BoxRec

Thought it would be intersting to know which fights were planned for Jack Johnson
but did'nt happen for one reason or another and how they would have proably gone if they happened.

The fight with Bombadier Billy Wells was scheduled for October.2.1911
at the Empress theatre in London (but was called off at the last moment by the Home Office)
How would that have gone do you think ?

There were negotiations for Jack Johnson to defend the title against Al Palzer
in Paris France during the Spring of 1913.
but It never happened of course.

There were also plans for Jack Johnson to defend the title against Gunboat Smith
in Tiajuana Mexico on July 4th 1914 and then pushed up to January 1st 1915 also in Tiajuana.
It also never happened.

Johnson signed to meet none other than Sam Langford in the UK, but pulled out of the fight circa 1909.

Little Langford would have been shittcanned about as easily as Johnson handled the diminutive Burns... They were both short little fuggers.. They couldn’t hang with Johnson.. Langford was a little over 5’6” in height and Johnson was the best Heavyweight in the world...and big for his day.

Langford fought Stanley Ketchell several months after Johnson cold cocked Ketchel knocking many of his teeth out and embalming him with 1 shot… Langford and Ketchel hit each other as hard as they could. As reported at ringside ""Ketchel and Langford will have to fight again to settle the question of supremacy. They went a hard six-round bout at the National athletic club here and were both on their feet, able to continue, with plenty of strength and aggressiveness when the battle ended, with no decision by the referee. No knockdowns were scored in spite of the terrific hitting power of both men, and while there seems to be no doubt that they tried to do their best."

Four Philadelphia newspapers had Middleweight Ketchel beating Langford.. Nobody thought Ketchel did well with Johnson.

also originally Jack Johnson was to do a six round exhibition with Denver Ed Martin in Vancouver British Columbiain March 1909,
but Martin had to return back to his home for some reason and in his place was Victor McLaglen,who just happened to be in the neighborhood.
( and who went on to win an an Academy award for best actor and the rest is history)

in the Spring of 1913 Tommy Burns claimed he wanted a re-match with Jack Johnson and for it to be held in Calgary Canada.
and he wanted a "clean-break referee" for it this time.
( Tommy Burns had only about 5 fights in just 4 and a half years since he lost the title up to then).

Caractacus wrote: ↑05 Dec 2017, 14:10 in the Spring of 1913 Tommy Burns claimed he wanted a re-match with Jack Johnson and for it to be held in Calgary Canada.
and he wanted a "clean-break referee" for it this time.
( Tommy Burns had only about 5 fights in just 4 and a half years since he lost the title up to then)

Burns didn't have a chance from the inside or outside against Johnson.. Clean break ref, or whatever kind of BS he wanted to talk about... There was a dispute about who should referee for Johnson-Burns.. Johnson suggested Hugh McIntosh who was a close friend of Burns.. Burns agreed.

Johnson did the same thing when a referee couldn't be agreed upon for the Johnson-Jeffries Fight.. He knew Tex Rickard was a close friend of Jeffries.. However Johnson knew Rickard was a man of great integrity.. He trusted him like he trusted McIntosh and asked if Rickard would be an acceptable referee for Jeffries ... Jeffries agreed immediately.

These are maneuvers that show how astute Johnson was -- and had to be to operate in a white man's world as Heavyweight Champion.

In the Summer of 1913,Jack Johnson offered to come to Calgary Canada to defend his title against Luther McCarty
( if the price was agreed anyway) But in the meantime Burns had McCarty fight Arthur Pelkey instead.

Caractacus wrote: ↑04 Dec 2017, 14:10 There were also plans for Jack Johnson to defend the title against Gunboat Smith
in Tiajuana Mexico on July 4th 1914 and then pushed up to January 1st 1915 also in Tiajuana.
It also never happened.

I have the book "In This Corner..!" In it Smith talks about Johnson, as well as Burns, Willard, Dempsey, Langford and others. He was a bit of a character. He didn't mention the proposed fight with Johnson but has some interesting things to say about Johnson.