The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1910-07-07
JEFFRIES DEFEATED.

PugHiSI-(iedrIy OutCidSSc0 he
Was Not i'm the Game at Any Stage
of the Contest-dreat Fight Antici-
pated at Reno Was In Reality Tame
Affair-Jack johnson Retains Title
to Championship Honors.
What was expected to be thegreat-
est fight ia the annals of the prize ring,
for the worlds heavyweight cham
pionship, between James j. Jreffries,
former champion, and Jack John
son the Texas negro who held the
title by virtue of his defeat OF Tommy
Burns at Sydney, Australia, in De-
cember, 1908, at Reno, Nevada, Mon
day afternoon, was a tame affair
after all the blow and buster there
has been about it for months past
The crowd that witnessed the fight
was put at 10000 and the amount
OF money paid to see it is estimated
at $25O,O0O. This does include bets.
Johnson's share OF the purse and in
terest in the moving pictures will be
100000, while Jeffries, who made
a better deal on the pictures, will get
$4,000 for the licking he received
at the hands of the of the negro.
Tex Richard, the principal fight
promoter, gave it out that his firm
would clear 800, 900 in the gate re-
ceipts, besides their interest in the
pictures. In answer to a question
next day Richard said:
ST don't know how much money we
took in but l figure we will clear
100000 in thegate receipts, besides
our interest in the pictures. There
were 10000 people in the arena, so |
am confident we hold the record for a
prize fight crowd in this country, if
not in the world. As it stands now,
neither Jeffries nor johnson has any
interest in the pictures. Jeffries sold
his third for $4,000 and Johnson
got $4,000 for his"
An account from Reno dated the
9Th says:
Among the sporting authority still
here it is agreed that Johnson could
have put his man out much sooner
and it is said that he wished to give
the moving picture menfilms ofproper
length. Stories are told of attaches
of Jeffries' camp who hedged at the
last moment, dissatisfied with their
mans condition and temper and
placed bets on Johnson. The negro
population of Reno is not nearly SO
happy today as might be expected,
for many of them risked money on
Jeffries. johnson is not a hero
among most of his race who have
met him.
Talking of the fight after it was over
Richard said:
81 saw after Jeffries got that jolt
that closed his eye that j ohnson had
it on him in every way. He did not
have the steam. There was no snap
and his foot work was SLOW"
ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHT.
Reno, New, July 4-John Arthur
johnson, a Texas negro, son of an
American slave, tonight is the undis-
puted heavyweight champion pugilist
of the world.
James j. Jeffries, winner OF twenty
two champion fights, the man who
was never brought to his knees
before by blow, tonight passed into
history as a broken idol. He met ut
ter defeat at the hands of the black
champion in the fifteenth round.
The fight was a one-sided affair from
the start. The negro blocked the old
champions blows at every stage Of
the game, and punished him severely
in the last five rounds of the fighting.
Jeffries had lost the power of defense.
A series of right and left upper cuts
delivered at will sent him staggering
to the ropes
Ring experts agree that it was not
even championship fight. Jeffries
had a chance in the second round,
perhaps, but after the sixth it was
plain that he was weakened and out
classed in every point. After the
eleventh round he was helpless. 1t
was the greatest demonstration the
ring has ever seen of the failure of a
fighter to ''come back after years OF
retirement.
The youth and science of the black
man made Jeffries look like q green
man. The great Jeffries was like a
log. Johnson was like panther,
beautiful in his alertness and defen-
sive tactics.
Jeffries fought by instinct, it SEEM
ed, showing his gameness and his
great fighting heart in every round,
but he was only shell OF his old SELF
The old power to take terrible beat
ing and bore in until he landed the
knockout blow was gone.
In the sixth johnson landed a ter
rife blow on Jeffries' right eye. In
a little while this member, bruised
and blackened, was so swollen as to
be almost closed. From then on the
ex-champion was at a greater disad-
vantage than before. He could not
see to measure the distance and his
fighting was less effective on that ac-
| count.
With the exception of a few fast
rounds, the fight was tame. Jeffries
did not have the power in his punch
to hurt Johnson after he had received
blow after blow on the jaw, and his
vital power was ebbing. But even
before this stage came, Jeffries could
not reach the black. The blows al
most all of them, landed with all the
speed taken out of them. 1t was like
hitting punching bag.
The end was swift and terrible. 1t
looked as though Johnson had been
holding himself under cover all the
rest of the time, and had measured
Jeffries in all his weakness, he had de-
termined to stop it quickly.
AS they came up for the fifteenth
round, johnson went at his man saw
agely. He sent Jeffries down the first
time with a rain of let's and rights to
the jaw, and Jeffries took the count
OF eight twice. Each time Jeffries
fell outside the lower ropes on the
platform.
AS Jeffries got up the second time
and staggered for Johnson, the lat
ter sprang at him like a tiger, and