Johnson, Jack (John Arthur Johnson), 1878–1946, American boxer, b. Galveston, Tex., the son of two ex-slaves. Emerging from the battle royals (dehumanizing fights between blacks for the amusement of white patrons) of his youth, he defeated Tommy Burns in 1908 to become the world's first African-American heavyweight champion. After an interracial marriage and his defeat of several white hopefuls, Johnson was convicted in 1913 under contrived circumstances for violation of a federal law. He fled to Europe and remained a champion in exile until he lost in a 1915 bout in Cuba, knocked out in the 26th round by Jess Willard. Upon his return to the United States in 1920, he served a year in prison.

Bibliography

See biography by G. C. Ward (2004).

Johnson, Jack

in full John Arthur Johnson

Jack Johnson

(credit: UPI Compix)

(born Mar. 31, 1878, Galveston, Tex., U.S.—died June 10, 1946, Raleigh, N.C.) U.S. boxer, the first black to hold the title for the heavyweight championship of the world. Johnson's career was marked from the beginning by racial discrimination; until his match with Tommy Burns, he had a difficult time getting fights. Johnson won the heavyweight crown in 1908 by knocking out Burns and kept it until 1915, when he was knocked out by Jess Willard in 26 rounds. At the height of his career, Johnson was excoriated by the press for having twice married white women, and he further offended white supremacists by knocking out former champion James J. Jeffries, who was induced to come out of retirement as a “Great White Hope.” In 1912 Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act for transporting his wife-to-be across state lines before their marriage. He was sentenced to a year in prison and was released on bond; he fled to Canada, made his way to Europe, and was a fugitive for seven years. He defended the championship three times in Paris before agreeing to fight Willard in Havana, Cuba. Some observers thought that Johnson, mistakenly believing that the charge against him would be dropped if he yielded the championship to a white man, deliberately lost to Willard. Johnson surrendered to U.S. authorities in 1920 to serve a one-year sentence. From 1897 to 1928, Johnson had 114 bouts, winning 80, 45 by knockouts.

Johnson, (John Arthur) Jack (1878–1946) boxer; born in Galveston, Texas. The first black to win the world heavyweight title, he was one of boxing's greatest and most controversial champions. He worked as a janitor, dockhand, and stableboy before becoming a professional boxer in 1899. After winning the title in 1908 with a knockout of Tommy Burns, he defended the championship against a succession of "great white hopes," including former champion James J. Jeffries, who came out of a six-year retirement in 1910 only to be knocked out in the 15th round. Because of his flamboyance and self-confidence—and his marriage to a white woman—Johnson incurred the wrath of racist politicians and religious leaders who successfully secured a Mann Act conviction against him in 1913. He took sanctuary in Europe and lost the championship in 1915 to Jess Willard by a knockout in the 26th round. Johnson later returned to the U.S.A. to serve his sentence and to fight in boxing exhibitions. He spent his final years operating nightclubs and working in carnivals. He posted a career record of 78 wins, eight losses, and 12 no-decisions, with 45 knockouts. A play (1968) and motion picture (1970) based on his life, The Great White Hope, starred James Earl Jones.