Johnson, "Jack" (John Arthur)
Boxing
b. March 31, 1878, Galveston, TX
d. June 10, 1946
The first black heavyweight champion, Johnson began boxing as a teen-ager. His first recorded professional fight was a 4th-round knockout of Jim Rocks in Galveston. He won the so-called colored heavyweight championship on February 3, 1903, with a 20-round decision over Denver Ed Martin at Los Angeles.
But Johnson was determined to become world champion. He took a major step toward the title by knocking out former champion Bob Fitzsimmons in the 2nd round on July 17, 1907. Tommy Burns, who had won the championship the previous year, went on a tour of England and France. Johnson followed him.
He finally caught Burns in Australia, where a promoter named Hugh D. "Huge Deal" McIntosh put up a guarantee of $30,000 for a Burns-Johnson match. Burns accepted. McIntosh refereed the fight, which took place on December 26, 1908--"Boxing Day" in Australia.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Johnson had a large advantage in reach over Burns, who was the shortest heavyweight champion ever at only 5-foot-7. Johnson gave Burns a thorough battering before a police inspector stepped into the ring to stop the fight in the 14th round.
When Johnson returned to the United States, a search began for a "Great White Hope" who could win the title from him. Former champion James J. Jeffries was finally persuaded to come out of retirement, but he was out of shape and Johnson toyed with him before knocking him out in the 15th round on July 4, 1910, at Carson City, NV. The victory sparked race riots across the country, in which nineteen people were killed.
Johnson's second wife committed suicide in September of 1912 and he married a young white woman three months later. That was the last straw for white authorities. Johnson was sentenced to a year in prison for violating the Mann Act, which forbade transportation of a woman across state lines for immoral purposes.
While his conviction was being appealed, Johnson fled to Canada and then to France. On April 5, 1915, he lost his title when Jess Willard knocked him out in the 26th round in Havana, Cuba. Johnson claimed in his autobiography that he deliberately lost the fight because he'd been promised a pardon if he did so.
Johnson lived in Spain and Mexico until 1920, when he returned to the United States and surrendered to authorities. He spent nearly a year in federal prison and then resumed his boxing career. He fought sporadically through 1933 and returned to the ring for two exhibitions in 1945. He was killed when his car crashed in North Carolina while he was driving to New York to see the Joe Louis-Billy Conn championship fight.
A superb defensive boxer, Johnson did little serious training, rarely extended himself in the ring, and enjoyed taunting opponents. He won 78 of his 113 professional fights, 44 by knockout. He lost 7, 5 by knockout, and he also fought 14 draws and 14 no-decisions.
