The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-26
j. J. JEFFRIES, CHAMPION.
A Brief Sketch of His Rise in the
PugillStic World.
IN NO PRESENT DANGER or OVERTHROW
Has Won All Of His FIGHTS Without Any
Serious ntention-History Of
Championship Battles.

- centres is sun the champion
OF the heavyweight class and there is no
danger OF his losing the title in the near
future for the good reason that there is no
one good enough to do him for it. The
heavyweight class Is made up Of has beens
ana wonldbe and before Jcffrles retires
somebody now unknown to fame Will have
to come forward II he Is not to become an
octogenarian.
Although Jeffries Is strictly a California
product In the lighting sense. his bout with
Ruhlln. the gutter, was the FIRST OF any
Importance he has had outside Of New York
since he hrst came to the front MS a posi-
Die champion 1t Is three years and half
since Jenries earned his first fame in the
ing by lighting Tom Sharkey to pieces In n
tWeuiy-rcond battle THAT battle tooh
place May o. 1898. and with that boost 70.
ward the top Jeffrles deserted California
Tor the more fruitful fields around New
Jenrles is called Californian. but he
Was porn In Ohio. At Los Angeles where
JShIlts got his start as fighter, they tell
all sorts of stories of petty triumphs scored
10y the big boilermaker when no was hetter
az driving rivets than he was at swinging
the gloves "s'Ns
>, The rayorito story OF JeffrIes' lntroduc.
tloh as a lighter pertains to an encounter
WIN pig negro bully who drifted into
Los Angeles and proceeded to own thot
particular part of the town where Jeifries
was regarded as d leader. Like all stories
OF the kind, in fact or fiction. Jefries wbin.
pea the bully to standStlil, and his friends
t5hen encouraged him to pugilistic asplra-
Whether the story of Jefrrles defeat Of n
bully Is true matters little Most ali prone
Ieht hghters started by whipping bully
LIS 81 Is certain, however that one of JET
IrleS hrst actual ring battles was fought
April o. 1897, with Tim Van Buskirk in
Sar Francisco. IL was a short and decisive
I Rngsi,- re olg bollermakel smothered Van
nus hrst recorded knockout Van Busk.rk
was at the time the heavyweight champion
or the Pacific coast and had aspirations
toward the championship.
Jenries next bout was with Henry Baker
or Chicago. Baker was an experienced
lighter aud kept Jeffries decidedly busy
Inc boHerntSker wea. however. In the
ninth round, and was regarded as n won
der Then be plunged Into the lighting
game for all he was worth His next hat.
Tie was with Chs Rubin his opponent of
me l'nh, and resulted in one Of the only
two draws Jetlries encountered In his
early days In the ring, The same year.
1897, be went against Joe Choynskl thea
In his prime and registered another TWEEN
ty'round draw. The show the boy from
Los Angeles made set the aght managers
or this city TO thinking. Jeffries had pre-
ylously been sparring partner for Jim
Corhett at Carson City, and in addition
cleyerness that had surprised the followers
Of the ring. They were not used to 80
much cleverness in SO large a man.
great many people claimed that Jeffre rs
gained his first effective knowledge of
fighting from Corbett, but the boilermai 9.
denies this and IL Is particularly so
point with him today
After the draw with Choynski the man
ayers wanted 10 bring Jeffries into match
with Tom Sharkey, then regarded as the
toughest and toughest Fighter that had ever
made, hut fell through because the author.
iUcs would not allow the men to NEE,
Jenres then went down to Los Angeles
and amused himself by defeating Joe
two rounds
Talk of meeting with sharkcv was re-
The men met, and sharke los the decl
sion In twcntv-t u8d1rhstlo. Il was
severe setback 10" thu s. ilor. who declsred
mar he r'.oire1 he wgis. OF d and would
10 before ssa Frarrlsco referee Tho
sailor Kept Ms word AMI mas no, aopeared
her since me- ms. 'aoics
pHg uc'auc, hle pasonl na1 ". n"i
N9 mo-, nceomN9ni a hrl an8 tho trsr
.,"ui i,9fo d N1e 0iu shagsyy pemnoy
rs, AiFlr lr'm.,f 10 hr'u4 twa mon SO.
& rtl@ "Ao ina ycacn.lF cugaael in
W. o. N 'aiuotnlo
i.,c L nine deslrc Oh ,1c psH
me ing They ber likod tic ,lnrst1nfn
tols wa In whlsa IcfTries oYarci TO ue
l 1hu eyer one tb"' .s' y
stoNly tefo tuocscd Gue Hnlla out in
y 1gi tlie mad" Ic6ri ,aoA like
i..rs wee aaull offered match with
r ,.,. 4o ~, o, ont The lrlshmap waptal a
p'i"a,ney ana 1cnrics We're NOV thorough. .
f@r4 gJ2litfornia IS last resort len les Of.
neiore The Lenox Athletic Club Doh he .
nosen to meet Jefrles aud the bouts were
set Tor August 3, 1898. Jetfiics failed to
strdS ont his part Of the program trm-
rounds, although Jenres had the better Of
nm In the bout Jerres hurt his hand
nE ~, refused to go on with oDonnell.
to both Jeffries and De.
ianey. Jeffries had been in New York
n lno weeks and had failed on his own
p pro siGon' He had given Fasteners the /
such men as Fftzsimmons and Corbett.
Ientles ala NOT nurse his disappointment,
33SWeNer lie returned TO California
spring. 1850, started for New York 10 meet
Bon bAtzSimmops for the championship
81 Of the world He placed himself unger
Lhe management OF William A. Brady. HIS
ring history from that time is too wen
known to need repeating
The battle between Ieffries and Rubin
vas the eleventh hght bearing on the cham
pionshlp which has taken place since John
l.. sullivan hrst became prominent IN prize
ring anairs. II Is nearly twenty years
since sullivan and Paddy Ryan met on
me turf near Mississippi City and fought
nine rounds under London prize ring rules
sullivan and Ryan fought for the cham.
pionship and the scene of the battle was In
marked contrast with the event which took
place last night, Not many spectators
were at Mississippi City; 1t was not known
lnth few hours before the fight where
The bout would take place and the rules !
were Of the kind that have long since
passed into disuse. Bare knuckles. which
were used In the days Of Sullivan and
Ryan, have given way to padded gloves
Instead Of lodging local and stage Of
aclals, as Sullivan and Ryan were compel
ed TO do, Jeffries and Rubin fought under
police protection. Instead of a ring swept |
ey damp gulf breezes Je1ries and Rubin