Wilderness Dance Hall
The Historic Jim Jeffries Barn
Posted September 2022
Jim Jeffries Pugilist
Pugilist: - A Professional Boxer
James Jackson "Jim" Jeffries (April 15, 1875 – March 3, 1953) was an American professional boxer and World Heavyweight ChampionJames J. Jeffries:
- He was known for his enormous strength and stamina.
- Jeffries stood 6 ft 1+1⁄2 in (1.87 m) tall and weighed 225 pounds (102 kg) in his prime.
- He could run 100 yards (91 m) in just over ten seconds, and could high jump over 6 feet (180 cm).
- A natural left-hander, he possessed one-punch knockout power in his left hook, and brawled his way to the top of the rankings.
Using a technique taught to him by his trainer, former Welterweight and Middleweight Champion Tommy Ryan, Jeffries fought out of a crouch with his left arm extended forward. He was able to absorb tremendous punishment while wearing his opponents down.
- He is perhaps most famous for being United States "Great White Hope", since the nation expected him to come out of his retirement to beat the African-American boxer Jack Johnson, who was at the time the Heavyweight Champion.
- James J. Jeffries was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
In his later years, Jeffries trained boxers and worked as a fight promoter. He promoted many fights out of a structure known as "Jeffries Barn", which was located on his alfalfa ranch at the southwest corner of Victory Boulevard and Buena Vista, Burbank, California. (His ranch house was on the southeast corner until the early 1960s.) Jeffries Barn is now part of Knott's Berry Farm, a Southern California amusement park.
Today, the legacy of Jeffries is widely forgotten. However, he was once considered one of the greatest Heavyweight Champions of all time by many fellow boxers and boxing experts.
