Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-04
JEFF IS ALMOST
READY TO FIGHT
WATERING BEFORE FINANCIAL
TEMPTATION
MccAREY OFFERS HIM $4,000 TO
MEET JOHNSON
Big Fellow Replies with Refusal, but
Intimate Friend Says He Is Con-
sidering Plans for Making
Tour of World
BY JAY DAVIDSON

America is in competition with Aus
tralia for the proposed world heavy
weight championship match between
Jim Jeffries and Jack Johnson, and this
developed last night, when Tom Nc
Carey, manager of the Pacific Athletic
club, made q formal offer to Jeffries of
$4,000 for his end, win, lose or draw,
to meet Johnson before McCarey's club
at any agreeable date after June 1
next. McCarey accompanied the offer
with the proposition that he will de-
post $500 as a forfeit that he Will be
able to swing Johnson into line, thus
guaranteeing the match if Jeffries is
agreeable.
Jeffries was appraised of the offer late
last night, and replied that he would
not consider it. A friend who is closer
to Jeffries than anybody else in the
world, and who shares his condolences
so perfectly that he speaks authorita-
lively supplemented Jeffs refusal Of
the offer with the following statement,
which may be accepted as practically
coming from the big fellow himself:
Jeff will not entertain an offer to
fight again in America. If he finally
consents to return to the ring he Will
accept one of the two offers he has re-
ceived from Australian promoters. He
will not accept any offer for the pres
emit however In the event. that he
consents to get back in harness he Will
make a world tour, meeting the best
heavyweights in England and France,
winding UP the tour with the fight with
Johnson in Australia. Such tour
would net Jeff close to 100000, and this
SUM is quite a big temptation to jeff.
He is confident that he can train back
into form, but would not undertake a
return to the ring until he has had a
long siege at training.
Should he get back into training for
six to ten months and get back into
form that would enable him to do
himself justice in ring battles he then
would go to England and clean up the
heavyweight crop in that country. From
there he would go to France and make
another cleanup. Then, if proper IN
ducements were offered, he would go TO
Africa and fight and visit any other
country except America and fight. HIS
tour would end with the battle Win
johnson in Australia.
'"That the big fellow is seriously con-
sidering this plan is shown by his al
most complete change of front in the
last two days. The fact that Jack
Wren. the Melbourne boOkmaker and
sportsman, who is rated as being worth
S15, 900, OO0 has cabled to Jeff. through
his American representative, not to
accept any offer until his CWren's} offer
is considered, makes it possible that
the Melbourne and Sydney promoters
will get into competition for the big
fight if Jeff will give his consent. Such
competition should enable Jeff to get
several thousand dollars more than Nc
Intosh has offered. With the financial
returns from the world tour added to
the Australian offer Jeff figures he
could clean up a fortune and that ac-
counts for his change of front. 1t be-
gins to look as if he will come out with
a positive statement in a few days to
the effect that he will fight again I'M
der conditions that are satisfactory in
a, financial way"
There is no doubt now that Jeff is
wavering in his stand against a return
to the ring, and the sporting world need
not be surprised if he comes out in a
day or two with a positive statement
in effect that he will get back in the
harness il he can arrange his plans as
outlined in the interview herein. Fifty
thousand dollars will not tempt him to
get back in the ring, but the prospect
that the English and French promoters
would welcome his return with good
financial offers for fights in those cOun-
tries and a profitable theatrical tour,
added to the returns of the fight with
Johnson, make the financial outlook so
rosy that even Jeff may be tempted to
come out Of retirement and even over
HOOK the cOlor llne 10 PICK UP Ine money
that he could not get together in a
lifetime in any other way.
Jeff has no fears that he cannot get
back into condition good enough to
whip all the heavyweights now in sight.
He has no fear of Johnson. His opin-
ion that Corbett is the fastest and
cleverest boxer the world ever knew in
the heavyweight division and his two
victories over Corbett when the latter
was in his prime almost iIStifV his
lack of fear of one SO clever as John