The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-12-24
HARVARD TRAINER
LIKES JEFF'S LOOKS

William F. (''Pooch") Donovan
trainer of Harvard athletics, who saw
James J. Jeffries' work in Boston
gives the following as his impression
of the possibilities of the former cham
pion:
Jim Jeffries physical condition, in
which the American sporting public is
SO deeply interested just now, in view
OF his prospective fight with Jack
Johnson for the worlds heavyweight
championship, evidently proved salts
factory to the big crowd that attended
the entertainment at the Armory A. A.
1t was jeff, more than anything else,
that they turned out to see, although
the other features proved mighty en-
tertaining.
In the first place, Jeffries has what
fighter ought to have to start with;
that is, the speed and the punch. AS
far as weight goes, it is just about
right, should say, for a man that is
due for long siege of training. 1t Is
much better to have a man weigh 20
pounds over his normal weight start
ing pounds underweight, at that
gives something to work on. If jeff
had been lighting right along he would
probably weigh in the neighborhood of
225 pounds in ring condition. He would
be about 10 pounds heavier now, ac-
cording to all the rules of physical
growth. but because of his long lay off
and the indolent life he lives he has
taken on more than this.
He looked to me to weigh something
like 240 pounds, and consequently is in
much better shape than when he ap-
peared in his theatrical work last
spring. The extra fat he carried then
over his abdominal muscles has disap-
peared to a marked extent and with
the times he has at his disposal be-
tween now and the date of his fight will
be able to remove this to its last ves-
tige. That his stomach muscles are in
more than fair shape, just now was
shown when he propped his feet on the
lower rung of a chair on which sat
one of his trainers and then, bending
backward, Jeffries raised and lowered
himself, and was the despair of Billy
Delany, one of the greatest trainers
in. the history of the ring. JEFF always
knew himself better than anyone else
and this was proven time and time
again when he was preparing for his
matches.
HE never went into thu ring unless
he was in the best shape. He judg-
ed himself harshly, but the results in
variably bore out his theory that by
following his own plan he could get
right. He is doing the same, l think,
in this case. He is working easily
steadily and along lines which will
leave him with his full vitality when
he gets ready to settle down for the
hard grind preceding the tapering off
to the point where he can safely say.
I'm all right"
Endurance must be Jeffries Key
note. The route is a long one, and
whether the fight is short or lc g, JEFF
fries must be prepared to travel at top
speed for an indefinite period
"A factor in this will be the texture
of his muscles. Even now he is pos
sessed of a remarkably smooth moving
muscular system. There is not that
bunchy or knotty appearance so COM
mon in big men who take part in rug
ged athletics. Everything looks SYM
metrical and the smooth action of a
man of considerably. less action and
bulk. This was ins4anced when he in
dulged in the foot work in the shadow