July 4th, 1910: Jack Johnson's Finest Hour
Posted: 05 Jul 2025, 14:23
Jack Johnson's defining fight happened 115 years ago when he defeated former undefeated World Heavyweight Champion Jim J. Jeffries.
Both fighters made $100,000 dollars. A super fight record purse at the time. The fight was at Reno, NV on July 4th, 1910. It was a time that America was still not gotten over about slavery and racism.
Johnson, a 6'1" muscular black man that weigh in 209lbs, became the Heavyweight Champion of the World by beating the crap of Tommy Burns of Canada on December 26, 1908. The massacre was so brutal that police had to intervene and end the slaughter. Johnson became the first black man in history to win the World Heavyweight crown.
By this time, Johnson has beaten guys like Sam Langford, Joe Jeannette, Stanley Ketchel, Sam McVay and other top fighters.
James J. Jeffries, the former Heavyweight World Champion that retired undefeated in 1905, was chilling in his farm in California when the public cry wanted him to come back and beat and "erase the smile of the black man's face" Johnson.
According to the boxing experts and writers of the time, they thought that Jeffries was the only person that could really beat the black Galveston Giant.
For national and racist pride, the promoters of this fight staged it on the day of their independence. It was like if Johnson wasn't American in their eyes. Wasn't he born in Galveston, TX?
Jeffries accepted the challenge to bring back the title to America. To White America. But, after 5 years out of the ring, can he beat this formidable champion in his prime? Jeffries even came at the weigh in at 225lbs!
The fight was a mismatch. For 15 rounds, Johnson did whatever he wanted against Jeffries in front of a crowd of 18,000 people. It was a massacre. Jeffries's face was blooded and he was totally exhausted by the beating that he took from the champion.
When the fight was halted, many angry white men could not accept the fact that a black man could beat a guy of their own.
Johnson proved to be the best fighter of the giants heavyweight division in the first Fight of the Century. The three best fighters of the first two decades of the 20th Century were black: Johnson, Joe Gans and the amazing great Sam Langford.
My question is, was Johnson hated because he was black and arrogant and had white wives or was he hated because he was black?, something unacceptable at the time. Many people died by racial motivated deeds, about 20 of them, because of it. They were mostly black.
But, on this day July 4th, 1910, Johnson became one of the greatest heavyweight champions in history as one of the top 20 greatest pound per pound boxers of all-time with this win. You can argue that Jeffries was washed up and old and was coming from retirement all you want. But, at the time before the fight, many people believed that he was the only one to beat the black champion.
It was Jack Johnson's Finest Hour!
Both fighters made $100,000 dollars. A super fight record purse at the time. The fight was at Reno, NV on July 4th, 1910. It was a time that America was still not gotten over about slavery and racism.
Johnson, a 6'1" muscular black man that weigh in 209lbs, became the Heavyweight Champion of the World by beating the crap of Tommy Burns of Canada on December 26, 1908. The massacre was so brutal that police had to intervene and end the slaughter. Johnson became the first black man in history to win the World Heavyweight crown.
By this time, Johnson has beaten guys like Sam Langford, Joe Jeannette, Stanley Ketchel, Sam McVay and other top fighters.
James J. Jeffries, the former Heavyweight World Champion that retired undefeated in 1905, was chilling in his farm in California when the public cry wanted him to come back and beat and "erase the smile of the black man's face" Johnson.
According to the boxing experts and writers of the time, they thought that Jeffries was the only person that could really beat the black Galveston Giant.
For national and racist pride, the promoters of this fight staged it on the day of their independence. It was like if Johnson wasn't American in their eyes. Wasn't he born in Galveston, TX?
Jeffries accepted the challenge to bring back the title to America. To White America. But, after 5 years out of the ring, can he beat this formidable champion in his prime? Jeffries even came at the weigh in at 225lbs!
The fight was a mismatch. For 15 rounds, Johnson did whatever he wanted against Jeffries in front of a crowd of 18,000 people. It was a massacre. Jeffries's face was blooded and he was totally exhausted by the beating that he took from the champion.
When the fight was halted, many angry white men could not accept the fact that a black man could beat a guy of their own.
Johnson proved to be the best fighter of the giants heavyweight division in the first Fight of the Century. The three best fighters of the first two decades of the 20th Century were black: Johnson, Joe Gans and the amazing great Sam Langford.
My question is, was Johnson hated because he was black and arrogant and had white wives or was he hated because he was black?, something unacceptable at the time. Many people died by racial motivated deeds, about 20 of them, because of it. They were mostly black.
But, on this day July 4th, 1910, Johnson became one of the greatest heavyweight champions in history as one of the top 20 greatest pound per pound boxers of all-time with this win. You can argue that Jeffries was washed up and old and was coming from retirement all you want. But, at the time before the fight, many people believed that he was the only one to beat the black champion.
It was Jack Johnson's Finest Hour!