The Boilermaker

James J. Jeffries
Born April 15, 1875,
Carroll, OH
Died March 3, 1953,
Burbank, CA

Record: 18-1-2 (15 kayoes)



Jeffries is considered one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time. He possessed great stamina, an iron chin, and a powerful punch; He fought from a crouch and sprang forward quickly with dangerous hooks, uppercuts, and jabs; He was probably the strongest heavyweight.
Many boxing people rated him as the best heavyweight ever - Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson, Jim Corbett, Tommy Burns, Tom Sharkey, Jack Root, Willie Ritchie, Patsy Haley, Dan Morgan, Joe Woodman, Dewitt Van Court, and Hugh Fullerton to name a few; Nat Fleischer ranked Jeffries as the #2 All-Time Heavyweight; Charley Rose ranked him as #5; Jeffries was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

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1896
Jan Hank Griffin Los Angeles, Ca KO 14
Feb Jim Barber Los Angeles, Ca KO 2
Jul 2 Dan Long San Francisco, Ca KO 2

1897
Feb "Soldier" James Walker San Francisco, Ca EX
Apr 8 Billy Woods Oakland, Ca EX 3
Apr 9 Theodore Van Buskirk San Francisco, Ca KO 2
May 19 Henry Baker San Francisco, Ca KO 9
Jul 17 Gus Ruhlin San Francisco, Ca D 20
Nov 30 Joe Choynski San Francisco, Ca D 20

1898
Feb 28 Joe Goddard Los Angeles, Ca KO 4
Mar 22 Peter Jackson San Francisco, Ca KO 3
Apr 22 Pete Everett San Francisco, Ca KO 3
May 6 Tom Sharkey San Francisco, Ca W 20
Jul Tom Conroy
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled;
Conroy was ill
Aug 5 Bob Armstrong New York, NY W 10
Aug 5 Steve O'Donnell New York, NY
-This bout was scheduled but cancelled

1899
Jun 9 Bob Fitzsimmons Brooklyn, NY KO 11
-Heavyweight Championship of the World
Jun 10 Jim Daly Philadelphia, Pa SCH
-This exhibition bout was scheduled;
The outcome is not known

-- --- Exhibition Tour in England
Jack Jeffries London, Eng EX 4
George Crisp London, Eng EX 2
Jack Jeffries London, Eng EX 2
Arthur Morris London, Eng EX 2
Jack Jeffries London, Eng EX 2
Aug 7 Ed Dunkhorst London, Eng EX
-Jeffries knocked out six other men in England
Jack Jeffries Paris, Fr EX 4
M. LaBlah Paris, Fr EX
Jack Scales Paris, Fr EX 4
-Jeffries took on all-comers in Scotland and Ireland
Oct 24 Tommy Ryan Asbury Park, NJ EX 6
Nov 3 Tom Sharkey Brooklyn, NY W 25
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

1899-1900
-Jeffries toured the United States and took on all-comers;
He also gave theatrical performances in a play called
"The Man from the West"

1900
Apr 6 Jack Finnegan Detroit, Mi KO 1
-Heavyweight Championship of the World
May 11 Jim Corbett Brooklyn, NY KO 23
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

May 17 Jack McCormick Reading, Pa EX 4
Jul 30 Charles "Kid" McCoy New York, NY
-This bout was scheduled but fell through
Sep John L. Sullivan New York, NY EX 3

1901
Sep 17 Hank Griffin Los Angeles, Ca EX 4
Sep 24 Joe Kennedy Los Angeles, Ca EX 2
Nov 15 Gus Ruhlin San Francisco, Ca KO 5
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

1902
Jul 25 Bob Fitzsimmons San Francisco, Ca KO 8
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

-Jeffries toured the western United States with
Bob Fitzsimmons and took on all-comers

Dec 19 Jack Munroe Butte, Mt EX 4
1903
Feb 12 Bob Fitzsimmons Evansville, In EX
Mar 2 Bob Fitzsimmons Philadelphia, Pa EX 3
Mar 3 Bob Fitzsimmons Chester, Pa EX 3
Aug 14 Jim Corbett San Francisco, Ca KO 10
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

Nov -Jeffries and Joe Kennedy went on an exhibition tour
during November and December
1904
--- Joe Choynski San Francisco, Ca EX
Aug 26 Jack Munroe San Francisco, Ca KO 2
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

1905

May 13 -Jeffries retired from boxing and relinquished the
World Heavyweight Championship

Jul 3 -Jeffries refereed the Marvin Hart vs. Jack Root
World Heavyweight Championship bout in Reno, Nv

1907

Jan 18 -Jeffries refereed the Abe Attell-Harry Baker
World Featherweight Championship bout in Los Angeles, Ca

Jul 4 -Jeffries refereed the Tommy Burns vs. Bill Squires
World Heavyweight Championship bout in Colma, Ca

Sep Bill Squires Ely, Nv
-This bout was tentatively scheduled as a Heavyweight
Championship contest but fell through

Sep 27 -Jeffries refereed the Joe Gans-George Memsic
World Lightweight Championship bout in Los Angeles, Ca

1908

Jan 1 -Jeffries refereed the Abe Attell-Owen Moran
World Featherweight Championship bout in Colma, Ca

Apr 23 -Jeffries refereed the Mike "Twin" Sullivan-Jimmy Gardner
World Welterweight Championship bout in Vernon, Ca

Sep 7 -Jeffries refereed the Stanley Ketchell-Billy Papke
World Middleweight Championship bout in Vernon, Ca

1909
Jun 15 Sam Berger Pittsburgh, Pa EX 6
Jun 16 Sam Berger Philadelphia, Pa EX 3
Jun 22 Sam Berger Troy, NY EX 4
Jun 24 Sam Berger Albany, NY EX 6

1910
Apr 14 Bob Armstrong Ben Lomond, Ca EX
Jun Sam Berger San Francisco, Ca EX
Jul -- Joe Choynski Reno, Nv EX
Jul 4 Jack Johnson Reno, Nv LT 15
-Heavyweight Championship of the World

1921
May 3 Jack Jeffries Los Angeles, Ca EX 3

1927
May 3 Tom Sharkey San Francisco, Ca EX 1

1920-1930
-Jeffries and Tom Sharkey toured the United States
and gave boxing exhibitions; They also gave vaudeville
performances