The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-02-16
JOHNSON HAD
70 RING FIGHTS
Argument Showing the Colored
Champion Is the One to
Come Back.


widespread interest taken in the
Jeffries-Johnson matter is the in
crease in the size of the afternoon
mail I am in daily receipt of num-
Der of communications bearing upon
different phases of the championship
battle, says w. w. Naughton.
Many of the letters are not. worth
the paper they are written on. They
are of venom ously partisan charac-
ter. Others are highly interesting.
and one at least which arrived a few
days ago contained a valuable sug-
gestion.
OF a certainty, Constant Reader"
and Fair Play" are extremely alert
just now, and woe betide the critic
who slurs over anything or is ad-
judged guilty of faulty reasoning in
anything.
The letter 7 refer to is from San
Luis Potosi, Mexico. After working
off complaint or two which modesty
forbids a repetition of, the correspon-
dent says:
johnson Older Fighter.
There is one point connected with
all this pro and con talk which have
never heard discussed, and 1 bring it
to your attention hoping you will
touch upon it in one of your Sunday
talks
Should not Jeffries' retirement
have worked to his advantage, since
he has been out of training and has
had period Of rest? While Jeffries
is couple of years older than John
son, is he not a younger man from a
fighting standpoint and hasn't John
son been in active training longer
that Jeffres-and shouldn't Jeffries
be classed as the younger of the two :?
Didn't Jeffries start in fighting later
in life than the colored gentleman.
and hasn't he had less fighting to sap
his strength? Isn't it also a fact that
the physical life of the Saxon is long
err than that of the Ethiopian?
ITO the uninitiated it would look
as though Johnson should be getting
stale his muscles becoming unrespon-
sive to the constant demand and los
ing some of their elasticity, and that.
theoretically at least, Jeffries should
be in better physical condition-for !
do not believe he has lived any faster
during his retirement than the negro"
Did jeff Ever Go Away?
While the correspondent INDUCES
in frequent use of the Interrogation
point, it seems to me that his letter is
complete chapter on one phase of
the Jeffries-J johnson debate.
1t is easy enough for any intelligent
reader, who is the possessor of a book
of pugilistic records, to dig up the
answers to the queries propounder by
the man in Mexico, and thus decide
for himself whether new and valuable
testimony has been unearthed in favor
of the contention that Jeffries "can
come back" AS a matter of fact, after
ransacking the records people will be-
gin to wonder whether Jeffries lever
went away"
Now to begin with there is one little
particular, on which the gentleman in
Mexico is misinformed, Judging from
his question. Jeffries did not start in
| fighting later in life than the colored
gentleman" If the record is a cri-
terion, Jeffries was only 21 when he
began battling, whereas johnson was
23 when he first smelled crushed rosin
Matters of Opinion.
| To attempt answering some Of the
man in Mexico's questions would be
merely to furnish opinions. There are
a few instances, however, where one
can employ figures, as for instance
when he asks, while Jeffries a couple
of years older than Johnson, is he not
young man from fighting stand
point?"
Jeffries certainly is. Jeffries was in
the ring for eight years and johnson
has had nine years of the turmoil OF
the game.
Then again he asks: Hasn't John.
son beer in active training longer
than u .lries and shouldn't Jeffries be
classed as the younger of the two?"
This is a thorny one, but figures will
come to the aid of those wishing tc
form an opinion favorable to Jeffries
Jeffries in his whole career fought q
battles, whereas johnson has been ir
action 20 times at least. Now, among
old-time critics and conditioners II
was a favorite argument that much
training and relaxation made the mer
of the ring old before their time, and
assuming that Johnson trained for
the majority of his fights he has Ger.
tainly experienced more wear and
tear both in the ring and out of IL
than has Jeffries. tf~
Sidesteps Real Question.
The argument that the physical life
of the Saxon is longer than that of the
Ethiopian is something that l will
gracefully sidestep. In a general way
I might say that the negro race does
not seem to be. dying out by any
means, but, of course, when Mr. Mex
leo speaks of a physical life" he
means the life within a life-the ath-
letic span whihc keeps a fighter on tor
of the heap for a number of years and
the passing of which does not deter
him from becoming prominent in
other walks of life later.
One thing the man from Mexico has
brought home to the writer is that
the Jeffries-J ohnson affair is not q
May and December proposition as was
the Corbett-Sullivan affair Jeffries
who is 35, fought eight years and then
only waded through 21 opponents
Johnson. who is 80, has been at II
nine years and has toed the scratch
over 20 times.
Thinking over these matters, the
Mexican correspondents opening
question seems to me to be a hard
one OF answer. Here is what he
asks:
should not Jeffries' retirement
have worked to his advantage. since
he has been out of training and it has
been period of rest?"