Friday, February 25, 2011

Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson

No, not the performer. This Jack Johnson was known as the “Galveston Giant.” Having won the heavyweight title in 1908 beating Tommy Burns, the world was so shaken by such a dominant black boxer Jack London called out for a strong challenger, thus coining the phrase “The Great White Hope.” That hope appeared as the undefeated James J. Jefferies who came out of retirement in 1910 to fight Johnson. The result was a Johnson victory and race riots across the country.

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