James Jackson Jeffries (April 15, 1875 – March 3, 1953) was an American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion.

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.

A natural left-hander, he possessed one-punch knockout power in his left hook, and brawled his way to the top of the rankings.

[3] Jeffries came out of retirement for the fight, urged on by London and many others who wished to see a white man once again reign as heavyweight champion.

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 boxer Hank Griffin in the fourteenth round.

On his way to the title in 1898, Jeffries knocked out Peter Jackson, the great boxer whom John L. Sullivan had refused to fight, in three rounds.

After defeating the big, fast-moving, sharp-jabbing 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 KO in the eleventh round to win the Heavyweight Championship of the World.

Jeffries later got the chance to avenge his controversial draw with Gus Ruhlin when he defended his title against him on November 15, 1901.

An example of Jeffries's ability to absorb punishment and recover from a severe battering to win a bout came in his rematch for the title with Fitzsimmons, who is regarded as one of the hardest punchers in boxing history.

Jeffries suffered a broken nose, both his cheeks were cut to the bone, and gashes were opened over both eyes.

Then in the eighth round, Jeffries lashed out with a terrific right to the stomach, followed by a left hook to the jaw which knocked Fitzsimmons unconscious.

Tommy Ryan, Corbett's chief second, threw a large palm-leaf fan into the ring to alert Referee Graney that he should stop the fight.

Jeffries broke the ribs of three opponents in title fights: Jim Corbett, Gus Ruhlin, and Tom Sharkey.

He served as a referee for the next few years, including the bout in which Marvin Hart defeated Jack Root to stake a claim at Jeffries's vacated title.

In addition to a guaranteed purse of $40,000 (equivalent to approximately $1,308,000 in 2023 dollars),[8] to woo the ex-champ back into the ring, promoter Tex Rickard had signed him to a $75,000 personal contract.

Previous Heavyweight Champion John L. Sullivan (an ethnic Irish American who refused to fight African-American contenders) remarked during an interview with The New York Times that Jeffries's personal doctor was so amazed at Johnson's physical condition that he felt Jeffries could win only if Johnson had a lack of skill on the day.

As the media instigated racist remarks about winning the title for whites, Jeffries's final words before the fight were, "It is my intention to go right after my opponent and knock him out as soon as possible."

Helped to his feet by one of his seconds and a fan, as soon as Jeffries was back in the ring he was rushed by Johnson, who knocked him down again with a right to the head.

Johnson later remarked that he knew the fight was over in the fourth round when he landed an uppercut to Jeffries's face and saw the look in his eyes.

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.

Seven years after suffering a stroke, Jeffries died on March 3, 1953, in bed at his home, in the presence of his niece Lillian Bull.

However, he was once considered one of the greatest Heavyweight Champions of all time by many fellow boxers and boxing experts:[12][13] The city of Burbank embedded a small bronze plaque in the sidewalk at the site where James Jeffries died.