Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
ON THIS DAY…Jack Johnson battered white men in the ring, drew their blood and knocked them out. He was the first black Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World and demanded recognition and respect for his achievements.
The Heavyweight Boxing Championship was the premier sporting title in the world but in 1908 it was not permitted for a black man to fight for it but the finest boxer in the world was a black man.
When the opportunity did at last come for Johnson however it was to be all of his own making. James J Jeffries, the last great champion had retired in 1904 and his crown had been inherited by the Canadian Tommy Burns, who at only 5’7″ was the shortest ever Champion in the Heavyweight Division. His diminutive stature saw him held up to frequent mockery but he was a good fighter who regularly beat much larger men, and coming from an impoverished background he was also one of the busiest Champions determined to milk his Title as often as he could and for as much money as he could.
The fight between Burns and Johnson took place in Sydney Australia, on Dec 26th 1908. Knocked down twice in the First Round, Burns and his corner took to racially abusing Johnson in an attempt to make him angry and become reckless, but Johnson remained calm, smiling throughout, though he was later to say: “Burns used language that it would be impossible for me to report. If I had killed Burns for the language he used to me I would have been fully justified.”
Instead, he chose to hold him up in the ring so he could continue the beating and the hostile white crowd could soon be heard shouting for the fight to be stopped. As the punch was landed that was to send Burns crashing to the canvass for the final time the cameras were switched off and the police entered the ring.
The fight had lasted Ten Rounds though it could have finished much earlier and it proved a traumatic experience for the viewing white public as the much larger Johnson threw Burns around the ring like a rag doll. Worse still he seemed to be enjoying himself mocking the Champions corner and smiling for the crowd but at least they were spared the humiliation of the ex-Champions final moments.
How could this have happened? The cry went out for a white man to put the black man in his place. Even such a prominent liberal as the novelist Jack London asked: “Where was the Great White Hope?”
Jeffries who had not fought for six years was enjoying his retirement and with his weight having ballooned to 320 pounds clearly wasn’t much interested in returning. In the end however, it wouldn’t be white pride that convinced him to return to the At last. In early 1910 he announced his return to the ring declaring somewhat disingenuously: “So I can prove that a white man is better than a Negro.”
Soon dubbed THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY the white people of America and around the world anticipated seeing the Negro being put in his place by a true Champion.
Prior to the start of the fight the band played “All Coons Look Alike To, Me” and the crowd chanted “Kill the N*gger.” But the white heat of racial hatred did not seem to affect Johnson at all. As he entered the ring he was greeted with silence only punctuated by boos and the occasional shouted insult but Johnson just smiled and joked with his corner men.
White America did not take the outcome well and as news of the result filtered through race-riots broke out in many cities which were to leave 23 black and 2 white men dead with hundreds more injured. In the meantime, the search for the next “Great White Hope” continued.
Johnson was to remain Champion for the next seven years. And if the white boxing establishment could not find a solution to the problem of Jack Johnson then law enforcement would. Jack Johnson had two great passions, white women and fast cars – the former would ruin his life, the latter end it.
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ON THIS DAY…Jack Johnson battered white men in the ring, drew their blood and knocked them out. He was the first black Heavyweight Boxing Champion of the World and demanded recognition and respect for his achievements.
The Heavyweight Boxing Championship was the premier sporting title in the world but in 1908 it was not permitted for a black man to fight for it but the finest boxer in the world was a black man.
When the opportunity did at last come for Johnson however it was to be all of his own making. James J Jeffries, the last great champion had retired in 1904 and his crown had been inherited by the Canadian Tommy Burns, who at only 5’7″ was the shortest ever Champion in the Heavyweight Division. His diminutive stature saw him held up to frequent mockery but he was a good fighter who regularly beat much larger men, and coming from an impoverished background he was also one of the busiest Champions determined to milk his Title as often as he could and for as much money as he could.
The fight between Burns and Johnson took place in Sydney Australia, on Dec 26th 1908. Knocked down twice in the First Round, Burns and his corner took to racially abusing Johnson in an attempt to make him angry and become reckless, but Johnson remained calm, smiling throughout, though he was later to say: “Burns used language that it would be impossible for me to report. If I had killed Burns for the language he used to me I would have been fully justified.”
Instead, he chose to hold him up in the ring so he could continue the beating and the hostile white crowd could soon be heard shouting for the fight to be stopped. As the punch was landed that was to send Burns crashing to the canvass for the final time the cameras were switched off and the police entered the ring.
The fight had lasted Ten Rounds though it could have finished much earlier and it proved a traumatic experience for the viewing white public as the much larger Johnson threw Burns around the ring like a rag doll. Worse still he seemed to be enjoying himself mocking the Champions corner and smiling for the crowd but at least they were spared the humiliation of the ex-Champions final moments.
How could this have happened? The cry went out for a white man to put the black man in his place. Even such a prominent liberal as the novelist Jack London asked: “Where was the Great White Hope?”
Jeffries who had not fought for six years was enjoying his retirement and with his weight having ballooned to 320 pounds clearly wasn’t much interested in returning. In the end however, it wouldn’t be white pride that convinced him to return to the At last. In early 1910 he announced his return to the ring declaring somewhat disingenuously: “So I can prove that a white man is better than a Negro.”
Soon dubbed THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY the white people of America and around the world anticipated seeing the Negro being put in his place by a true Champion.
Prior to the start of the fight the band played “All Coons Look Alike To, Me” and the crowd chanted “Kill the N*gger.” But the white heat of racial hatred did not seem to affect Johnson at all. As he entered the ring he was greeted with silence only punctuated by boos and the occasional shouted insult but Johnson just smiled and joked with his corner men.
White America did not take the outcome well and as news of the result filtered through race-riots broke out in many cities which were to leave 23 black and 2 white men dead with hundreds more injured. In the meantime, the search for the next “Great White Hope” continued.
Johnson was to remain Champion for the next seven years. And if the white boxing establishment could not find a solution to the problem of Jack Johnson then law enforcement would. Jack Johnson had two great passions, white women and fast cars – the former would ruin his life, the latter end it.
avibe.wakannaforlife.com/New-Home-Page WAKANNA CBD
THE WAKANNA MOVEMENT!
Under the direction of these four women, WaKanna For Life creates some of the highest quality products in the world. By focusing on industry staples and the hottest trends like edibles and water solubles, they're well positioned to become a dominant player in the Cannabis arena.
WaKanna was brought into existence through the synergistic efforts and shared foundational values of four African-American women who believe health, wealth, legacy and freedom are gifts that belong to all people. Some of these ladies have shaped multi-billion dollar companies and have helped empower over 5,000 minorities to join the Cannabis/CBD space. The company launched on April 20, 2019 with the goal of becoming the largest and most reputable minority-owned Cannabis/CBD oil company in the world.
