Harry Jeffra

Early life and career Jeffra was born on in Baltimore, Maryland. He claimed to have changed his name from Ignatius Guiffie in the fourth grade, when his school principal said she couldn't pronounce it. According to Jeffra, he began boxing in 1929 at age fifteen, though his amateur career was rather dismal, fighting twenty-eight amateur bouts, and losing twenty seven.

Apparently his boxing fortunes changed for the better once turning professional around eighteen, and particularly after finding manager Max Wacman. Fighting exclusively in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland as a professional between September 22, 1933, and August 2, 1935, he won twenty-six fights with only one draw and not a single loss.

First meeting with Sixto Escobar

On December 9, 1936, Jeffra first met the reigning World Bantamweight champion Sixto Escobar. Though barely 23 years old, Jeffra was awarded a 10-round decision at New York's Hippodrome. Both fighters boxed close to the 120 pound mark, slightly over the Bantamweight limit. This was an important early victory for a boxer aspiring to a world championship to beat a world champion, even if it was not in a title fight.

On May 13, 1937, he defeated Nicky Jerome handily at the New York Hippodrome. Two right hand shots in the second round put Jerome on the mat twice, once for a count of seven and the second time, 1:26 into the second round, the referee stopped the fight.

On July 19, 1937, he defeated Ruby Bradley, a well known opponent, at Arena stadium in Philadelphia in a fourth-round technical knockout.

Capturing the World Bantamweight Championship

Jeffra captured the World Bantamweight title at age 23 by outpointing Puerto Rican great Sixto Escobar on September 23, 1937 in a fifteen-round points decision in New York's Polo Grounds. The bout was Jeffra's first fifteen-round battle, and exhausted after the win, he was jubilant, but expected to take a month off from training.

Losing the World Bantamweight Championship Jeffra, however, lost the title to Escobar in his home country in San Juan, Puerto, Rico, on February 20, 1938 in another classic fifteen round points decision before a crowd of around 13,000. Winning by a large margin, and probably inspired by the home crowd, Escobar floored Jeffra twice in the eleventh and once in the fourteenth. After the bout, Jeffra announced through his trainer that he would never again try to make the strict Bantamweight limit. At least one source considered the restrictive dieting and heavy work outs required by Jeffra to make the 118 bantamweight limit, and the resulting lack of stamina, to be one of the causes of his loss to Escobar.

On September 17, 1938, Jeffra defeated Nicky Jerome in a sixth-round technical knockout at Ridgewood Grove in Brooklyn. Jerome was an important opponent.

On July 29, 1940, he successfully defended his NYSAC World Featherweight Title against Spider Armstrong in a fifteen-round Unanimous Decision at Carlin's Park in Baltimore.

On January 6, 1941, he defeated Speary in their second meeting in a twelve-round Unanimous Decision at Carlin's Park in Baltimore. In their third meeting on February 2, 1942, he beat Speary in a ten-round Split Decision before a crowd of 7,000 at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Canada. There were no knockdowns in the fight, which started slowly in the early rounds. Jeffra used a straight right and a less effective left to build a lead in points primarily in the last three rounds.

Loss of the World Featherweight Title He lost to Archibald in a NYSAC title bout on May 12, 1941 in a fifteen-round split decision in Washington, D.C., though according to most sources, it is not entirely clear if he subsequently lost the NYSAC World Featherweight Title. Several articles noticed the split decision merely complicated the status of NYSAC World Featherweight Title. Archibald used the win to push his candidacy for the more widely recognized NBA World Featherweight Title.

Jeffra lost a NYSAC World Featherweight Title bout to reigning champion Chalky Wright on June 19, 1942, before a crowd of 6,000 at Oriole Park in Baltimore, in a ten-round technical knockout. Jeffra was down in the ninth, badly worn down from the blows of Wright. He returned for the tenth looking weak, and once he was down, the fight was immediately called. Some sources consider this bout as the official loss of his NYSAC Featherweight Title, as the outcome was more decisive than his loss to Archibald in May 1941.

Important bouts in late boxing career

Win against champion Lou Salica On March 27, 1944, Jeffra fought an important non-title bout with former NBA World Bantamweight Champion Lou Salica, winning in a ten-round unanimous decision in his hometown of Baltimore. Salica won only one round in the bout that was described as "a cautious, cagey battle between ex-champions that afforded little excitement and no knockdowns." It would be Salica's last known competitive professional bout.

Win against champion Phil Terranova On November 20, 1944, Jeffra scratched out an important but close victory in a non-title bout against former NBA World Featherweight Champion Phil Terranova in a ten-round split decision in Baltimore. The crowd of 5,000 probably cheered for Jeffra, their hometown favorite, who rallied in the late rounds to win the close decision.

Jeffra defeated such men as Lou Salica, "Pittsburgh" Jackie Wilson, Ruby Bradley, Joey Iannotti, Indian Quintana, and Bill Speary. Jeffra was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1982.

Titles in boxing Major world titles NYSAC bantamweight champion (118 lbs) NBA (WBA) bantamweight champion (118 lbs) NYSAC featherweight champion (126 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles The Ring bantamweight champion (118 lbs)

Regional/international titles Maryland featherweight champion (126 lbs)

Undisputed titles Undisputed bantamweight champion

Life after boxing After retiring from competitive boxing around 1946, but fighting a few bouts as late as 1950, he coached boxing at Western Maryland College for two years and worked as an agent for Jockey Sam Palumbo, an exceptional half mile track rider. In 1960, he joined the staff of Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, as a stable manager, where he continued to work for many years.

He was married and had two sons and two daughters, sending all to college.

In April 1982, Jeffra was named to the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame.

He died in September 1988.