DID THE TOUR BENEFIT JEFF?

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 1055, 26 May 1910, Page 10

DID THE TOUR BENEFIT JEFF?

A MATTER FOR DUBIETY. The settling down of Jim Jeffries to do hard training for his coming fight with Jack Johnson has been a decided relief to the many thousands of light fans who pin their faith on the ability of the big fellow to win back the championship says ‘‘The Champion of Fairplay” of March 1, 1910. Despite all the assertions of Jeffries’ astute manager and clever press agent, Samuel Berger, to the effect tha.: Jim had benefited greatly by his work with Gotch, the world’s wrestling champion, and several other members of the troupe, it has proved a hard matter to convince the public that playing one night, stands throughout the country is an invaluable aid to. a veteran who wishes to get into top notch condition for what promises to be the toughest and most trying of his career.

Late, irregular - hours, badly cooked meals, fly by night whirls across the country and consequent strain on nerves and temper make up a combination calculated to upset the physical stamina of a bull elephant, and Jeffries, Hercules though he may be, is only human, after all. That he is far from being in shape even to box at a fast clip is the opinion of fistic experts in every big city where he has appeared. His bouts with Berger on the stage have always been conducted in a leisurely fashion and have proved rather a disappointment to those who expect the Jeffries of old days forcing his opponent into a rattling pace and showing the vim and dash of an athlete who thoroughly enjoys his work. For it must be conceded that the big fellow sparred very much in the style of the man who had a disagreeable task to perform and was heartily glad when it was finished. Yet when it is remembered that Jeffries has not participated in a ring encounter since the fateful night of August 26, 1904, when he put a stop to the inspirations of Jack Munroe by effectively squelching the Butte miner in two rounds, there is scant room for wonder at his failure to display any astonishing amount of speed in his preliminary warming up gallops. Five years of absence from the squared circle must inevitably slow down any fighter, even if he has led a life of Spartan simplicity during the interval. And the world at large, at least, the sporting portidn of it, knows that Jeffries has not done so- The big fellow was never known to deny himself any comforts of existence. He lived well, drank as much as he thought fitting and, in a word, enjoyed himself thoroughly, as a man may be expected to do who never intends to pick up a challenger’s gauntlet and engage in warfare for the championship crown.

Up to the present, therefore, when thfese things are' taken into consideration, Jeff has, Accomplished something Worth doing by getting rid of much of the adipose tissue which the years of, idleness added to his belt line. It is a far cry from now to the fourth of July, set for the contest, but the time, is none too long for the conditioning'. -of the retired king of the heavies. . ■ • He must undertake a training siege of unusuab length and severity if he expects to bring his breathing apparatus up .to anything, like its old standard of perfection, restore elasticity and power to his mighty muscles and step intq;the.ring a fit and dangerous opponent Sfor the wily negro. Nobodyj realises this better than. Jeffries himself.

Despite the many interviews published as coming from the ex-cham-pion, in which he is supposed to have expressed himself contemptuously regarding Johnson’s fighting ability, it can be. safely asserted that Jeffries does not, undervalue the prowess of his - prospective antagonist. During his entire career as a pugilist he never made the .mistake, of holding an oppo-; nent -.tod. cheap, an error which has led- to the downfall of many a highclass glove artist. Munroe was. undoubtedly, the softest sacrifice that capricious .fortune ever , offered . up at the Jeffries shrine, and the then champion knew in advance that the miner was not even of good third-class rating. Yet he did not neglect his training on this account, for when he faced Munroe at ’Frisco he was in superb shape, keyed up to concert pitch and fit to battle all night if it had been necessary., It is only fair to surmise that Jeff possesses just as much horse sense to-day as he did some five years ago, and the man who refused to take chances with Jack Munroe is not likely to be gulled into accepting the much more formidable Johnson as an easy gift.

Tommy Burns and Bob Fitzsimmons leave Australia for America on June 6, and a large number of Commonwealth sportsmen are arranging for a big send-off at the Hotel Australia to the world-famous boxers.

Joe Gardiner, the English wrestler, whose recent defeat at the hands of Louis Robertson was the first match which he has lost since his arrival in New Zealand, has put up a very fine record during his tour of the Dominion. Altogether he has participated in 4 4 matches and has won 43 of them, defeating all the best lightweight wrestlers in New Zealand. Gardiner is not satisfied with the stand he made against Robertson, and states that illness some weeks prior to the contest caused him great uneasiness, and on the night of the match he was in a very weak condition. He expresses a wish to meet Robertson in a return match for £lOO aside and the best purse offered, the winner to take all, the contest to be decided either in Auckland or Wellington. Gardiner has four more engagements to fulfil in New Zealand, after which he sails for Australia in quest of further matches.

Rudolph Unholz fought a draw with Dick Cullen in Sydney last week.

It seems to be the opinion of all who have watched Jeffries at work that his wind and his capacity for exertion are as intact as in the old years. He is certainly reduced to fighting lines, so far as his shape is concerned, and he does not complain of any tired feeling.

Theodore Roosevelts’ consideration of old friends and his love of a fighter and a good fight haven’t been changed any by his African trip, as a letter from him received by “Tony” Gavin, who frequently corresponded with the ex-president, testifies. The letter reads as follows:—“Africa, On Safari —Here is the flower for Alberta. I wish I could have sent it, with many returns on her birthday. It was good to hear from you. That must have been a rattling fight between Ketchel and Johnson. Johnson is unquestionably a first-class fighter. I wonder if Jim Jeffries can get back into form; if he can it will be a tremendous battle when they meet.”