Show 0 fit 1 G R CE S SAN CAN AN FRANCISCO The The years slip by rather easily out under this western sun There is Lonnie Stagg romping around at the age of 78 still coaching a football team I ran across another young fellow fellow fellow fel fel- fel- fel low who is only 65 but one few of ofus ofus ofus us would care to r tangle with even i though he is is bald I believe he could still get an even break o with a grizzly bear i which wasn't too young His name is James J. J J Jeffries one of c the greatest heavyweights heavyweights heavyweights heavy heavy- weights that ever x lived the lived the greatest Grantland Rice in n more tha than a 1 few important opinions I asked Jim about the modern crop Here was his answer answer- The main trouble with our modem modern modern mod mod- ern em day fighters is that they wont won't take the time and effort to train properly and they wont won't listen to ad ad- vice The boxer who wont won't work I cant can't fight because it takes more in inside inside inside in- in I side stuff to train hard than it does I to get in there and start swinging The modern fighter doesn't know what real work is Nor real training train train- ing I I found the ex-champion ex at Jeffries Jeffries Jef Jef- I fries Barn a modest little fight club located in Burbank on the outskirts of Hollywood Appropriately enough the arena is situated on Victory boulevard Jim Jeffries knows something something something some some- thing about victory He had more I than 20 fights and lost only one that thatto to Jack Johnson at Reno in 1910 when he essayed a comeback after a year five-year layoff The lU Most ost Dan Dangerous erous The most dangerous and crafty fighter of all the heavyweights was Bob Fitzsimmons continued Jeff the stub of a cigar clenched in his teeth J Jack ack Dempsey was the best of the modern hitters but you noticed that Jacks Jack's opponents opponents opponents kept getting up off the floor after he r rhad y had cracked them I t remember one fight Fitz had against Gus Ruhlin in New York Bob hit Gus with a terrific punch to the chin and Ruhlin was f. f unconscious for 36 r hours There was no publicity about it at atthe atthe atthe the time because ev- ev jack Dempsey was afraid it might be bad for the fight game Jeffries shies away from attempting attempt attempt- ing to compare Joe Louis the present present present pres pres- ent champion with the time old-time gre greats ts L Louis has never been thoroughly tested He lie has no competition Yes I think Dempsey would have beaten Joe because Jack could hit just dust as ashard ashard ashard hard and liked the rough going But how can anybody tell Louis may be the greatest of them all but butI I doubt it Jeffries says Louis has been a credit to the sport of boxing and sees little chance of anybody beating him because there are no standouts among the crop of contenders and the youngsters coming up just wont won't work hard enough to get any place Underdog Against Fitz Fit Jim is now 65 years old He had his first fight at the tender age of 16 in Los Angeles I weighed pounds that night said Jeff smiling as he recalled the battle Boy and did I learn some some- thin thing My 1 opponent was Hank Griffin Griffin Griffin Grif Grif- fin a big Negro and it took me 14 rounds to put him a away way And was wasI I tired I resolved then I wouldn't fight any more until I had done a alot alot alot lot of work That's when I really began training You know when I got the chance to meet Fitzsimmons for the title in 1899 1 worked five months on the road before I ever entered the gym Fitzsimmons was a 2 to 1 fa favorite over Jeffries for that fight but J Jeff eft trained diligently with Tommy Ran Ryan Ryan Ry R- Ry- Ry an once middleweight champion and took both the bettors and Fitz for a ride when he stopped the titleholder titleholder titleholder title- title holder in the eleventh round In the same year J Jeffries proved his condition condition condition condi condi- tion by taking a round 25 decision from Tom Sharkey in the same Coney Coney Coney Co Co- Co- Co ney Island ring And the big is still in pretty good shape for a man of 65 He weighs around and keeps his waistline down by chasing gophers and digging weeds on my ranch Jeffries successfully defended his title five times twice against Jim Corbett and also against Sharkey Fitzsimmons and Jack Munroe He was 24 years of age when he hc won it and 31 when Johnson kayoed him in his comeback attempt in 1910 The Super Sz Start Incidentally that Reno fight was the first of Tex Rickard's super pro pro- It drew a gate of better than and brought Jeffries Jefries his largest purse His share which included his cut of the motion picture picture pic pic- ture profits amounted to more than Jim has saved his money moncy but he still likes to mingle with the fight mob and hes he's happiest while refereeing refereeing refereeing refer- refer the bouts at nt his arena which has been running eight years and nud houses about 1200 fans |