The late, great comedian Bill Hicks once joked that the first Gulf War wasn’t really a “war.” Rather, it was little more than a military exercise for the United States whose outcome was never in doubt. Jack London made a similar statement about the fight for the world heavyweight crown that took place on December 26, 1908 in Sydney, Australia, in which, for the first time in history, a black man had the opportunity to become world heavyweight champion. . That day, Jack Johnson systematically dismantled Canadian Tommy Burns, forcing London (a pro-Burns observer) to admit that “wrestling” was a misnomer for the event; “massacre” was the most appropriate description.
While many of us complain about the pitiful level of organization that exists in professional boxing today, things were even worse at the beginning of the 20th century. At the time, boxing was completely illegal in many countries, including the United States. Furthermore, corruption, manifested prominently through match-fixing, was rampant. And while boxing fans of yesteryear didn’t have to endure four or more belts in each weight class, they did have to endure the injustice of blatant racial discrimination.
Jack Johnson had to deal with these difficulties, as well as 44 opponents in the ring, before he was finally granted the opportunity to prove himself against the best. Until then, he fought often, fought everywhere and fought against everyone. That is, everyone, except respected champion James Jeffries, who would rather retire undefeated than risk his title against a black fighter.
Outside the ring, Johnson was eager to prove to Jim Crowe-era society that no one could tell him what to do or how to live. He dressed in the best clothes, bought the fastest cars, socialized with whoever he wanted and anywhere, and even enjoyed the affection of white women, a crime for which black men were lynched. A self-taught man and an avid reader, his intelligence was a great asset in the ring. When he fought, Johnson used body movement to dodge blows and great hand speed to counterattack. He worked cleverly and efficiently and made everything look extremely easy, to the point that during fights he could carry on multiple conversations with ringside spectators while toying with his opponent.
And so Johnson, undeterred in his quest to become the first black heavyweight champion, fought on. Against black fighters he allowed himself to relax, turning fights into exhibitions, sometimes charging his opponents. Against white fighters, he would vent his frustration by humiliating and beating them, relying on his skill, natural strength, and excellent punching power to knock them out.
While Jeffries had been unwilling to give a black man a chance at the title at any price, Canadian Tommy Burns, who eventually took over the title Jeffries vacated, set the fee at an extravagant $30,000 (about one million in today’s dollars), more than double what any boxer had ever earned. In response, Johnson chased Burns around the world, harassing and booing him at every turn in an attempt to pressure the reigning champion into giving him a chance.
In Australia, Johnson attracted much attention for his open mockery of the champion during Burns’ defenses against a pair of Australian contenders and the commotion inspired eccentric showbiz businessman Hugh McIntosh to meet Burns’ financial demands. The champion happily pocketed the enormous sum and ignored the protests of those who insisted that he was betraying the white race and tarnishing the world title. Seemingly confident in his superiority over Johnson, Burns declared: “I will beat Johnson, or my name won’t be Tommy Burns.” Whether he was being ironic at the time will never be known, but “Tommy Burns” had actually been born “Noah Brusso.”
When the two fighters entered the ring, Johnson’s physical superiority was immediately evident. Having trained rigorously at Rushcutters Bay, the challenger was in splendid condition. He weighed twenty-four pounds more than Burns and was more than half a foot taller. And as Bill Hicks would have noted, what followed wasn’t actually a “fight” at all.
In the first round, Burns was knocked down. He was soon forced to hurl racial insults, verbal blows being the only ones he could deliver. “The Galveston Giant” remained calm and proceeded to methodically punish the champion with body shots and strong uppercuts. Johnson took his time, savoring the moment, the opportunity that had been denied him for so long. He even picked up the Canadian when it looked like the champion’s legs were about to give out, giving him just enough time to recover and continue hitting him with both fists. After fourteen of the most one-sided rounds ever seen in a world title fight, the police intervened to finally put an end to the massacre.
History had been made; a black man was the world heavyweight champion. And Jack London, immediately recognizing the “carnage,” at the same time called the retired and contented James J. Jeffries, declaring that now was the time to “get off his alfalfa farm and take the golden smile off Jack Johnson’s golden smile.” ”. face. Jeff, it’s up to you! That historic confrontation, held some eighteen months later, Bill Hicks would also have refused to describe as a “fight”; Johnson dominated Jeffries with ease and stopped him in the fifteenth round. – Rafael García
