Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-24
JEFF At HIS BEST
Fighter Says His Condition Was
Perfect When He Beat
Fitzsimmons.
NEVER SINCE E0UALED 1T
Did Not Drink a Drop of Water for
80 Days to Take Off Weight
Only Gargled Throat.

jim Jeffries, the hope of the white
race in next July's championship bat
tie with Jack Johnson, the SCOT cham
pion, states that his battle with Bob
Fitzsimmons, which he won in II
rounds, and which netted aim the
heavyweight crown, was the best one
he ever fought.
The big fellows own version of that
famous fight follows, as printed in the
st. Louis Times:
| To my mind. the best fight l ever
made was against Bob" Fitzsimmons.
on June 8, 1899. when l knocked him
out in IL rounds at the Coney Island
Athletic club, and became champion
of the world.
Previous to this fight l had met
Bob Armstrong, the negro giant, in
the east and had been criticised be-
cause l did not knock him out in a
hurry. When | trained for the battle
with Fitz | determined to go into the
ring faster and better than L had ever
been in my life, SO l could do myself
justice. l had never been in perfect
shape. as l had carried too much
weight.
When l faced F'itz l believe l was
in the best condition L could possibly
reach. For 80 days previous to June
9 did not drink drop of water, so
anxious was | to take off weight.
When my throat became parched l
simply ga1gled.
In Reality Fight Was Easy.
The conditions under which l fought
were discOuraging. | felt that some
OF my hackers felt that l could not
defeat the champion and incidents of
my training had been discOuraging. AS
matter of fact, however, | regarded
my battle with Fitz as one of the
easiest in my career. At the end l
was not even breathing deeply
The impression has prevailed in the
minds of some that my stomach was
vulnerable but if this was true, that
blow Fitz landed under my heart in
the fourth round would have shown
the weakness. 1t was right hand
blow. delivered with every ounce of
strength FitZ possessed, but l can
honestly say it did not bother me
Only once during the fight did Fitz
hurt me. and that was when he split
my eyelid. His body blows did not
hurt a bit. l think, however, those
who Witnessed the fight realized l
could take punishment. for Fitz hit me
hard and often, and he could hit as
hard as any man in the ring at that
time.
Had the G. o. VI. at Sea.
1 outgeneraled Fftz in this battle by
forcing him to lead His strong hold
had always been cOuntering, but as l
kept after him continually, he had to
lead or back away, and when thus
forced he was nonpiussed
I knocked Fitz down in the second
round with straight left to the mouth.
and he actually looked surprised He
did his best work in the fifth round,
and shot his bolt, for his heaviest
blows had failed to prove as effective
as they had against other men. In
the eighth round, after 1 had knocked
him down, Fitz came up looking scar
ed. He realized then, think for the
first time, that he was a beaten man.
l knocked him out in the 18th with a
right hand swing to the chin.
I went into that fight a rank out
slider and when it was over was cham
pion of the world, title l have held
to this day untarnished and which l
will continue to hold thus until again
retire, this time forever, from the
ring.