The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-01-06

proved since his bout with Peter
Maher a week before. He displayed
many of the qualities which make a
| successful fighter. He hits hard, and
is disposed to force the fighting. A
hard punch does not make him lose
| his temper, nor does he grow over
| confident and swing wildly when he
sees that his opponent is groggy. He
| fights coolly but aggressively, and
shows unusual skill, for green man, in
judging distance and timing his swings.
| Moreover, he has the punch, and east
| ern critics who have seen him fight
say that he will become known as a
knockerout ere long.
Munroe's most effective blows, ac-
| cording to eastern men who have
seen his work, are hooks, blows de-
| livered with a bent arm, with the
forearm in line with the direction of
the punch. With these he did great
execution against Limerick. Munroe
also has a stiff, straight punch with
the left hand, and good straight
| right drive into the body. He shows
great skill in getting inside his OBJ
ponents leads, landing his own blow
| first and making the other man miss.
According to Robert Edgren, the
noted cartoonist and fight critic, Mum
roe puts up a much better fight than
Jeffries did when the latter was
beginner Jeffries was formerly
very cautious fighter He contented
himself with letting his opponent wear
himself out by rushing. and then went
in slowly and finished him. This
cautious, apparently timid, style made
Jeffr1es most unpopular champion
for a time. His victories were re-
garded by many as lucky f1ukes or
fakes: Jeffries has changed his tao
tics since then. He has learned that
he has little to fear from an oppo-
nent's blows, and also that his own
| rushes are almost impossible to with
stand. He showed himself willing to
mix it in his last fight with Corbett,
and at the present time he would be
much more than a match for Mum
roe on account of his greater expert
ence.- Munroe is quick to learn, how
ever, and, of all the men in the ring
to-day, he gives most promise Of some
day defeating the champion.
Munroe should put up a good fight
against Sharkey, and has very good
chance of beating the sailor. The lat
ter has not been the same man since
he took that terrific beating from
Jeffries some three years ago. Just
how much of his old rugged strength
and endurance he has lost is hard
| to tell, but 1T Is pretty safe to say
that the younger man will show more
strength and vitality than the vet
eran. AS Sharkey never was noted
for his science, it is probable that
| Munroe will not be far behind him in
this respect. In fact, the chances
are excellent for the miner to pull
himself up another rung on the ladder
at Sharkey's expense.
After Sharkey, the only men JEFF
fries can ask Munroe to meet are
Rubin, Corbett and Fitzsimmons The
| In ffnT~ tHIrn Io yiv1rr IT. -
and nothing to gain, are not likely to
take one Munroe. Both have been
: champions, and neither has the Slight
est chance Of rega1ning the title. Rub
lin undoubtedly would give the miner
a fight If a good purse was offered,
| and by that time Munroe is quite like
ly to have acquired enough science
to beat the Akron giant.
Munroe's ability to beat the cham
piOn, even in the far distant future,
ity to beat Sharkey or even Rubin
to-day. Jeffries has fought every man
in the ring Of any prominence, ex-
cept one or two of the colored con-
tingent. It has taken him a long
time to win some of his fights, and,
in Sharkey's case, many thought the
champions victory far from decisive
in none OF his fights, save, possibly
3 the last one with Fitzsimmons, has
Jeffries been Inconvenience in the
slightest by the punches Of his op-
ponents. In the one exception noted
Jeffries was bothered considerably by
blood from his damaged nose. This
blood interfered with his breathing
!. apparatus, but none Of Fits blows
' dazed him or weakened his stamina
s In the last year Jeffries has i'm.
Q proved wonderfully in offensive fight
!, ing. FitZsimmons claims the credi
l. for this, and 1t is fair to assume tina
e he is correct, since the improvement
Z noted was acquired after the cham
2 pion's second fight with Fitz, ant
u while he was under the coaching O.
= the old man of the ring. Instead O.
% waiting for his opponent to come tt
& him, Jeff now walks steadily into tn,
other fellow, careless of what punches
" he may receive himself, swiftly ant
n steadily wearing his man down by hi
a terrific body punches, and giving hin
!, no time to rest or recuperate. TIL
~ force Of his own blows, and his abil
ID ity to endure punishment, make hin
e. practically invincible, and invincibl
= he will remain until some man ap
10 pears who can hit harder and en-
a. dure more punishment than he-an,
he that man will be a freak indeed-o
5e the champion is weakened by age o
n. dissipation.
te Fitzsimmons, than whom none i
IS more competent to talk Of Jeff's fight
Is ing ability, says that Jeffries nee
r. r. never be beaten by any man in tn
ar world. He can go on fighting unit
ct Ishe has whiskers as long as Dowie's,
r says Fitz, supporting his assertion b
Of the following argument:
VI "Jeffries never needs to take
d backstep, no matter who he fights
y. He never knew until I kept tellin
him how great a fighter he was. Il
used to think he had to use a IL
of boxing in his fights, like other fe
OF Of lows. He doesn't. The more he gel
4 away from that idea the better h
,e:- will fight Jeff is a man like job
e. L. Sullivan. He can take any amour
Is Is of beating and never feel 1t. Punch
lis ing him is like punching an iro
statue on somebody's front lawn. 3