A stunning portrait of a shirtless James Jeffries posing in 1910. Jeffries was known for absorbing terrific punishment as he aggressively moved in on his opponents, and that punishment is clearly reflected in the rugged face in this photo. Jeffries won the World Heavyweight Championship in 1899 and retired undefeated in 1905. In 1910, he came out of retirement as "The Great White Hope" to fight the current Heavyweight Champion, Jack Johnson, an African-American. Retired over five years, Jeffries had to quickly lose 110 ten pounds to get to his fighting weight of 225. This weight loss left him weakened, and he lost to Johnson in a TKO in the 15th round. The fight, in Reno, Nevada, on July 4, 1910, was known as "The Fight of the Century." The vintage mat which the photo is on has been trimmed slightly, but the 10.75x7" image itself is untouched. Matted and framed 18.5x14".