sleep at Coney Island.
One was big, soft, painfully slow chap,
that didn't appear to know the first rudi-
ments of boxing, though he had been
sparring with COrbett all through the lat
ters training period at Carson City. He
was the laughing stock of all the good
judges around the ringside, and not one
man in the building had complimentary
word for him after his really pitiable
showing.
But time, and little of it, has worked
wonders for this overgrown boy. Last
night he was big, strong, shifty, quick
and scientific. A faster or more Sclen-
tific big man have never seen. be nit
like battering-ram and took hard blows
in return without f1inching. He used the
right and left hand with equal force, both
hands seemingly being alike to him, and
he wanted to fight all the time.
His footwork was simply a revelation,
his Improvement in this respect in less
than year being really marvellous. 1t
seemed last night as if he was all over
the ring at once.
Punishment only made him fight harder.
and the hardest blows F1tZ could get IN
did not seem to affect him. Jeffries to-
day is a great fighter. His youth, great
strength, science, qiuckness of hand, eye
make him a champion worthy of the
title. He should be champion for several
years TO come.
Those who remember John L. Sullivan
before and after he fought Paddy Ryan
will appreciate the marvellous change in
Jeffries. 1t was the same with both
men-fat and slow one month, and big,
strong and lightning fast the next
Fitz was in splendid condition, as he
| always is, but he did not appear to be
quite as strong as at Carson City. His
/ M had-VerV
FitZsimmOnS.
4~9-N4~~-~ -~~-N@-N@-+-&-S
fries showed more strength and speed
in this round. Each man laughed at
the other as he went to his corner
Considering the rapid pace the men
had fought they both answered the bell
in good shape. Jeffries was the first to
show, leading off with the left and sCor-
ing hard with that member on the nose,
pushing FitZs head back. Jeff again
sent the left for the jaw, but failed to
reach the objective point, and Fitz
cOuntered with right over the heart.
Fitz rushed for the left, missed and
clinched, and the referee had to sepa-
rate them. FitZ then swung his right
hard for the jaw, but his aim was bad
and the blow went wide of the mark.
Jeffries countered with the left heavily
on the nose, drawing blood from that
MEMBER. L lJZ TuSleQ anu IelI SNORT
and Jeff smashed him hard on the nose,
sending his head back and making him
generally unsteady in his movements.
The Californian repeated this again and
again. AS the bell rang Jeffries landed
his right hard over the heart and sent
his left to the nose with force. Fitz
was bleeding freely from the nose at
the conclusion of the round. During
the round he spat up considerable
blood. Fitz was very tired and almost
on the defensive. Jeffries was com
paratively fresh. 1t was a bad round
for Fitz.
Jeff was on the offensive, sending his
left lightly to the nose. He quickly fol-
lowed with a right-hand blow over the
heart and a heavy left on the jaw,
which made the champions head rock.
Fitz feinted considerably for a moment,
trying to draw the Californian into po-
sition for a right swing on the jaw, but
the big fellow would not have it and
carefully protected that part of his
head. They then mixed it up and Jeff
landed his left with terrific force on
the jaw. Fitz was coming at the time
that Jeffries swung the blow, so that
the Californian got double action and
the concusSion was very severe, send
ing the champion to the boards. Fitz
fell heavily on his back, his head strik-
ing the floor. He arose just as eight
seconds had been counted in rather
dazed condition. He had scarcely got
on his feet when Jeff sent him to the
boards again with another left hook
blow. Again the champion arose before
the prescribed limit had been counted
only to be knocked down with another