You Should Know 07.27.09: Boxing’s Biggest Shame

Posted by John Curry on 07.27.2009

"I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro"

Almost 100 years ago one of boxing and America's most shameful displays of racism and bigotry took place in downtown Reno, Nevada. Jack Johnson and James J. Jefferies met on America's birthday, July 4th. Unlike most boxing matches where the importance of the match revolved around the fight in the ring, Johnson and Jeffries were symbolic of the continuing racism and hatred that existed between the dominant White-America and the oppressed Black America.

Jack Johnson was a massive man in size, standing almost 6' 2" tall, cocky and strong as a bull. Johnson was a pure fighter and one the original ground breakers for African Americans in America having staked his claim to the Heavyweight Title after beating Tommy Burns in a fight that saw him mock his opponent by standing him up and beating him some more. On the other side of the ring stood James J. Jefferies, a white man and former champion who reportedly lost nearly 100 pounds to fight Johnson. Jefferies planned to shut Johnson up about his statements regarding his ability to have any white woman he wanted and the fact that Johnson's wives were all white.



Johnson was on tear having defeated over fifty different opponents, both black and white while Jefferies had not fought in six years. While most multi-racial fights of this era encompassed some aspects of discrimination and racism, whether it was the segregation that was required by those in attendance as to where they sit or where they could use their restroom, this fight was the pinnacle of intentional racism. The fight, which was promoted AND refereed by Tex Rickard, took place outdoors under the baking Nevada sun, in a custom built ring in Reno. The fight was built as the "Fight of the Century" but in reality it was built to embarrass Johnson and as Jefferies stated to "prove(sic) that a white man is better than a Negro."

To the chants of "Kill that Nigger" and the music of "All them coons look the same to me" Johnson destroyed Jefferies over the course of 14 rounds and in the 15th, the dominant Johnson dropped Jefferies twice, the first time in Jefferies career he met the mat. In order to prevent the "Great White Hope" from being defeated by knockout, Jefferies corner threw in the towel to force a loss by TKO corner stoppage. Johnson would feel vindicated and would receive $225,000 for the fight, an astronomical amount for any fighter of the day but even more so for an Black fighter. While simply winning would be enough to put to rest the problems Johnson had, it was just the beginning.

Immediately following word and announcement on the radio that Jack Johnson had defeated James Jefferies by TKO in Reno, celebrations and riots erupted in the streets around the country. Blacks took to the street celebrating what they felt as a major strike to the white supremacy they lived under and whites took to the street to stop the "rioting". The riots were confirmed in 23 states and over 50 cities and 23 blacks and 2 whites died in the riots while several more lives were spared when police broke up numerous lynching attempts. All brought to a head by a boxing match.

The hostility that Johnson created would never leave him, which unfortunately would lead to one of the largest travesties of the American justice system. On October 18th, 1913 Johnson was arrested for violating the Mann Act. The Mann Act stated that it was illegal for any person to transport a woman across state lines for immoral purposes. The woman in question would later become his wife, refused to cooperate with the police and Johnson was let go. Less than a month later Johnson was arrested on the same charges with his wife, and this time the police had the cooperation of a prostitute. The end result, an all-white jury convicted him and sentenced Johnson to 1 and ½ years in prison. Johnson and his wife went on the run, refusing to give in to the unconstitutional attempt to punish Johnson and end his boxing career. Over 7 years later, Johnson and his wife surrendered to authorities and served the 1 ½ year sentence in Leveanworth Maximum Security Prison. After proving that his incarceration was the outcome of racist motivation, congress approached former president George W. Bush in order to gain a presidential pardon. Although it passed in the House of Representatives it failed in the Senate and Johnson's legacy remains tarnished by the conviction.

If you would like to help have Johnson's conviction pardoned by President Obama please contact your local representative and ask them to vote yes to the pardon. Put an end to the shameful night that began with violent chants and ended in tarnished legacy.


You should know these unusual facts about Jack Johnson:

1) He is the original owner and founder of a New York club known as the Cotton Club.
2) Johnson is the patent holder and inventor for the original wrench.
3) Johnson died in a Car Crash
4) Both Johnson and Jefferies are in the Boxing Hall of Fame.