The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-07-05
Punch on Right Eye Struck
Sympathetic Nerve and Sight
Was Impaired.
BOILERMAKER CHANGED
AS HE ENTERED RING
Seemed to BE Under a Spill and
Was Not the Same Man
Who Trained for
Battle.
BY Max Baltllasar.

RENO, NEN., July o.-Perhaps Ii
wa5 a CAFE uf youth being served, per-
haps 1t was a piece of luck. Al any
ria - Jack johnson to-day stands forth
as" the greatest heavyweight in the
world, with none to dispute his title
unless ii is Sam Langford, equally
black as johnson anu Iully as conn
dent as Jettrles was yesterday that ne
can take the measure OF Tommy Burn
Gonqueror.
There is no denying that Johnson
showed the greater speed, strength,
judgment and skill But was 1t the
superior lighting qualities of the negro
that won the battle for him---or was
it lucky punch, or was II strange
pail that seemed to come over JenFies
the moment he stepped Into the ring
Fair minded critics Will not take any
thing from Johnson for the victory or
battle he fought. He fought clean ana
with consummate skill.
But settling down to brass tacks.
Jeffries lost everything he seemed TO
show while in training from the mo-
ment he stepped into the ring. HE
had absolutely nothing. Cold as a fish.
his hands more like iclcles than the
great bone and griStle maulers that
had sent SO many men TO deleat he
was nothing like the Jeffries whose
training stunts made the great judges
of condition marvel. Why he should
have gone to pieces upon entering the
ring as Sam Berger, Jim Corbett and
billy Muidcon say he did, may come
under the head OF psychology but
sporting men just say Jack got JEFF
fries goat,
Was Dazcd.
The lucky punch" talk made Its
debut In the second round. Johnson
bounohed sizzling left to the white
mans eye. Instantly the eye began
TO swell. The punch did not Foek
Jeffries' head but his eye Was In bad
shape. The minute the punch landed
Jim looked Gazed and stepped into the
easiest sort of punches to get away
from Jack. His judgment of distance
went to pieces and he began to fight
like a washerwoman. To the men in
his corner the answer was apparently
simple. He had been pathetically
blinded. The punch on the right eye
had hit the sympathetic nerve and the
left eye was almost as useless as its
mate.
Il can see two Johnsons," said JEFF
fries to Connel to whom had been en-
trusted the task OF taking care of cuts
and bruises. when the big fellow took
his chair at the end OF the second
round, Il hit with one hand and miss,
AT the end the round. II WAS seen
that JefTries was partly blind and when
he dashed out IT was merely by instinct.
He could not see.
In the very first round, Jeffries show
I'd evidence Of having lost everything
sage confidence and courage. he was
slow of foot, hand and eye. was blocked
with ease. could not land a solid punch
when he had the opportunity and in
the clinches he seemed as weak as a
child. Some of his efforts in the early
stages were pitiful.
Gone For Good.
As early as the third round. in half
clinches. his attempts to prod johnson
In the stomach had every earmark of
the fighter gone for good-whipped but
not knowing IT, hoping against hope
and believing that IL he could land
enough blows he would work out the
chance to put In the finishing punch.
Conceded by many to he the great
est fighter the ring ever knew, John
Een confined his best efforts to the
riinches, whipping uppercuts with his
right or crossing snappy half hooks
with his left. With these blows he did
great damage when Jefries could not
avoid them. At other battles. notably
his last with Corhett, Jeffries showed
he could lay his head against hard
punches in or out Of action. With
Johnson Jeffries showed the speed and
Judgment of a truck horse. He could
not get away from a slow hook. and
the upper cut generally FOUND ITS mark,
Only twice in the battle did Jeffries
show any sign OF being dangerous and
that was when he sent two successive
smashes to<the stomach
Both hurt, bringing grunts from the
negro but the black mans head WAS
clear and whatever damage the pun
ches may have inflicted was quickly
shaken off.
Goes Down.
tab re- he fyh lray 80
Al the end OF the fourteenth round the
crowd murmured 'Jsffries' gone"
johnson had battered him numerically.
The big fellow apparently could not
see. Every blow the black man made
found it's billet. The grizzly man came
out in the last round. 1t was plain he
could not travel much further. He
CROPPED about only to fall afoui of the
fists of the negro. Rights and lefts
from every angle found lodging place