The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-28
BOTH ARE GIANTS
Jeffries Weighs Six Pounds
More than johnson.
Champion Is the Younger by
Three Years.
NEGROES MILLS NOW 81.
OF This Number He Has Lost
Only Four.
Former Heavyweight's Credit LIS
One Defeat in Twenty.

| Ankle .ss--ss'sss''''s "a
| Fights. ---..-s...-..' ~ -
/ Lost. ......-..,...:-... or
Moving pictures estimated $4,000 to
each.
When James J. Jeffries was born,
So years ago April is last, a hrst-
class fighting man was created He
was endowed with everything that goes
to make I'D a fighter, right from the
start, He did not need to train ana
school himself tc any great extent. He
had both brain and the Drawn, and all
he lacked was the ambition to win
fame as a fighter. When, that ampl-
ton did come to him 1t required out
| two wears for him to VanQulSh every
| tighter worthy of consideration, anu
make the championship title ono OF ms
! ner sonal assets. Once he obtained IT,
tie only way he could ind of Riding
| himself of the burdens it imposed was
| to give it away. That Is what JeIr olu
with it, He looked over the nelo OF
worthy heavyweights with a view To
years after his first fight he decloeo
that Marvin Hart was the heir-dpp&r-
ent. and abdlcated in Harris favor:
one of the striking things about JET.
fries is that it took a great oeal oh
argument to convince him that he was
firhtinG man at all. Despite Ma
lures generosity to him in SIZE anu
strength, he had a strong suspicion an
the time that he was INTENDED 70 %
a farmer Through his early HIe ne
displayed great fondness LOT s So -
close to nature via a fishing roo OF
a gun, and spent quite Dit OF unle
in the mountains. He developed a oe-
cided fondness for country NE, dIlo
when he resigned his high state DIS
champion, having annexed enough mon,
ex- through purses, moving pictures ana
stage appearances to do what ne pleas
ed he fastened to q farm in southern
California with the intention OF enuins
his days as a sort OF country SOUR.
Hard John Arthur Johnson anu We NE
color question not interfered with ms
CLANS, he in all probability would nave
carried out that determination
Jeffries an Ohioan.
Jeffries was born in Carroll, ONO
in 1875. but his parents came 10 Can
fornia so soon after his ARRIVAL tilal
he is looked upon Amos. as q a9 of
his doings prior to 1897 beyond the 1aAs,
that he was a mighty hunter, gooo
hoiIer1naker, and a rough ana tunapIo
fighter with whom few cared 10 ILL., IL
He never was an amateur nghteI. -
first time he entered the ring ne oio
81, en- the spur of the moment, accept
Inc the challenge of a negro nghter
named T'FIank' Griffin because OF the
money he would get by deIeallns Cne
challenger. The fight was held In Los
Angeles, Cal. in 1898, and JEFF accom-
pNshed the defeat of the negro n II
rounds, winding up with an ar'lstlc
knockout. ... -
arouse Jeff to any ambition as nght-
or II attracted the attention or ngnt-
ers to him as a valuable training part
ner. He seconded a M Idle elg ga
named Billy Gallagher in San Francis
co two years later. ana Gallagher so'
rdm a match in 1896 with Dan Long
Of Denver. There was S!,oou purse
nm. and Long went to sleep in the sec,
cpd ro,,nd when Jeffs left encountered
his nose.
It was shortly after this that Jim
Corbett began to prepare Tor ms nsnt
with Bob FitZSimmons, Whlcn gave tue
Lett, Jims brother. who was on the
lookout for sparring partners, sent Jeil
mr. 10 Carson City, New, to join Jim $
training staff. CorbeIt hammered Tie
big fellow numerically, but Jeft was
absorbing knowledge of the lighting
osne through every pore. These were
his first real boxing lessons, ana ne
took them from a master of the cratS
Within three weeks after Corbett's de-
feat, Jeff was in the ring again On his
rirstions of two promising heaVy-
weights in quick succession in 1897.
Corbett's Training Benefits.
So much had Jeff benefited by Cor
bett's training that he at once was
marked as a coming fighter, and
n atch was arranged for him with Gus
Rubin, Of Akron, Ohio, which was
fought in San Francisco in 1887. me
fight went 20 rounds to draw
In the same year Jeffrnes fought Joe
Chovnski a 20-round draw. He recalls
this fight particularly, he says, because
! Choynski landed on his jaw the haro-
est blow he ever received. 1t was a
risht-hander, and had so much good
will behind it that Jeffries never for
got it. That punch was one OF the
things that made Jeffries call Choynsld
| to his aid when he decided to return
to the ring to fight Johnson.
The next year Jeffries began to ma
cut how strong he really was. He
knocked out Joe Goddard, of Aus
| traIia, a hardy fighter with many vic
| tories to his credit, followed that up
| by knocking out Old Peter jackson in
three rounds, and making Mexican
Pete Everett quit in less than three.
A 20-round draw with Tom Sharkey
came in the same year, and then JET
! fries went to New York, where he was
matched to fight two men In one ev-
| ering The first of these was Bob
Armstrong, "a negro) and jeff dam
aged his hand against the big black to
such an extent that he could not meet
| Steve O'Donnell, the other man, much
| to the delight of O'Donnelrs friends.
| In this time Bob Fdtzsiplmons was
retaining the championship against all
Corners. A match was made between
Jeff and Bob at Coney Island, 1889.
! It was looked upon as a joke, as the
| man who had gathered Jim Corbett's
| scalp in decisive style was thought to
be able to play with the big green
| hand, .lefries. FitzsiTnmons did play
| with him-for nine rounds. If there
was any part of Jeff,S head he did not