Here, Jeffries’ 1899 conquest of Bob Fitzsimmons to win the heavyweight crown is particularly well told, as is his successful 1900 title defense against James J. The narrative flow of each new book is better than the one before. Pollack’s writing is constantly improving. After reading thousands of contemporaneous newspaper and magazine articles, the author exhaustively reports on the build-up to each significant fight in his subject’s career and the fight itself. Like Pollack’s previous books, it follows a set formula. Jeffries takes readers from Jeffries’ birth to his first retirement in 1905, when he was considered by many to be the greatest fighter of all time. Jeffries is the fourth in that series, following biographies of John L. Jeffries!Īs the new millennium began, an Iowa attorney and boxing aficionado named Adam Pollack decided to write biographies of boxing’s early gloved champions. Pollack for writing this outstanding book and letting boxing fans appreciate the abilities of The Boilermaker James J. I hope Mr Pollack will continue writing and bring his sharp analytical style to such fighters as Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey. He covers the training, the odds, what the fighters said in the press to hype the fight and gives round by round, almost blow by blow account of what took place. Pollack details each of Jeffries championship fights. Jeffries should have his own documentary. If you merely watch Ken Burns documentary on Jack Johnson Unforgivable Blackness you’ll come away with an incomplete picture of Jeffries. This is a must have book for anyone who is interested in not only Jeffries but also the era in which Jeffries was champion. You get a sense that he was every bit as good (in his prime) as Jack Johnson. After reading this book one comes away with a greater appreciation of Jeffries skill and toughness in the ring. Pollack has put together a detailed book on one of Boxing greatest and unfortunately, most forgotten heavyweight champion. Tracy Callis review for the Cyber Boxing Zone.Ĭhristopher LaForce review for the Cyber Boxing Zone.Īn Outstanding Book on the great Jim Jeffries – Mr. The book also includes Jeffries’ career record, over 100 photos, 924 footnotes, and an index. The use of local primary sources gives readers a rare opportunity to relive Jeffries’ career as if they were reading about it at the time he was fighting. The book is based on next-day local newspaper accounts, comparing and contrasting their descriptions and analysis in order to provide an authentic view of how heavyweight boxing was perceived at the time. Chapters also include descriptions and analysis of Corbett-Sharkey II, Fitzsimmons-Ruhlin, Fitz-Sharkey II, and Corbett-McCoy, as well as controversies surrounding several bouts. It discusses the time’s heavyweight scene, including contenders, pre-fight hype and negotiations, political and legal obstacles, and the color line. It describes in meticulous detail James Jeffries’ bouts from the 1890s up to 1905 (including round by round accounts as well as pre- and post-fight analysis), his opponents, and his training regimen. He passed away in 1953 and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.This is Adam Pollack’s 4th book in his heavyweight champion series. Returning to retirement after his unsuccessful comeback, Jeffries became a boxing trainer and promoter. The fight ended with Johnson retaining his title through technical knockout. He made a brief return after 5 years to fight Jack Johnson. Jeffries retired in 1905, but his life outside the ring did not last long. Jeffries was an unrelenting fighter whose success was greatly due to his ability to absorb many blows and stomach injuries such as a broken nose and bleeding head wounds. He successfully defended the title against Tom Sharkey and later, James Corbett.Īll in all, he defended his title seven times. Jeffries bested Bob Fitzsimmons in the eleventh round to win the title. After defeating Bob Armstrong, Jeffries qualified to fight in an 1899 world heavyweight championship title match. Notable victories against formidable opponents such as Hank Griffin, Peter Jackson, and Tom Sharkey, augmented Jeffries’ early career.
#Jim jeffries boxer professional#
The Jeffries family left their native Ohio for Los Angeles, California in 1891, where Jefferies was a boilermaker, which served as the obvious origin for his later nickname, “The Boilermaker.”Īt the age of 20, Jeffries turned to professional boxing. James Jeffries was born in Carroll, Ohio on April 15, 1875.
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