Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-07
JEFFRIES WILL LOSE
Old Sport Fears He CanOnt Come
Back" and Whip Negro.
ATHLETE HISTORY DON'T REPEAT
BiE Fellow was out, IaIe and Drank
Too Long, aud Was some
what Overrated I'm the
First Place.

OF q participant IN any otneF Dfahcn u
sports, ~ he stops training for three or
four years he can never regain his best
form. In all my experience 1 have never
seen an exception TO this rule"
Taking this opinion as a basis for argu-
ment, there are many pugilistio experts
who are figuring out just now whether
James ]. Jeffries can come back" so that
he will beat the negro, Jack Johnson,
down and out. william A. Brady and
william Delaney. former managers OF Jeff
ries, have been insisting for many months
that he is foolish to tackle johnson and
will suffer defeat. Murphy declares that
J~effries, having passed nearly five years
in idleness, can never show the same speed
and stamina that won for him the title
OF worlds champion. Brady stated to
The Sun man the night that johnson and
Jack O'Brien boxed six rounds in Phila-
delphia early last summer that Jeffs wind
was gone and thai even II the boilermaker
reduced himself to 25 pounds, his best
fighting weight. he would find it a physi-
cal impossibility to fight more than ten
rounds at top speed with the formidable
colored man. Delaney also declared at that
time his belief that Jeffries would be an
easy mark for such a clumsy young slugger
as Kaufman. and wanted to bet $4,000
on the side II a match could be arranged
between them.
stiu JEFF Says He Can.
I'm spite Of these opinions and predic-
ions. however. Jeffries says he knows he
can be the safe old champion onoe more
and is telling his friends that he will beat
Johnson easily. One of the oldest ring
followers in this country, who is not pre-
iudiced. but generally says what he thinks
about pugilists and their doigs. and who
has seen Jeffries in all of his ring battles,
talked in this interesting way the other
night:
There is no man who admires Jeffries
more than I, so that ] do not want to be
accused of knocking. But, really, / feel
convinced that II Jeffries and johnson
meet "a the ring the negro will win. In the
first place, J~effries, while recognized as an
unbeaten champion, is not q truly great
fighter and I'll show you the reason.
| When Delaney first Brought him to New
; York 1 was among those who met him at
5 the Vanderbilt hotel directly after he had
left the cars. 1t was a hot night and jeff
3 had on very thin clothing. When asked
e TO get on the scales he tipped the beam
at exactly 25 pounds. He was % years
: old then and was in robust health. He was
2 pitted against Bob Armstrong, a big negro
d in a ten-round bout at the Lenox Athletic
{ club in order to show New Workers what
: he could do and when that affair was ovei
4 Jeff was fairly laughed out OF town. He
: was as slow as cold molasses, knew moth.
ing about ring science and was actually
o~utpointed by Armstrong, although the
= latter got the worst Of the referees de.
e cision.
n First FItz-Jeff Match Bogus.
I "A year later Jeffries trained down tC
n 40 pounds for the first battle with Fitz
simmons at Coney Island. 1t is a mattel
Of record that Fitzsimmons received G5 PEI
cent OF the receipts, win or lose, and tina
"a he did not train at all. The fight, to me
,e vas a frameup. for l never saw Fitzsim
IL mons try once to land n blow on Jeff
head or Jaw. Instead Robert bored in will
body blows and was an easy mark 10
"a Jeff's heavy hooks and uppercuts. TIL,
IL second time they met, in California, It 4
Al an undenisble fact that Fitzsimmons wa
y out to win. He broke Jeffs nose and ham
mered him on the head and jaw until jim
was literally cut to pieces. Fitz final!
broke his knuckles, and after that he wa
/ punched out. But while he lasted he CAV
Jeff the worst beating he ever received
n Thinks Jack VIII Win.
n ldhN3 q > t6AA WIN oAA0A = at SNANl
Island as further proof that Jim is over
ie rated. In that affair Jeffries stood fla:
3 footed and let Sharkey do all the leading
Jim was forty pounds heavier han IN
sailor on that occasion, yet he never rushe
to at ali. He was 6utpointed for ninetee
IN rounds by sharkey, but was satisfied t
a counter heavily In the ribs with his righ
he hand whenever Thomas bored in. In tn
a long run Jeffs superior weight an
strength enabled him to beat SharlScv 3
terrible fashion, but when the referee CAV
s. the decision to Jeffrles there was a gres
~ howl. for a majority OF the spectator
ae thought that sharkey was entitled to
~ draw.
re Jeff was almost forty pounds heavt.
~ than Corbett when they hooked up at IN
.e Island. For twenty rounds Corbett wit
- his great leg work and science made Jei
- fries look like a novice. In that length {
time Jeffries could not put a glove on hin
-, and II Corbett had stayed away TO the en-
~ OF the tweuty-fifth round he'd have We
the fight on points beyond q question
doubt. But Corbett lost his head an
~ tried to mix it up with the big fellow, wi
Ell cropped him with a left ho0E on the poll
OF the jaw. Jeff lacked aggressiveness
a that fight, and also showed that he w
he not a past master IN the science OF boNin
ok He simply had a great wallop and vi
md lucky enough to land It.
nv when he runs up against Johnson Je
fries win find that the negro, heavier al
stronger than Corhett. Fitzsimmons az
'or sharkey, is one Of the most scientific M,
re- the bollermaker has ever tackled II job
IN son takes his time I believe he win we
en Jim down. fer he possesses a wonderf
los defense and Is never IN a hurry. As job
son IL not 2 rusher and wastes very 70
punches. how can Jeffies. with the d
~ lack OF aggressiveness stop him quiek.
mt I ten you that If the fight goes more TIA
go a dozen rounds johnson win stand Z
al and cut Jeff to pieces with his long le
and II Jeff comes boring In TO close qua
ters the negro will knock his head of wi
the same terrific blow thst put KetcheI o
|" In a fash.
- Johnson is in his prime, YOU mu
~ remember, He has been fighting stead.
- ever since he became q %pugilist. He IN
be a high liver. but he Is never far O
OF condition. He is three years young
. than Jeffries and has never been {
tended Furthermore, he has shown N
ear he knows how TO box and is a craC