Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-26
JEFF WILL NOT
FIGHT JOHNSON
DECLARES HE is OUT OF THE
RING FOREVER
Says New Champion Is Too Big and
Clever for Burns and That Latter
Was overrated-Delaney
Draws Color Line
BY JAY DAVIDSON

BY JAY DAVIDSON
When the shock of the news that was
flashed under the seas from Australia
to the effect that Jack johnson had
stopped Tommy Burns in less than
fourteen rounds and had won the dis
tinction of being the first black cham
pion in the heavyweight division had
worn off the general query that issued
from every tongue was, wonder if
Jeff will get back in the harness and
take the championship away from the
negro?" Jeffries answered that ques-
tion negatively last night. He said:
"Under no circumstances will 1 ever
reconsider my announced retirement
from the ring. / not only will not fight
Johnson, but L will not fight anybody
else, big, little. old or young, black
or white, and this is final. Please en-
phasize this statement and print 1T in
boXcar letters. l am getting tired of
answering the question.
"There has been so much bowling for
white fighters to meet negro fighters
that it seems there is an element that
wants a negro champion, and now they
should be satisfied. Johnson is entitled
to all the credit that goes with vic
tory over a champion and should be
recognized as the active title holder.
There never was any doubt in my mind
as 10 LIlG IbSull IL lIlC lISAb was " bg
fought on the level. Johnson is too big,
too clever and entirely too shifty for
little fellow like Burns, and could
not figure out where Tommy had a
chance to win in a square fight. Tommy
only has a right hand, his left being
so useless as to be in his way, and
one-handed fighter has no business
monkeying with a big, clever, two
handed fighter like Johnson"
1, Will in Hir9RT
terms, Jeffries is disappointed and dis
pleased at the result. That his aban-
doned title should pass into the hands
of a. negro displeases him greatly. He
never would give a negro any consid-
Grafton in the matter of matches for
the title not because he feared any
fighter. black or white, but because he
was opposed to giving a black man
any consideration as a challenger for
the title. His ideas regarding the color
line are too well known in sporting
circles to require exploitation here, as
his advice to Burns, Papke and all
other champions in this regard is evil
dence.
Billy Delaney concurs with Jeffries
in the entire statement of the big fell
low. Delaney says AL Kaufman can
not fight negro, Johnson or any other
black man, as long as he has the say
as TO matches. He Is more displeased
than jeff. if it could be possible, at
the unsatisfactory result, as he had
lost many hours of good sleep in plan
ming what he would do after AL had
defeated Burns for the undisputed title.
Now that Johnson has won, the cham
pionship seems to be million miles
further away than 1t was yesterday,
owing to Delaney's opinions. Billy says
that the experience of having black
heavyweight champion probably will
I. tn as.4
have been whooping it up for the black
man against the white champion who
draws the color line, and that is about
the only consolation Billy can get out
of the result
Billy dropped significant side re-
mark, however, that may indicate the
direct opposite to what he actually
said in discussing the result. He said
that it would be very foolish for him
to commit himself as willing to match
AL with Johnson for the championship,
as in that event Johnson would want
to dictate terms that would be unsat-
isf. ctory. This is construed by some to
mean that Billy is talking out loud for
effect, while secretly holding the opin-
ion that AL Is able to whip Johnson and
that his color line talk is intended as
a bluff to enable him to drive a much
more advantageous bargain than he
otherwise could do. On the showing
TAat kduIlndIlil anu IodTTy MAKE next
Wednesday night depends much as re-
CARDS future match between the win
ner and Johnson for the title.
Barry never draws the color line. He
is willing to fight any of them, despite
the efforts of his mentor. John L. Sui
livan. Barry win talk business with
johnson when the big black gets back
to America, and he actually believes
he can whip the new title holder. Con-
fidence and a stout heart are among
the chief assets of Barry, while his
cleverness and wallop Justify. in
measure. his confidence in himself. If
he whips Kaufman as decisively as
he predicts he will do, he will be the
logical candidate for the Johnson scalp
and title. And he will not hedge when
it comes to negotiations for the battle.
There is no Disgusting the fact that
there is great disappointment in Los
Angeles at the result. Burns had