Career
As a powerfully built and athletic teenager, Jeffries boxed as an amateur until age 20, when he started fighting professionally.
In his third fight, Jeffries knocked out the highly regarded black boxer named Hank Griffin in the fourteenth round. Jack Johnson had fought Griffin on three separate occasions and failed to beat him once.
Jeffries fought the top heavyweight contender, Gus Ruhlin, to a draw. Ruhlin was knocked down with a brutal punch at the end of the final round and was saved by the bell from being counted out. The decision was met with unfavorable reactions from the audience, many of whom felt Jeffries won.
On his way to the title in 1898, Jeffries knocked out Peter Jackson, the great black boxer whom John L. Sullivan had refused to fight, in three rounds. This had been only the second defeat in Jackson's entire career; his first loss was from a four round fight over thirteen years earlier around the beginning of his career. Jackson retired shortly afterward.
Jeffries defeated the formidable Mexican Pete Everett by knockout in only the third round on April 22, 1898.
His next fight was against the Irishman Tom Sharkey. The fight went the full twenty rounds and Sharkey was knocked down in the eleventh round. Jeffries won the decision.
After defeating the big, fast-moving, sharp-jabbing black, Bob Armstrong, Jeffries had earned the right to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship.
On June 9, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York he defeated Bob Fitzsimmons by knockout 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. Filmed portions of his other bouts and of some of his exhibition matches survive to this day.
Read more about this topic: James J. Jeffries
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