The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-08-02
FIT HAPPENS
IT'S HERE
WHO IS CHAMP
JEFF OR JACK?
Many HitCheS May Yet Occur
Before Battle Between
Them Is Pulled Off.
BY w. D. RIsHEL.

Is James j. Jeff-ies or Jack Johnson the
present heavyweight champion of the
world2 This is a question that is going
the rounds of The country and sporting
writer's are busy framing up reasons why
the title belongs 10 one or the OlheI cL
these two fighters. Jack Johnson insists
that he is the champion, while jim JeI-
fries lives up 10 his reputation by keep
ing still and saying nothing about IL
When asked last week i'm lew York II ne
claimed the championship, Jeffries re
piled: Il am not claiming anything, II the
coon wants a fight he had better get his
money up This is as far as Jeftries VIII
discuss the question
All will agree that Jeffries was the
champion and all will agree that no man
ever won that title away from him. some
say Jeffries lost his title when ne retreo
and that he gave il TO the winner or the
Root-Hart fight in Reno a couple OF years
back. Jeffries has repeatedly said he new
ct gave the title TO any one, ana tnat ne
quit the ring because there was no one
left for him to fight. He has repeatedly
said he felt ashamed FOR taking the mon
ey in his fight with M'unroe, but that ne
had to whip the Montana miner 10 satisfy
a few who would always say he retired be
cause he was afraid Of MunToe. Also that
never again would he be q partner to rob
bling the public as he did on that occa-
sion. Now another man has come up who
some think has a chance to defeat JEFF
fries and the champ Dn comes forward
with the announcement that he is ready to
fight.
Did Not Pick Lemons.
Because Jeffries has not gone around the
world picking lemons as other fighters
have done does not seem a reasonable
excuse for taking title away from him.
II Jim JeffTies held the title when he
went into retirement is there any just rea-
son why he is still not champion if he is
ready TO fight any man who disputes the
claim? He certainly is ready for he has
a purse of 5000 posted in New York for
somebody TO cover, Jack johnson pre-
ferred.
A man winning q championship in any
line of sport is surely entitled to keep the
title until some one defeats him or he
loses 1t because ne is no longer able TO
hold it, No one has defeated Jeffries ana
he has 5000 up to say that ne IS still able
10 hold it,
Jim Jeffries is still the heavyweight
champion and will be recognized as such
by all the fair-minded. But Jack Johnson
thinks otherwise. and because he holds
this opinion there is liable to be a hitch III
the signing of articles between him and
Jeffries. Johnson viii probably insist on
naming terms for this match, and any one
who knows Jeffries does not have TO think
hard to imagine what Jeffries will do
when Mr.. johnson gets busy with his de
mands. jeff insists on a side bet of at
least $4,000 and Jeffries is right again, for
certainly a match for the greatest honor
in pugiIism is worth a risk on the part
of the challenger.
Jeffries may also insist that he be given
a certain sum, win, lose or draw. There
is room for an argument here. but prece-
dent is all with JeffTieS. Jim had to &C
cede to these terms when he fought Bob
Fitzsimmons for the honor. In practically
every championship battle of the last ten
years the champion has received the big
end of the purse whether he won or lost
As stated above there is plenty of room
for argument as to whether this course is
right or SpOrtsmanlike, but it is certainly
the way championship fights are decided
in this stage and generation.
But we viii have to wait and see just
what terms each fighter will exact and Il
is lust possible that a hitch of some kind
will yet occur to prevent these two men
from meeting. The fact that Jeffries will
leave the details of the match to Sam Ber-
ger will help matters out for the cham
pion would never for an instant argue the
point with Johnson. Should jeff and john
son ever meet to discuss the matter and
Johnson tried to do any bluffing in the
matter the public would never see the
fight. j. would start and end right then
and there, for Jeffries certainly has little
use for the Galveston black.
The question of where the fight will
come off is another puZzler. but it will
probably go to California or Nevada. JEFF
fries rightly demands a long fight and
wants the bout to take place in this COun-
try. He don't like Nevada and outside Of
these two states it is hard to figure out
a place in which the battle could be held
Some time ago a party of Salt Lake bust
this go for Salt Lake. There is a grand
opportunity at the present time to land the
fight and the fight fans of the intermoun-
tain country only hope these same business
men still have the bug working.