Jack Johnson vs. Tommy Burns: 2026 Documentary

[Ric]

A new documentary was just published over on YouTube. What do you think?

[Ambling Alp II]

Thanks for posting this.

Obviously, it's too bad that most of footage was lost. It was terrible that they originally re-pieced the sequence of the fight of the footage that they did have, and broadcast it like that. They should have just showed what they did have in the order that they had it. Amazing that it took so long for this all to be found out.

It was interesting to watch this.

[goose 5]

It is amazing- you're right. Jacobs was a shifty guy.

[Contendeh]

Having watched the altered version so many times it was very strange watching the round continue.

Though the fight was pretty one sided, the narrative that Johnson “could have ended the fight at any time” is definitely false.

[goose 5]

It's odd that in the 1987 interview with Hugh McIlvanney, Jacobs admitted that his reel of the Johnson-Burns fight only contains rounds 6-11.

[Caractacus]

that "altered" footage was also seen in the documentary LEGENDARY CHAMPIONS that was released in 1969
for "dramatic license"
(at 29:30)

[goose 5]

My point is why would Jacobs admit he didn't have the entire Johnson-Burns fight after duping people into thinking he did ? Also, the "entire" fight was shown on British television in 1970; it's inconceivable that McIlvanney wasn't aware of that, yet he didn't say anything to Jacobs about that in the interview.

[Ambling Alp II]

You also have to wonder why the footage shown in 1970 was not shown more often? Does it still exist?

[Ambling Alp II]

that "altered" footage was also seen in the documentary LEGENDARY CHAMPIONS that was released in 1969
for "dramatic license"
(at 29:30)

This reminds me of a book I have with the same name. It focuses on the same time period, 1882-1929, though it has a couple of chapters at the beginning going back even further. The Copyright of the book is 1972.

The book is a fun read with a lot of little side stories. It mainly covers Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey, and Tunney.

[gilgamesh]

that "altered" footage was also seen in the documentary LEGENDARY CHAMPIONS that was released in 1969
for "dramatic license"
(at 29:30)

This reminds me of a book I have with the same name. It focuses on the same time period, 1882-1929, though it has a couple of chapters at the beginning going back even further. The Copyright of the book is 1972.

The book is a fun read with a lot of little side stories. It mainly covers Sullivan, Corbett, Fitzsimmons, Jeffries, Johnson, Dempsey, and Tunney.

Nobody ever covers poor Marvin Hart. He may be Boxing's most forgotten Heavyweight Championship footnote.

[Caractacus]

Here is another documentary from BIG FIGHTS INC. that was released in 1970
(and won an Academy Award for best documentary in 1971)

-1970-

[goose 5]

Did it win or was it only nominated ?

[Caractacus]

Did it win or was it only nominated ?

Thursday-April-15-1971
....AND THE NOMINEES ARE...

[Caractacus]

...AND THE WINNER IS !..

[Caractacus]

Notice the Miles Davis soundtrack has been removed from the later youtube posting of the documentary.
(the jazz soundtrack , that may have been the reason it was nominated in the first place I think)
-1970-

[Ric]

Here's an interview, published today on YouTube, with the documentary's creator Carl Weingarten, who talks about the back story: