The San Francisco call., 1910-07-05


COFFROTK story, even similar
10 the wretched one that the bards
have always sung One is even fearful
OF mentioning it. fearful Of being put in
the L told you" class. For these many
months. at least seven since the match
vas made. we have heard the query
can Jeffries come back?" The man
who thought so lost his money today,
the one who answered the question in
the negative "cashed." That means he
presented pasteboard that the pool
rooms would honor.
For three solid months Jeff has been
IN training at Rowardennan and Moana
springs. He has worked hard and con-
scientiously.- Has gone on the road.
punched the bag. skipped rope, broken
the ropes Of improvised rings in wrest-
ling bouts He has also done many
other gym stunts. Occasionally we
would hear of him boxing That was
TO be the one thing that he would be
called upon to do in Reno's brown
painted prize ring today.
BOXING LOOKED LIKE THE BULL
Following that angle brings to mind
another sad story which also hap
pened under eloudless Nevada skies. 1t
was the defeat Of Jim Corbett by Rob-
ert Fitzsimmons 13 years back. Fitz-
simmons boxed and many of the bouts
with Steiner and Roeber and Hickey
resembled real fights.
was boxing which the onlookers were
inclined TO look upon as the bull"
forget the strange expression in use
those days. but Il memory does not fail
Jim's henchmen were inclined to jolly
him along and the first "Queensberry''
champion never knew what he lacked
or where he was deficient until the real
strain Of the contest began.
Poor Jeffries found it out today. His
judgment Of distance was poor, so poor
that IL occasioned early remarks of de-
rision from the black man. He felt
this early himself witness his shake
OF the head as early as the seventh
round. "Disoouragement," whispered
man on my right. He knows he can't
win" Not so, 1 thought
Je6 realized the futility of timing
the black object that sprang catIike
and glided snakelike in front of him.
The old eye that timed the bull rushes
OF Sharkey, the clever leads Of Corbett
and placed pile driving rights under
the arm OF Rubin was absent today.
But you asked me to tell about the
fight. and here I've been expatiating on
what might have been.
FIFTEEN ROUNDS OF JOHNSON
There were Ia rounds OF it and
little more. For the sake Of brevity
you could write Johnson Is times and
it would tell the story of each round.
But we are not asked to epitomize
Sharply at 2:4O Johnson climbed
through the ropes. AS usual, Jack
looked around to bow to many per-
sons he has seen gathered around
Colma and San Francisco. He was WIS.,
fbly impressed with the great con-
course Of people. in which few of his
own race could be discerned. He was
not nervous, neither was he worried.
but looked the man who was to enter
on his task seriously.
Two minutes later big brown be-
ing shouIdered into the inclosure.
chewing gum as nonchalantIy as had
been HIS wont in training quarters.
Abe Atten fixed the bandsges and
the feather weight champions hands
trenbled more than the hairy paws ex-
tended for the protection strips.
Johnson smiled and pretended to ap-
plaud as Jsmries was introduced by
Billy Jordan. He became serious again !
as the gong sounded.
Jack LANDS FIRST BLOW
Johnson waited stock still and JEFF |
hddled. From hddling the 'undefeated"
went to feinting, and Johnson dropped /
= hard left plump on Jeff's nose.
Then came the first clinch, and the
long, uthe black man outhandied his
bigger white opponent Then followed
q succession of clinches brought about. |
10 nv mind, by Jefries. 1t was the
FIRST time had ever seen Jeffries
clfnch. Heretofore It was the other
man. The first round closed evenly, /
with johnson missing, apparently
through the high tension under which
he was laboring.
In the second round the smile of
Johnson appeared and he looked him.
sel< That long left began to work
and right and left uppercuts to do exc
cution. This continued in the third