Jack Johnson (boxer)

See also: Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson (March 31st 1878 with Galveston, Texas - June 10th 1946) was a American Boxeur. Called “the Giant of Galveston”, he was the first world champion heavy trucks black between 1908 and 1915. He disputed 113 engagements for 79 victories (44 per KB), 8 defeats, 12 null and 14 without decision.

Johnson gained her first titrates the February 3rd 1903 by beating ED Martin in 20 recoveries for the Colored Heavyweight Championship . It defied then holding it of the world title, James J. Jeffries, but this last refused the combat. The black boxers could boxer against white in the other categories, but not in the heavy trucks, most prestigious of the categories. Johnson broke this taboo by facing the December 26th 1908 the Canadian Tommy Burns with Sydney. The combat lasted 14 rounds, before the police force does not intervene to stop it. The referees then allotted the title to Johnson on decision. In fact, Johnson had punished her adversary and had put it technical KB. It raised to him even its adversary thus in order to still strike it.

Johnson faced the Jeffries American the July 4th 1910 in a heavy environment of racism. Burns declared thus that it accepted this combat in order to show “That a white is better than a negro”. The promoters of the combat incited even the public of Reno (Nevada) (: 22000 spectators) to sing “Kill the negro! ” before and during the combat. Jeffries went twice to the carpet during the first 15 resumptions of this combat, which it be had never arrived to him in its career. Its framing pushed it with the abandonment in order to avoid the shame of the KB. This victory of Johnson allows him empocher: 225000 dollars and to make conceal criticisms in connection with its title vis-a-vis Burns. Many specialists, showing racism openly, did not admit that a black boxer was world champion of the heavy trucks, and regarded the Burns-Johnson match as nonsignificant. For them, Jeffries was the unconquered champion. The advertisement of this victory was marked by racist aggressions of white on blacks through all United States, mainly in the Illinois, the Missouri, the Ohio, the Pennsylvania, the Colorado, the Texas and the cities New York and Washington. The black poet William Waring Cuney published a poem to mark these events: My Lord, What has Morning . Certain American states prohibited the diffusion of film of the match then prohibited that the meetings of Johnson against white boxers are filmed. In 2005, the film of this historical match was placed on the list of the National Film Registry.

Johnson defrayed the chronicle again by marrying a white woman. It had to flee with the Canada then in France in order to avoid the prison for this “crime”…

Johnson loses her title the April 5th 1915 vis-a-vis Jess Willard at the time of a match disputed with Havana (Cuba) in front of: 25000 spectators. Envisaged in 45 recoveries, this combat is stopped after 26 recoveries following the KB of Johnson.

Johnson returns to the United States in 1920 where it purges one year of prison to have married a white woman. He divorces in 1924 and dies in a road accident in 1946. He was introduced in the Pantheon of boxing in 1954. A play of Howard Sackler, The Great White Hope ( the Insurrectionist ), tells her career.

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