James J. Jeffries
Statistics
Real name	James Jackson Jeffries
Nickname	The Boilermaker
Rated at	Heavyweight
Nationality	United States
Birth date	April 15 1875(1875--)
Birth place	Carroll, Ohio, U.S.
Death date	March 3 1953 (aged 77)
Death place	Burbank, California, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	21
Wins	18
Wins by KO	14
Losses	1
Draws	2
No contests	0

James Jackson Jeffries ("The Boilermaker") (April 15, 1875 in Carroll, Ohio – March 3, 1953 in Burbank, California) was a world heavyweight boxing champion.

Jeffries stood 6 ft 3 in tall and weighed 225 in his prime. Despite his bulk, Jeffries, who was not a trained sprinter, could run the 100 yards in a little more than ten seconds. The world record in 1900 for the 100 yard dash was a little under ten seconds. While working as a sparring partner for James J. Corbett, Jeffries consistently outsprinted Corbett. Corbett was an outstanding all around athlete and had never lost a footrace to any of his campmates. Jeffries was also nimble and could purportedly high jump over six feet.

His greatest assets were his enormous strength and stamina. Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former welterweight and middleweight champion Tommy Ryan, Jeffries fought out of a crouch with his left arm extended forward. He was able to absorb tremendous punishment while wearing his opponents down. A natural left-hander, he possessed one punch knockout power in his left hook.

Biography

Youth

In 1891, his father moved his family from their Ohio farm to Los Angeles, California where the powerfully built and athletic teenager boxed as an amateur until age 20 when he started fighting professionally, going undefeated. On his way to the title, Jeffries knocked out Peter Jackson, the great black fighter whom John L. Sullivan had refused to fight, in three rounds. On June 9, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York he defeated Bob Fitzsimmons to win the Heavyweight championship of the world. That August, he embarked on a tour of Europe putting on exhibition fights for the fans. Jeffries was involved in several motion pictures recreating portions of his championship fights. Parts of his other bouts and films of some of his exhibition matches survive to this day.

Becoming champion

Jeffries has the record for the quickest KO in a heavyweight title fight ever, which was 55 seconds against Finnegan. During his reign as champion, Jeffries defended his title seven times, including two knockout victories over former champion Corbett. He won a 25 round decision over Tom Sharkey. Jeffries broke the ribs of three opponents in title fights: Jim Corbett, Gus Ruhlin, and Tom Sharkey. Jeffries retired undefeated in May of 1905. He served as a referee for the next few years, including the bout in which Marvin Hart defeated Jack Root to stake a claim at Jeffries' vacated 'title.'

An example of Jeffries ability to absorb punishment and recover from a severe battering to win a bout came in his rematch for the title with Fitzsimmons, who is regarded as one of the hardest punchers in boxing history. After losing his crown to Jeffries, Fitzsimmons fought and knocked out Jim Daly, Ed Dunkhorst, Gus Ruhlin, and Tom Sharkey. This earned him a rematch with Jeffries, which occurred on July 25, 1902 in San Francisco. For this fight Jeffries each day would have to run 14 miles, 2 hours of skipping, medicine ball training, 20 minutes on the heavy bag and at least 12 rounds of sparring. He also trained in wrestling.

For nearly eight rounds Fitzsimmons subjected Jeffries to a vicious and merciless battering. Jeffries suffered a broken nose, both his cheeks were cut to the bone, and gashes were opened over both eyes. It appeared that the fight would have to be stopped, as blood freely flowed into Jeffries' eyes. Then in the eighth round, Jeffries lashed out with a terrific right to the stomach, followed by a lethal left hook to the jaw which knocked Fitzsimmons unconscious.

Comeback

James Jeffries during his nation-famous fight with Jack Johnson

Six years after retiring, Jeffries made a comeback on July 4, 1910 at Reno, Nevada. He fought champion Jack Johnson, who had staked his claim to the heavyweight championship by defeating Tommy Burns at Rushcutters Bay in Australia in 1908.

Although, Jeffries had not fought in six years, was 35-years old and had ballooned to over 315 pounds, he was persuaded to accept the match. After his six-year layoff, an out-of-shape Jeffries had to lose close to 100 pounds, and had no warmup fights to determine if he could still fight at all.

The fight soon became a symbolic battleground for the races. The media, eager for a "Great White Hope", found a champion for their racism and bigotry in Jeffries. He said, "I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro."^[1] A furor was created at the fight, as a ringside band played, "All coons look alike to me" and promoters encouraged an all-white crowd to chant "Kill the nigger".^[2]

Jeffries' belief in his own white superiority was destroyed as he was almost knocked out in the 15th round. The fight against Johnson was stopped in the 15th round, as Jeffries' corner would not allow him to get knocked out by Johnson. Johnson, who was not a big puncher by heavyweight championship standards, proved a stronger adversary. This was not the same Jeffries who had reigned as champion. Jeffries was unable to bull Johnson around, as he had every other ring opponent he faced. Jeffries, who had been known for his seemingly superhuman stamina, faded under the midday Reno heat. Aside from a few flashes of the Jeffries of old, the results of the fight were never in doubt.

Jeffries made no excuses at the time. However, later in his biography he implied that he had been drugged prior to meeting Johnson. Johnson, in his own biography, named Jeffries as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

In his later years, Jeffries trained boxers and worked as a fight promoter. He promoted many fights out of a structure known as "Jeffries Barn." Jeffries Barn is now part of Knott's Berry Farm, a Southern California amusement park. On his passing in 1953, he was interred in the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

James J. Jeffries was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers

Footnotes

External links

• James J. Jeffries' career boxing record
• James Jeffries at Find-A-Grave

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