A Review

There have been a handful of books written about the life of, or on the topic of
former Boxing World Heavyweight Champion James J. Jeffries, from 1910 to the present.
All have been informative and interesting. Until now, however, in this historian’s
humble opinion, there has not been a definitive, comprehensive account of “Jeff’s” life and career. Jim Carney really nails it with this biography!

The years of painstaking research that Jim has put into “Ultimate Tough Guy” clearly
shows in his work. One of the tests of a good bio, for me, is the learning of new
information, the acquisition of knowledge heretofore unknown. Before reading this life of “The California Grizzly”, I honestly thought there wasn’t a lot I didn’t know about Jeffries. Was I was wrong! The book is rife with information on Jeff that I had never seen or suspected before, everything from critical biographical detail to the esoteric,
and all of it fascinating. Carney covers the gamut here, from Jeffries’ ancestry to his death and beyond, giving a technical, informed and very thoughtful assessment of this great fighter’s ability. “The Boilermaker’s” style, magnitude and comparative rating in heavyweight boxing history are analyzed and speculated on, with the opinions of a multitude of historical boxing personalities included in the debate.

Carney captures the essence of Jeffries’ complex personality, illustrating his generosity, his love of nature as well as his rather taciturn side when in public. The selection of photos in this book are excellent as well, especially the cover image of a prime Jeffries.
There were a few nice autobiographies of Jim published in 1910, “Two Fisted Jeff” by Hugh Fullerton in 1929 and the fine book on Jeff in 2002 by Kelly Richard Nicholson, “A Man Among Men” It is my decided opinion, though, that if one were to purchase or read only one book on the life and career of Jim Jeffries, “Ultimate Tough Guy” by Jim Carney, Jr. would be the one to pick.

Keep up the good work on the website.