The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-08
noted TRAINER
VIEWS JEFFRIES
DONOVAN OF HARVARD PLEASED
WITH RECENT SHOWING
MADE BY JEFF.

William F. Douavan. trainer Of Har-
ward athletes, who saw James j. JEFF
fries work in Boston, gives the follow
ing as his impression of the possibili-
ties of the former champion:
Jim Jeffries physical condition, in
which the American sporting public is
so deeply interested just now, in view
Of his prospective fight with Jack
Johnson for the worlds heavyweight
| championship, evidently proved salts
factory to the big crowd that attended
the entertainment at the Armory Al. a..
1t was jeff, more than anything else,
that they turned out to see, although
the other features proved nightly en-
PERTAINING.
In the first place Jeffries has what a
fighter ought to have to start with;
that Is, the speed and the punch. AS
far as weight goes, its just about right.
should say. for man that is due for
long siege of training. 1t is much
better to have a man weigh twenty
pounds over his normal weight start
ing than five pounds underweight, as
that gives something to work on. If
JEFF had been fighting right along, he
would probably weigh in the neighbour
hood of 225 pounds in ring condition.
He would be about ten pounds heavier
now, according to all the rules of ply
steal growth, but because Of his long
lay off and the indolent life he lives, he
has taken on more than this.
He looks to me to weigh something
like 240 pounds. and consequently is in
mucn better shape than when he ap-
| peared in his theatrical work last
| spring. The extra fat he carried then
over his abdominal muscles has dis
l appeared to a marked extent. and with
the time he mas at his disposal be-
tween now and the probable date OF
| his fight will be able to remove this to
| it's last vestige. That his stomach
muscles are in more than fair shape
| just now was shown when he propped
| his feet on the lower -rung of a chair
| on which sat one of his trainers and
then, bending backward, Jeffries rails
ed and lowered himself with alternate
twists and turns twenty seven times.
| This was a test that would have tried
| any first-class athlete in the best of
shape. Yet Jeffries went through IL
without apparently being bothered.
Rope Skipping.
Then, too, his exhibition of rope
skipping, one of the hardest of exer-
cises, followed by his. shadow boxing,
| showed the remarkable speed of foot
and hand possessed by the big boiler
! maker. Because this speedy action lis
over short period, it leaves open the
question whether or not Jeffries can
go over a long route. Jeffries has all
ways been a law unto himself, and
was the despair of Billy Delany, one
of the greatest trainers and makers
of champion pugilists in the history of
the game. JEFF always knew himself
better than anybody else, and this was
proven time after time when he was
preparing for his matches.
He never went into the ring unless
he was in the best of shape. He judg-
| ed himself harshly, but results invari-
/ ably bore out his theory that by fol-
lowing his own plan he could get right
He is doing the same, think, in this
case. He is working easily steadily
and along lines which will leave him
with his full vitality when he gets
ready to settle down for the hard grind
preceding the tapering off to the point
where he can safely say, I'm al
right"
Jeffs breathing was a matter Of
some comment. True, his wind Is mo-
anything like being at its best, but few
men who are not in the best of shape
could do the work he did and not puff
! JEFF always had difficulty with his nos,
which was badly smashed in one of hi
earlier fights. This has rendered nj.
l AA d.
but an operation which he contem.
plates Is expected to remove hi
trouble.
The fact that ne has fought sue
cessfully in the past with fast mel
/,