The Tragic story of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champion, attests to how blacks’ ascendence in boxing was received with open racial hostility and a manic scramble to dethrone him, and convict him on racially discriminatory legislation, forcing him into exhile to avoid imprisonment.
It took Johnson an unduly long time and series of victories over other contenders before he was granted a title fight at the age of 30, long after establishing himself as the supreme heavyweight in the world. He beat Tommy Burns, a caucasian icon, before which his opportunities for a top condenter, due to discrimination were limited. Once gaining the title, the crey for a white dethroner became defeaning, creating a succession of “great white hope” oppenents.
During his reign he was excoriated for his marriages to two white women, in connection with one of which he was convicted of breach of the Mann Act, which entailed transporting his wife across state lines before their marriage. He was sentenced to a year, escaped to Canada, then to Europe and was a fugitive for 7 years. He had three matches in Paris, then was mislead that the conviction against him would be dropped if he threw a match against 6’ 7’ Jesse Willard. He lost but was forced to serve his sentence.
After Johnson, the championship was guardedly kept out of the reach of black contenders, until Joe Louis, a modest black contender, who later became a symbol of American pride by dispatching Hitler’s chosen symbol of Aryan supremacy, Max Schmeling in the first Round. Since Louis, only Rocky Marciano has been a caucasian Titleholder of much note. And Rocky didn’t take chances, retiring undefeated in his prime. Since then, names of blacks like Patterson, Listen, Ali, Frazier, Foreman, Norton, Spinks, Holmes, Tyson, Spinks, Douglas, Holyfeld, Bowe, Moorer, Lewis, and Rahman until finally another caucasian Klitschko have been associated with the world heavyweight title.
Edit: I forgot the Swede Ingamar Johanassen, who beat Patterson, and in turn lost the rematch. Two linear white heavyweight champions in about 50 years.
