The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-09-06
OF THE FIGHTERS
MUNROE TELLS HOW HE WOULD
FIGHT CHAMPION JEFFRIEs.
FitxsimmOns Says Jeffries Will BE
Champion for Years to Come
Game May Open in Chicago.

1t seems probable that Jack Munroe, the
Butte miner, will accept Champion James
Jeffries's proposition to knock him out in
four rounds or forfeit Il 10000. Munroe is
about to begin training and hopes to make
the long-talked-of match with Jeffries. He
thinks it is a good idea to pattern after
Corbett and put in as much time before the
fight as possible. At present Munroe is
wrestling at various places, meeting all
omers and getting his muscles in shape.
He will soon begin boxing regularly with
Tommy West, the famous middle weight.
"Jeffries says that he will give me $4,000
IL he fails to knock me out in four rounds"
said Munroe. 81 don't believe any man In
the world has a chance to do that trick.
Fitzsimmons is a wiser man than Jeffries.
He offers to give me the purse If he can't
finish me in ten. Well, Fitzsimmons might
do that. He has knocked out a lot Of good
men in less time than that.
How would 1 fight Jeffries? Well. I'll
tell you. There's a lot Of things to be con-
sidered, but in the rough.I would oppose
him in his own fighting style. or course,
If I were only trying to stay the four
rounds. I would be on the defensive most
of the time. 1 am nearly. If not quite, as
strong and big as he is. Mining and foot
ball playing are as good as boilermaking
to make a man strong.
II would oppose strength to strength. JEFF
fries could not wear me down as he did
Fitzsimmons and Corbett. They say that
he bent Corbett up like a willow wand every
time he rushed, and put his weight against
him in a clinch. At that game he would
not have any advantage over me. I would
be as willing to use those tactics as he
would. For that matter, / guess l learned
a little more about that game than he ever
knew when l was playing football against
self.
my stomach is strong, not weak like
Corbett's or Fitzsimmons's. 1t would take
any effect that would last long enough to
distress me. l never drank or smoked In
my life. 1t is drinking that knocks out
all these champions. Even a title OF 1T
will make a mans stomach too weak to
stand a battering such as he Will get in a
fight. Jeffries is a great body pucher. The
only blow he landed that hurt me when we
fought at Butte was one OF those smashes
I'm the wind. And the effect OF that did not
last long.
my arms are as heavy and strong as are
Jeffries's. He should not beat them down
the way he did Corbetts in the last fight,
according to the stories in the papers.
"As for my being knocked out by a blow
on the chin, Il nave no rear VI that. lIlt
has a jaw that can take any amount Of
beating, it seems, from the fights ne has
had. But / iatter myself that no fighter
has a more rugged face and head than 1
have. No blow that ever has landed on my
chin has dazed me in the least. Jeffries
landed there more than once, when We
fought before, and he knows that he did
not hurt me.
II had a lot of awe for Jeffries before /
fought him, but 1 haven't very much now.
I found at Butte that l could stand still
get much the worst of it, II anything at all.
He has improved. Well, with the improve
ment that / will have made myself by the
time we meet, I think | can do the same
thing again. The only thing / fear now is
that he will put the fight off too long TO suit
me. I want to meet him as soon as pos
sible."
XXX
Robert Fitzsimmons, ~ex-champion. dis
coursing on Champion Jeffries, says:
ut is my opinion that not one of the prize
fighters now known to the American public
has a ghost of a chance to defeat Jim JEFF
fries. Furthermore, / know of none that is
likely to appear.
TT is needless for me to go into details
concerning the extraordinary physical gifts
that have fallen TO this man. He Is all
things and everything necessary to carry
on the business successfully so long as he
can keep In condition. How long he can
do this is a question that no man can
answer. 1 cannot lima Jefries by COM
q liSOD VIII III O"h 1dSts as Il vas anu
am even yet disposed 10 constitutional
thinness. Until / had passed thirty-five 1
was inclined rather TO under than over de-
~velopment. Not so with jeff. He began
70 grow big along in 1898, shortly after his
fight with Van Buskirk. In 1899 he went
into the ring at 200 pounds. In 1902 he
fought at 30 and at his last fight he was
close to go. This is about the limit for
Jeffries. lie cannot keep the fiesh-build-
ing plan up and last long. His weight will
be a big handicap on. him and probably be
the ultimate cause of his defeat.
Viewing Jeffries from the state of affairs
that exists to-day | have no hesitancy In
saying that he Is the peer OF them all.
When the man Is found who can master
him he will be something OF a composite
physically. He must be as hard "A hitter
as Jeffries: a little quicker mentally, with
plenty of ring generaiship: as heavy In
the BODY as his opponent, and as well for
titled about the neck and shoulders.
Furthermore, he will have 20 be a little
shiftier on his feet, quick OF stride and a
bit more scientific. / think this combina-