Jack Johnson’s name will live on forever in boxing history as the first Black heavyweight champion of the world.
During the height of the Jim Crow era in America, Johnson fought Tommy Burns in Australia in 1908, beating him in the 14th round to win gold. Johnson didn’t return home a hero but rather a perceived threat to the status quo.
The widespread vitriolic reception eventually led to former undefeated champion James J. Jeffries coming out of retirement to face Johnson in “The Fight of the Century” on July 4, 1910. In the eyes of many, Johnson’s win over Jeffries legitimized his initial 1908 triumph, forever changing the landscape of boxing’s glamor division.
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