The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-12-22

| Billy Delaney, my old trainer, WAS
Jim Jeffries manager during the early
| part of Jims fistic career, but along
| in the early part of 1899 Bill decided
| that he was better suited to be a
trainer than a manager and brought
Jeffries east with him in the hope of
| getting William A. Brady to handle
Jeff's interests.
| Brady had been my mana ger from
| the period preceding my fight with
| Sullivan, but soon after the Fitzsim-
mons fight we parted company. That
! left Brady open for other inducements
| in the pugilistic line, and he gladly
| took the management of Jeffries- Soon
after this the Coney Island Athletic
club offered a purse of $4,000 for
fgiht between Fitzsimmons and JEFF
fries and Brady at once accepted on
behalf of the Californian. Fitz soon
after was induced to sign the articles.
| Many persons asserted from time TO
| time that Bob FitZsimmons underesti-
mated Jeffries; that he figured that the
big Californian wasn't much more
| than human punching bag. Fitz knew
| that Jeffries was in my camp while
| was training for the Carson City fight
and he also knew that I had no diff
| ficulty in hitting Jeffries or in block
ing his blows. Fitz may have reck-
| oned that Jeff hadn't improved much
since then-and there's where he made
a big blunder.
Bob weighed somewhere in the
neighborhood of 170-175 pounds wh=n
he went against Jeffries. Jim. on the
| other hand, beamed 210 or 215 pounds.
He was as rugged man as ever
| stepped into ring. He had a jaw and
a stomach impervious to knockout
blows He lad terrific wallop and.
best of all, he was naturally LETT
handed. That. in itself, was perhaps
his greatest offensive asset. He could
hit with terrific force with either hand
and the very fact that he could use
his left for short knockout punches
was a thing that stood him in good
| stead in every one of his battles.
/ Ninety per cent of the ring warriors
are right-handed and use their lefts
mostly for jabbing purposes. The op
ponent. naturally, doesn't look for a
knockout swing from the left hand. lie
guards his jaw usually from terrific
right-hand wallops. Because Jeffrics
was left-handed and could knock out
left. he was a formidable foe for every
| living man.
/ But. just the same. Fitz signed up
for the Jeffres battle Supremacy con-
/ fident Of victory.
The night before the battle tool,
place Delaney and Brady came to me
and told me that Jeffries was in a pes
simistic frame of mind and wanted me
to help cheer him up. They told me
that Jeffries was in a box at the Man
haitian opera house in New York. Sc
went over to the theatre and joined
Jeffries in the box and did the best
could to inspire him with a feeling
| of confidence. Teffries then asl-e1 me
whether I would act as an advisory
second for him. I consented and at
once began to give Jeffries a few
nointers on how he could beat Fitz-
simmons Those pointers were the
result of the experience gained in my
fieht against Fitz in Carson CITY
When Jeffries was my sparring partner
didn't think he had much of a future
before him. He was so clumsy and so
awkward and had no real asset other
Ii than the ability to take punishment. OF
coudse he had the same terrific power
in his blows then as he had on the night
he met Fltz. but Jeffries knew little
about boxing at that time and was un-
skilled in the method of delivering those
blows. But the Jeffries that went into
the fight against Bob F'tzsimmons with
| the heavyweight championship OF the
world at stake was an entirely different
! fighter.
/ Before the contest it was my prediction
that he would conquer the great Cor
/ nishman. OF course. this assertion of
mine was scoffed at by many persons
/ who felt that 1t was influenced not by
the knowledge OF the comparative ability
of the two men. but by dislike which
| might have formed for Fitzsimmons
/ because he had beaten me.
Bob Fitzsimmons will get the surprise
| Of his life tonight, and Bob Fitzsimmons
! will be beaten, was my prediction.
! ''Fitz is the tyne of fighter made for
| Jeffries he is going to he put on the re-
| he can deliver a terrific punch. and If
he tries to set himself while fighting
Jeqries he is going to be put on the re-