THE 1ST CONTROVERSIAL HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT!!

[@michaelcollins237]

Thank U for the effort

[@DonyellBryant-b6z]

❤ WOW! This is great reporting and story telling. Thank you so much! You are great and This definitely a conversational World Heavyweight Championship of the World fight between two historic fighers. Yes, I sure did enjoy it!

[@vestibulate]

Photos and surviving footage of Bob Fitzsimmons depict a physique somewhat underwhelming to latter day eyes. We're used to seeing heavily muscled bodies and tend to dismiss those that don't conform to today's standards. But Fitzsimmons was unusually strong, highly skilled and very efficient in the ring, to the extent that I think he'd have made a very strong contender for middleweight or light heavyweight championship honors. His reach was phenomenal and stamina second to none. We shouldn't underestimate some of the old-time greats. Who does he remind me of? Mike McCallum, the Bodysnatcher.

[@TheBatugan77]

Well said. I believe Fitz was a blacksmith by trade. So even though he wasn't overly muscular, he was probably unusually strong.

[@thomastedder2944]

No doubt about it.

[@TARZANBOYWRESTLER]

He was World Middleweight Champion before he won the Heavyweight title and he won the World Light Heavyweight Championship after !

[@vestibulate]

@@TARZANBOYWRESTLER He was something special.

[@davidgraham6434]

Two great fighters, people forget, up until the late 60s, Jeffries was considered the greatest heavyweight

[@michaelhiggs8657]

According to Gilber Odd's the figting blacksmith, Jeff got Fitz in a bear hug before one of the fights & sqeezed the wind out of him, so there's even more controversy.

[@robertbeck447]

There is a video on YT where Jeffries is asked about the best fighters he had fought. He spoke very highly of Fitz. It seems unlikely he would have been so effusive in his praise if he had thought Fitz violated the rules in existence at that time, or at least he didn’t feel that any infraction was consequential. We’ll of course never know but one thing for sure, they were 2 of the best fighters of all time. Another wonderful story by ET.

[@BruceAChristie]

That is one very controversial match. I would love to have heard the conversations between these two fighters.

[@vincentchastel2025]

Jeffries had no wrapping ? Sounds odd.

[@ronald8792]

So Jeffries didn't know anything about the fix until the 8th round? I'm having a hard time making sense of this story. I mean, wouldn't the younger, stronger champion be the one that dictates the outcome if it was rigged?.....and why would Fitzsimmons need to cheat if the fix was in?

[@grawakendream8980]

fitz was the margar-cheat-o of his time

[@mattsharkey8437]

Cotto lost that fight. If you don't have proof, it's a wasted comment.