Johnson before his successful title defense against ''The Great White Hope'' Jeffries. Jeffries – who hadn’t fought for five years – said upon accepting the fight: “I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a White man is better than a negro.” Given the widespread racial animosity within the American population, largely White media outlets sent out the call for a “Great White Hope” to steal the title from Johnson.Īfter successfully defending his title three times on US soil – he also drew with Philadelphian Jack O’Brien – Jeffries, who had since retired to an alfalfa farm, answered the call for a boxer to “demonstrate the superiority of the White race,” Ward says. Nevertheless, Johnson’s victory was secure, making him the first-ever Black heavyweight boxing champion. In 1908, in front of a crowd of 20,000, Johnson was handily beating Burns in Sydney, Australia, before police stopped the fight in the 14th round to prevent Johnson from knocking out his opponent. By this I mean Black, Mexican, Indian or any other nationality without regard to color, size or nativity.”īurns initially wanted “to give the White boys a chance” first – but Johnson finally got his shot and he took it with both hands. However, then-current world heavyweight champion Tommy Burns was more open-minded, promising to defend his title against “all comers, none barred. Johnson was the first African American to hold the world heavyweight boxing title when he beat Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. READ: ‘I was 25 years ahead of my time’: The driver who shattered motorsport’s color barrier “That he had defied social barriers to become the best at something when all of these other barriers were being put up in front of African Americans seeking to improve their social status, symbolically, he was super important.” “ signified Black possibilities at a moment when all of the regular channels of Black success, whether it be trying to get a quality education or trying to make it in business or even just trying to be involved in politics – because there was so much widespread disenfranchisement – this was an example of a success that couldn’t be disputed,” Runstedtler told CNN Sport. It wasn’t until the rise of Muhammad Ali – who recognized many similarities between himself and Johnson – and the arrival of the Black Power era that his career and achievements became more widely appreciated, not just for his sporting prowess but for his trailblazing success in an era when racism was widespread and commonplace.Īccording to Theresa Runstedtler – author of ‘Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner: Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line’ – the boxer’s defeat of Jeffries “ripped the veil off of the niceties that were used to cover up the violence of White supremacy.” In part due to his refusal to fight Black contenders after beating Jeffries, an extravagant lifestyle and his feud with Joe Louis, Johnson managed to somewhat alienate himself from the Black community and subsequently become something of a forgotten figure. More than 20 people were killed and hundreds were injured. Johnson’s subsequent victory sparked race riots across the US, pitching a Black community – jubilant that their champion had won – against their White counterparts, seething with anger at the outcome of the fight. The bout was fought in Reno, Nevada, at the height of the Jim Crow laws era, when racial segregation in the US South was rigorously enforced.Ī former undefeated heavyweight champion, Jeffries came out of retirement to “to make an effort to reclaim the heavyweight championship for the White race.” He added: “I should step into the ring again and demonstrate that a White man is king of them all.” Jeffries – in what was billed then as the “Fight of the Century” – on Independence Day in 1910, sent shockwaves through both the Black and White communities across the world. In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black heavyweight boxing champion of the world, fighting at a time when, despite slavery having been abolished 45 years previously, African Americans were still subjected to widespread segregation and racism. Those riots weren’t sparked by police brutality, but by a boxing match. Global protests sparked by George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in Minneapolis are likely never to be forgotten, but less well known are the race riots that flared across the US 110 years ago.
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