Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-03
Special to The Herald.

! ! ! + ( ( :: !: + + !: ! !. !
Special to The Herald.
o. LOUIS, March 2.-The Post-Dis-
patch says
Tommy Burns had gone through
a large plate of turkey and cram
berry sauce and had just begun
a scientific attack upon a wedge of
cocoanut pie crushed under an ava
lanche of ice cream when l mentioned
the name of Jeffries.
Immediately the first bite of pie dis
appeared in a gulp. Tommy Bruins sat
up straight in his chair and dropped
his spoon CTommy eats pie and ice
cream with a spoon; Jack 'Brien eats
ice cream and pie with a fork; Kid
Broad eats it with a knife; Joe Gregg
eats it with his fngers-thats all a
matter of taste) Tommy sat up
straight in his chair and delivered his
opinion.
Now, when I asked Jack O'Brien
about fighting Jeffries-perhaps it was
year ago-Jack snorted disdainfully
and plunged Immediately into a de-
scripIion of Jeffrie as an easy mark.
He told me how Fitzslmmons had
nearly blinded Jeffries in eight rounds.
Anu yCu iNAlDN INV AAluNIl LtA9ANA civ
better than Fitz l am" said Jack. IF
Fitz could nearly blind Jeffries in eight
rounds it would be a cinch for me to
close his eyes entirely in six.
"Then, of course, it's the easiest
thing on earth to knock out man who
can't see where the punch is coming
from. You remember how l knocked
Kaufman out when l had his eyes
closed. Well, same thing for Jeffries.
Biggest snap on earth"
A year or so having passed, l don't
guarantee that this is exactly word for
word what O'Brien said. But it's the
| sense of his statement, anyhow.
But nothing of that sort from Tommy
| Burns.
Not Afraid of jeff
Tommy sat up straight in his chair
| Ohird time I've had him doing that,
believe,) and looking straight at me
with a mild, pleasant expression, began
| in a gentle voice, like that of a poet
| reading lines to spring.
"Of course you know said Tommy
| Burns that all champions get beaten
I sCme time if they keep on fighting long
| enough That's what l count upon.
| Jeffries will be beaten some time if he
| goes on fighting. Perhaps 1 may come
| just in time to get him.
"
| think my chances fairly good. l have
| been winning fights right along. I'm
in perfect physical condition. / know 1
am fast, and l have some cleverness.
! Moreover, l am not afraid to fight any
man living. No one can buffalo me.
Il will fight Jeffries just the way Jim
! Corbett fought Sullivan at New Or
! leans. | don't want to knock Jeff. He
and l are the best of friends. But he is
/ {1t condition, 10
! Sullivan was then.
THE biggest and toughest man living
can't drink raw whisky the way jeff
does and keep his vitality. 1t didn't
hurt Jeffries for a few years, but it has
him going now.
Jeff is terrible heavy. He has put
on a lot of weight. His short hunting
trips in the mountains don't take it off
He can't train down the way he used to.
IF fight him I will use my footwork
to the best advantage and keep him
moving. 1 am short. can get in under
his punches, And I'll work almost en-
tirely on his body. That's his weak spot
now. You might as we'll punch a rock
as hit Jeffries on the jaw.
Figures 1t Out
THE biggest thing in my favor is
this: Jeffries regards me as an easy
mark He looks at me and thinks:
What! That kid fight me! Why he's a
little bit of a fellow. He couldn't hurt
me- JEFF wouldn't take me seriously
+ even if he agreed to fight me. He
wouldn't train the way he used to train
for the big fellows.
And there he'd make a mistake. !
; look small, but / weigh just what
| Sharkey weighed at his best And Tn
Z faster and a more clever boxer. I'd
have a better chance than Sharkey al
his best would have against Jeff as he
is now.
Il met Jeff awhile ago and asked him
to fight me. He said he would IL
! made such a reputation that some bis
club would offer a good purse. After
fight O'Brien again 1 think there vii
+. be no trouble about that.
"O'Brien spent two days in bed aftel
our fight in Los Angeles. He know,
he's up against a hard game when w,
meet again. But 1 don't think he knowi
just how hard. The way to beat O'Brier
is by hitting him in the body That's
how 1 beat him in Los Angeles.
while he was very sick man aftel
! the fight / hardly had a mark, and wal
/ out the next day feeling as good as
did before the fight came off McCarey
} who runs the club, is one OF my hes
friends. At that he wouldn't give me al
II inch the best Of 1t in any fight 1 had ii