The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-12-30
SPORTS
TOO MANY OFFER
JEFF ADVICE
Big Fighter Will Be
Made Foolish if He
Listens to All
(pv William ]. Slattery.)

tBy William j. Slattery)
San Francisco, Dec. 30.-1f the mum"
ber OF trainers. sparrng partners.
masters OF ceremony, general odyls-
ers and the like go for anything, Jim
Jeffries should easily get in shape
10 whip Jack Johnson In round or
two. No champion OF any class ever
gathered together a greater or more
varied retinue than the former heavy
weight ruler has In prospect al the
present time. It's too bad that these
men can not get JeffrieS Into shape
while he sits around and looks on
but it's the cold. hard truth that the
fighter himself must do the work
and if he Is not there all The trainers
and pooh-bah men from Odessa TO Nil
pitas can not stall off the knockout
punch of the other fellow.
In his palmy days jeff never had
such a collection hanging around his
training quarters. Generally, one or
two sparriug partners, his cid manag-
or. Billy Delaney, and the never.to-
be-denled Kid Egan made up the gath
crlng al HarbIu Springs. where Jeff
was wont 10 prepare himself Tor all
lis important fights around san Fran
cisco And In those days Jeffries
used 10 round into the erandest pos-
sible form. There was never a flaw
or. fault in his physical makeup.
He seemed to be as perfect a speci-
men oi manhood as ever battled for
any title in any prize ring.
That old saying about too many
cooks on the job often tending to spoil
the broth may hold good In this par
ticular instance, II JeffricS is com
PEELED to listen 10 the suggestion Of
each of his many trainers and adyiS
erS he won't finish Ia the ring al all,
His place VIII be a private cell in an
asylum,
Holding JeffrIes up to RidIcuIe.
They would do far better to allow
Jeff 10 go ahead and train as he used
10 train when he was the king Of the
roped arena. 1t would appear now as
though they are all trying TO take
pity on the big fellow. The general
public will shortly be inclined TO be-
ileve that Jcffrics is an old Infirm
fellow who can not do anything OF
his own free will. This is not the
way TO send him in against that
negro. He'll be beaten sure under
such conditions.
his audience that he is just as good
as when he quit the ring: that the
five-year layoff has not affected him
in the least; that his wind is Just the
same and that he Will knock that big
black fellow stiff just as sure as an
other sun is due To rise and set He's
fGll of confidence and bravado when
talking about his condition.
And then Berger and Jim Corbett
and Tommy Ryan and Bob Armstrong
talk, They tell their listeners how
they are going 10 condition Jeff. how
they will equip him with a new-fan-
led pallop and put fierce look on
his face that Will make Johnson jump
right over the fence Of the arena
If Jeffries Is the man he used TO
be. what is the use OF gathering this
great army of condltioners together?
It's a two-to-one bet they are not
proifering their services for nothing.
It's a waste of money In the first
place and it's putting Jeff in bad
with the multitude in the second
place No fighter In the world needs
an army around him when he is get
ting into condition for battle If
this army does not do anything else
1t Will serve to make loafing place
out OF the training quarters.
AS has often been suggested be-
fore. the only way that Jeff can get
true line on his form and at the
same time give the public the same
line Is TO fight a real fight. 1t could
be seen within five rounds whether
or not the big fellow is the same
terror who beat them all 4 few years
ago. The chances are that II Jeff
Is going TO blow up az all he will blow
up quickly. especially against clev-
er, fast man like Johnson, who will
use every means IN his power to tire
the big fellow out.
No Heavywelehts to Recruit From.
Al Kaufman would make a good
trial horse for the undefeated cham
pion. II he's right. Jeffries would
clean Kaufman up In about three
three rounds. and If he is inclined to
blow up, it's likely that Kaufman
would beat him inside OF twenty
rounds, not BY his own skill but for
the reason that jeff would wear him.
self out aud probably drop from ex-
haustion, II Jeff could not beat Kaut-
man quickly 1t would be a crime 20
send him In against that black fel-
low
Supposing. for the sake of argu-
mcnt that Jack Johnson does beat
Jeffries, then what will become of the
heavyweight class? There will be
nobody left for the undIsputed cham
pion 10 fight; there Is no one cap
able OF making a respectable showing
against him. The only possible ex-
cuse is Kaufman, and those who saw
Johnson toy with Kaufman for ten
rounds at the Mission street arena
some three months ago certainly
would not feel inclined 20 pay a fancy
price to witness the same burlesoue
over again.
The heavyweight class seems TO be
gone entirely There are no promis-
Ing recruits In sight It's lsughable
when they talk about their Gunboat
Smiths and their Jack Burnses and
Others of this stripe, Why, we had
better men than these fighting around