GGOATRANK
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Boxing · Heavyweight · United States

James J. Jeffries

1896–1910 · Undefeated heavyweight champion who retired as titleholder in 1905.

Retired
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
87.9
Cultural & brand footprint 58/100 · total legacy 79.0
World title defences
7
Career wins
18
Knockouts
15
Losses as champion
0
Years as champion
6

Category profile

Dominance
90
Peak
96
Longevity
74
Honours
88
Statistics
92

Career timeline · Form index per season

SeasonForm index per seasonShare of career
189650
189760
189869
189979
190088
190198
190289
190381
190472
190563
190655
190746
190837
190929
191020

Data sources

  • International Boxing Hall of Fame
  • BoxRec records
  • Ring Magazine archives

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why James J. Jeffries ranks #51 in Boxing

James J. Jeffries ranks 51st among Boxing athletes on GOAT Rank and 484th of 4013 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 87.9 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 90, Peak 96, Longevity 74, Honours 88, Statistics 92. Those categories are normalised against the full Boxing reference universe of 231 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 1896–1910 with 15 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 1901, which sets the Peak component at 96. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 96 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes world title defences 7, career wins 18, knockouts 15, years as champion 6.

Immediately ahead sits Young Corbett III on 88.0, a gap of 0.1 points. Directly behind is Jimmy Barry on 87.9. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

James J. Jeffries GOAT Score explained

Dominance90/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Jeffries stood above the field while competing. Scored 90/100 against the full Boxing cohort.
Peak96/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 1901. Scored 96/100.
Longevity74/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 14 years of competition and 15 recorded seasons. Scored 74/100.
Honours88/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 88/100.
Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 92/100.

James J. Jeffries — frequently asked

Is James J. Jeffries the GOAT?
Not on the current data. James J. Jeffries ranks 51st in Boxing with a GOAT Score of 87.9, behind Sugar Ray Robinson on 94.3.
What is James J. Jeffries's GOAT Score?
87.9 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 90 (25%), Peak 96 (20%), Longevity 74 (20%), Honours 88 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does James J. Jeffries rank all time?
484th of 4013 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 51st within Boxing.
James J. Jeffries vs Young Corbett III: who ranks higher?
Young Corbett III, on 88.0 against James J. Jeffries's 87.9 — a margin of 0.1 points.
Compare with Robinson