The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-01-05
JEFF TELLS WHY
HE QUIT RING
Champion Gives His Reasons
for Refusing to Fight
lack Johnson.
BY JAMES J. JEFFRIEs.

Just few words in connection win m
uprcar that has been raised in connection
with the demands that 1 return to the rms
and attempt to retake the title that Tom
my Burns yielded up to Jack johnson, th'
negro heavyweight
To begin with. I do not intend to figh
again-mark this as final. ! have burned
up many dollars in telegraph tolls during
the past week or so, telling different PEG
pie in all parts Of the country that 1 d1c
not intend to re-enter the ring again.
also have printed many statements ~
the newspapers 10 that effect, but the pub
lie seems inclined to doubt my sincerity
II was as if every man was saying, Quit
your joking. Jeff-when are you going e
whip this negro and win back the tttle2
They seem to take it Tor granted thai
all / have to do IS to get my hair cut
jump the rope for about two weeks, put OF
a pair of boxing gloves and go IN anu
maui the life out Of Johnson They never
stop to think that l have been out of the
game for over four years, during which
time gymnasium has had the least OF
my attention
repeat that l am sincere when say
that / never will fight again. / will now
tell tne public why l am determined TO
stay out of the ring and few facts in
connection thereof.
Rejects Theatrical offer.
1 have enjoyed my ring career and it
has been finished. / am now enjoying a
title that no boxer ever held before and
probably never will hold after me. / have
my home. my wife. my business. my
health and nay friends. / am not rich, but
I have all the money / need, .fand viii
never want for anything. ia disaster
was to hit me and was to be swept off
my feet without penny in the world.
then l might try to retrieve myself ana
my position by fighting again. As it is,
VIII go on as ! am enjoying my home,
my friends and my everyday life Why,
II IL was more money ] was after | would
not have to fight for it. I have rejected
a fortune in theatrical offers during the
past year.
To sum the situation up. ] am a con-
tented man and why should I reopen my
ring career, upset my business and home
life for the sake of a few dollars that | do
not need Another thing. L do not believe
that the great American public wants to
see me come out of retirement. / believe
that they would rather point to me as /
ani-the retired and undefeated champion.
The hundreds of kilograms that I have
been receiving are mostly from newspa-
peTmen, who are looking for a good
STORY and from others who would be
benefited by my consenting to fight again.
Right here | want to correct a wrong
impression ] did not give the title to Jack
Root. Marvin Hart or anybody else When
l retired I took the title with me- and
the fact that these fellows claimed that l
gave them the title to fight for was press
agent work pure and simple
Now a word TO the well-meaning people
who believe that 1 could go back in the
ring next week and whip Jack Johnson /
am not the Jim Jeffries of four years ago.
/ have spent the best four years of my
life in promoting my business affairs.
Since ! have been in the cafe business I
have played the part of a good fellow
/ have drank in moderation: | have
smoked every day, and / have kept late
hours. NV place of business closes at
.flIr. IN f+,
am the last person to leave the establish
ment.
At the very least I would require six
months. probably year. to get into any
kind of condition, and it is a question
whether or not / would be in anything
like the condition that / was when l quit
the ring Suppose that after a wear Of
training | should re-enter the ring and
that johnson should beat me Then the
public and myself would be in even
worse predicament The YER. people who
are urging me now to go in and fight
would be the very first 20 turn their backs
on me and condemn me for ever having
considered a proposition to fight again
On the other hand, should I whip John
son. which ]. in all probability. would.
would be in no better position that | am
now with the exception of having a few
thousand more dollars added to my bank
account.
I whipped every heavyweight in nv dav
and the majority of them I beat twice.
for good measure. l have retired in every
sense of the word, and / want to enjoy
that retirement
1 have gone further in this article than
ever before, because I want to show the
public just exactly where I stand. 7 have
everything that ! want. I repeat that /
am eoniented man. and ] want to be left
flone TO enjoy my retirement. I suppose
that in ten years from now they will stir
talk of dragging me out to fight the cham
lsion, whoever he happens to be