Jack Johnson's Struggles, Value, and Impact

[apollack]

Book Offers Comprehensive Overview of Boxer Jack Johnson, Posthumously Pardoned by President Trump

Arrested in 1912 for violating the White-Slave Traffic Act, Johnson was the first black man to fight for and win the world heavyweight championship; he continues to retain tremendous symbolic significance for those who care about racial equality.

Being pardoned by the president of the United States is a big deal. Even though it happened posthumously for Jack Johnson, the world’s first black heavyweight champion, boxing fans all over the world celebrated.

Those fans as well as historians, sociologists, and everyone who loves a good tale will be gratified to read the newly published biography by Adam J. Pollack titled Black Man vs. The World: Jack Johnson’s Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs, a thorough and detailed immersion into Johnson’s struggles, victories, and significance to whites and blacks throughout the world.

The book recounts Johnson’s life and fights based on multiple local next-day primary sources, archival documents, and hundreds of rare photographs, cartoons, and advertisements. Pollack follows Johnson’s path from a struggling poverty-stricken youth to a contender battling against the color line, lobbying for a title shot he had earned, to the world heavyweight championship itself, his reign, and the monumental efforts to find a white fighter capable of defeating him.

Throughout the book, print and photographic excerpts from both black- and white-owned newspapers offer a plethora of perspectives and context about race both in and out of the ring. The book chronicles racial incidents, lynchings, riots, analysis of the significant racial impact of Johnson’s achievements, religious and racial objections and arguments, legal battles, and obstacles Johnson and the sport of boxing faced, including fight film bans. It also includes Johnson’s criminal trial for violating the White-Slave Traffic Act based on the actual trial transcript, as well as his battle for the right to defend his crown in England, which Winston Churchill and others prevented.

Pollack comments, “I often have found that boxing books lack the detail, thoroughness, authenticity, and multiple perspectives from primary sources that I seek. As far as Jack Johnson goes, I wanted to fill the holes in history and answer my unresolved questions. This book offers a fresh, unique, and thorough perspective regarding Jack Johnson's life, boxing career, and the world in which he lived.”

Black Man vs. The World is a revised and condensed version of In the Ring with Jack Johnson with parts I and II combined. 658 pages. 6x9, soft cover, over 300 photos, illustrations, cartoons, and advertisements, and over 1,000 footnotes. $29.95.

Author: Adam J. Pollack is a boxing judge and referee, attorney, and member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He has authored several books on boxing, including his “In the Ring” series.

[Caractacus]

What was the World Population in 1910 anyway ?
I think it was about only 1,700,000,000 people.
Also did Jack Johnson ever have any plans to visit Africa ?
Sonny Liston and George Foreman both had once planned to tour South Africa to do exhibitions when they became
HW Champions but it never happened for some reason.

[oogiebe]

What was the World Population in 1910 anyway ?
I think it was about only 1,700,000,000 people
( and they all weren't living in the USA).

point?

[Caractacus]

What my point is ?
Isn't it obvious ?
When Jack Johnson was still alive the world population was less then 2 Billion people against him.
Today there are 8 Billion people in the world
and most against OUR President Donald J. Trump.
also people use to sleep back,then but now it's 24-7 every single second the Bolshvicks
are plotting using the main stream media insistingly against him,bombarding lies after lies about him to the masses here and around the world.(as well as threats of violence toward him and his friends and family).

[Ambling Alp II]

Not sure if anyone has any idea what you are talking about.

[oogiebe]

Not sure if anyone has any idea what you are talking about.

...I wasn't going to go there...just thought I'd quietly let it go away...

[HomicideHenry]

Nice to see you back Pollack!

Glad to see you finished the Johnson series. I hope you continue writing on and do Willard, Dempsey, Tunney, etc.

I am aware that Tracy Callis just did a book on Jess Willard, so maybe it'd be not worth your time doing Willard. But I hope you keep writing.

[apollack]

Thanks. I am considering doing one on Dempsey.

[HomicideHenry]

Thanks. I am considering doing one on Dempsey.

That'd be excellent. The Kid Blackie years, New York, etc you could make a series out of Jack Dempsey just like you did for Jack Johnson.

[pound per pound]

What was the World Population in 1910 anyway ?
I think it was about only 1,700,000,000 people.
Also did Jack Johnson ever have any plans to visit Africa ?
Sonny Liston and George Foreman both had once planned to tour South Africa to do exhibitions when they became
HW Champions but it never happened for some reason.

??? There were some good fighters back then. The problem with Johnson is he would met none of them as the champion.

Mister Johnson effectively drew the color line vs. three excellent black prizefighters doing his championship tenure.