Show SAN SAM FRANCISCO athe the years slip by rither rather easily out under this western sun there Is lonnie stagg rom romping ing around at the age ot of 78 still coaching a football team iran I 1 ran across another young fel ellow who Is only 65 but one lew few ot of us would care to tangle with even W though he Is bald I 1 believe he could still get an even break with a grizzly bear e which too A young his name Is james J jeffries one of the greatest heavy weights that ever lived the greatest lr in more than a few grantland Grantlan i rice dRice r important opinions I 1 asked jim 11 bout about the modern cr crop op here was his answer the main trouble with our oar modern day fighters is that they wont take the time and effort to train properly and they wont listen to advice the boxer who wont work cant fight because it takes more inside stuff to train hard than it does to get in there and start swinging the modern fighter does n t mow know what real work Is nor real training I 1 found the ex champlon champeon at jet jef tries fries barn a modest little fight club located in burbank on the outskirts of hollywood appropriately trough the arena is situated on victory boulevard jim jeffries Jeff rles knows s something 0 te about victory he had more than 20 fights and lost only one that to jack johnson at reno in 1910 when he be essayed a comeback after a five year layoff the most dangerous the most dangerous and crafty fighter of all the heavyweights heavy weights was bob fitzsimmons continued jes jeff the stub of a cigar clenched in his teeth jack dempsey was the b best es t of the modern hitters but you noticed that jacks opponents kept getting up of off the floor after he be had cracked them I 1 remember one fight fitz had against gus ruhlin in new york bob hit gus with a terrific punch to the chin and ruhlin was unconscious tor for 36 W hours there was no P publicity about it at the time because ev jk jack ey dempsey was afraid it might be bad for the fight game jeffries Jeff rles shies away from attempting to compare joe louis the present champion with the old time greats louis has never been thoroughly tested lie ile has no competition yes I 1 think dempsey would have beaten joe because jack could hit just as hard bard and liked the rough going but bt b how ow can anybody tell louis may be the greatest of them all but I 1 60 doubt u bt it je jeffries efries says louis has been a credit to the sport of boxing and sees little chance of anybody beating him because there are no standouts stan douts among the crop of contenders and the youngsters coming up just wont work hard enough to get any place underdog against fitz jim Is now 65 years old he had his first fight at the tender age of 18 16 in los angeles 1 I weighed pounds that night said jeff sn smiling TIlIng as he recalled the battle boy and did I 1 learn something my opponent was flank bank griffin a big negro 0 and it took me 14 rounds to put him away and wa was s I 1 tired I 1 resolved then I 1 wouldn t fight any more until I 1 had bad done a lot of work when I 1 really began training I 1 you know when I 1 got the chance to meet fitzsimmons tor for the title in 1899 1 I worked five months on the road before I 1 ever entered the gym fitzal fitzsimmons in mons was waa a 2 to I 1 favorite over jeffries Jeff rles for or that fight but jeff trained diligently with tommy byan byu a u once middleweight champion and took both the bettors bettorf and fitz tor for aride a ride when he stopped the titleholder in the eleventh round in the same year jeffries proved his condition by taking a around 25 decision from tom sharkey lo in the same coney island ring and the big fellow Is still in pretty good shape for a man of 65 05 he weighs around and keeps his waistline down by chasing gophers and digging weeds on my ranch jeffries Jeff rles successfully defended his bis title five times twice against jim corbett Cor bott and also against sharkey fitzsimmons and jack junr munroe 0 e he was 24 years of age when he won it and 31 when johnson kaied kayoed him in his comeback attempt la in 1910 the super start incidentally that reno fight was the first of tex super pro duc duct tlona ioas it drew a gate of better than and brought jeffries his bis largest purse his share which included his cut of the motion picture profits amounted to more than jim hs has saved his bis money but he still likes to mingle with the fight mob end and hes happiest while refereeing the bouts at his arena which has been running eight years and houses bouses about 1200 tans fan |