![]() ![]() Today, many analysts "put down" the skills of Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, and Tom Sharkey – three of Jeffries' top rivals. Rating these four men against each other, I would rank them (1) Jeffries (2) Liston (3) Foreman (4) Willard. He also possessed the greatest stamina and the toughest chin. Jeffries was, without a doubt, the strongest. Recall, he hit "Bull" Young so hard that the blow either snapped Young’s neck or sent him to the floor so hard that his neck popped when he struck the floor (depending upon the report you believe). Comparing these four men, Foreman was possibly (slightly) the hardest hitter, Liston was the bounciest and quickest heavy hitter, and Willard was an awesome hitter when he landed his big punch on a man. Jeffries, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and possibly Jess Willard were probably the strongest and most powerful big men among the more notable heavyweights of boxing history. He fought two grueling fights with Tom Sharkey, endured two punishing battles with Bob Fitzsimmons, and chased down shifty Jim Corbett in two long contests. The Jeffries stamina was awesome too - if he could not outbox an opponent, he could certainly outlast him. Bob Fitzsimmons and a number of others broke their hands and injured their wrists hitting it. The dynamite puncher Tom Sharkey punched at it in two contests and could not hurt it. The Jeffries chin was a phenomenal structure and it would certainly hold up against most of the "best ever" hitters. Interestingly enough, Jeffries also reminds one of a bulldog when seen in his crouch. If a skirmish became distasteful, Jeffries would take hold of his man and shove him backward 5-6 feet with his enormous strength and resume the battle from there – stalking his man, resembling a bear as he moved forward. Sometimes heads collided but that never phased Jeffries' hard dome. When an opponent moved in to strike him, he ran the risk of getting hammered with that left hook or having Jeffries spring forward quickly and pound away with those short, bludgeoning left-right blasts. From a distance, he utilized a punishing left jab and a bashing left hook.įurther, he used a crouch which made it difficult to hit him cleanly. He also used a thundering right uppercut. ![]() He threw short, straight, jolting blows with each fist when fighting in close. ![]() Some critics call Jeffries a "one-armed" fighter. One account says he could even perform as an acrobat by jumping into the air, tapping the ceiling of a room with his feet and landing on his feet. In addition, Jeffries could jump high into the air – over six feet. He outran the speedy Jim Corbett, Bob Fitzsimmons, and Joe Choynski in footraces and all of these men were fast runners. He cornered and hammered Bob Armstrong, the 6’4", fast-moving, sharp-jabbing black. He tracked down and knocked out clever Peter Jackson, the all-time great boxer-puncher. Some writers portray Jeffries as slow-moving and ponderous. Sportswriter Harold Keith wrote, "Jeffries probably owned the deadliest left hook the prize ring has ever known." Promoter Tex Rickard said, "he’s the hardest hitter I ever saw and that includes Dempsey." Jeffries, himself, once said he never hit a man as hard as he could for fear of killing him. He also sent Joe Goddard to the hospital after a heavy battering. He was a heavy hitter with both fists and caved in the ribs of many opponents with his sledge-hammer left hook – Bob Fitzsimmons, Jim Corbett, Tom Sharkey, Gus Ruhlin, and Pete Everett to name five. Jeffries was rusty and "over-the-hill." Yet, today, many analysts pretty much judge him on the basis of this fight.Īs a fighter, Jeffries traded on strength, power hitting, a tough chin, wonderful stamina, and an indomitable will. Johnson was at his peak and had fought 42 bouts since Jeffries had retired. For this fight, he shed 70 pounds, had no warm up fights prior to the contest – only sparring sessions and a few exhibitions, and fought in 110 degree weather against a very, very good fighter, Jack Johnson. Unfortunately, Jeffries was talked into a comeback - after being out of the ring for six years - and experienced the only loss of his career. Jeffries, along with Rocky Marciano, are two of the most highly criticized Heavyweight Champions, due to their crude styles of fighting, but they were also the only two men to retire unbeaten during their active careers. Jim Jeffries won the Heavyweight Championship of the World the same way he accomplished most things in his life – he made up his mind he wanted it and battered down anyone who got in his way. IBRO (International Boxing Research Organization) ![]()
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