Jeffries explains why he drew the color line

Translation. I was happy to fight one or two of the less threatening of the black boxers on my way up , but once I had secured the title , from a 37 years old middleweight ,who himself admitted he ducked Peter Jackson, no way was I going to risk my title against the best of the black contenders.


I've never read of any riots instigated by blacks, caused by Peter Jackson winning a fight over a white boxer.

 

I'd take Jeffries' reasons at face value.
They are wrong, and founded on racial prejudice, but very possibly genuine.

 

If Jeffries was worried about the Jackson fans causing riots , how come he was happy to fight him when Jackson was 37,consumptive , alcoholic, and many years retired?

 

To build his reputation to get a title fight, I would guess.

 

Then it wasn't a very genuine reason in the first place was it?

 

Well, it depends how you look at it. It seems perfectly possible that he was concerned about race riots when he was champion, but while he was an up-and-comer he was more concerned about getting knocking out anyone to get his reputation.
Like it or not, champions have that privilege.

 

I could buy into the idea that Jeffries might have regarded Jack Johnson as a threat to his title.

I could even consider the posibility that he might have drawn the colour line against less dangerous black contenders in order to be consistent in his stance on Johnson.

But what about his drawing the colour line against Denver Ed Martin before Johnson was even an issue? Did he realy regard Martin as a greater threat to his title than the white contenders that he was actualy fighting?

For me, the circumstantial evidence suggests that Jeffries stance was based on some form of misguided principle.

 

So Hank Griffin who beat Jack Johnson, and Bob Armstrong who could hit some were less threatening fighters? Jeffries has reported wins over black fighters day.

This is because Jackson had class. Johnson reinforced all negative stereo types. A magnet for trouble.

The color line back then was something like a country club membership. No everyone was welcome, however every champion has their terms and conditions to take an unpopular match. For example, as heavyweight champion Jeffries was the first white guy to give a black man a fight. While it was only a 4 round match vs Hank Griffin. If Griffin somehow won via KO, he's the next lineal champion.

 

There seems to have been genuine media interest in a Martin fight, so I think that the fight could have been mutualy profitable.

I think that if Denver Ed Martin had been white and Gus Ruhlin had been black, then Jeffries would almost certainly have fought Martin and drawn the colour line against Ruhlin.

To that extent he was consistent in his own perverse terms.

 

Still it seems a weak reason imo.

 

you got to remember it was a different world back then and while the blacks were fighting for equality it was still a long time coming from slavery but remember also that a majority of blacks did not have a subservient mentality and it was a white, mostly British,Irish Scotch, and German America and after the blacks were freed they were not ready for equality...when the new Europeans (speaking different language and moving mostly to the north or California) they had someone else to pick on and the Blacks became 2nd tier Americans and the Europeans 3rd, the Irish and Scotch had the best chance to copulate because of the language the blacks being next but the color black was quite a contrast to the pale complexion so it was indeed difficult to fully except...iF YOU ARE WHITE TRY MOVING TO Africa and see how you not be noticed and not be deemed as different, see how long it takes you to blend in...Human nature no matter what color is a prejudice group

 

It is definitely possible to find media interest in a Martin title fight.

Some even tipped Martin to win, which I don't recal anybody doing with Johnson!