Was Jack Johnson bad for the black fighters?

It's arguable. At the time, Johnson was certainly an important figure for the black community in America. However, in the long run, his reign actually did more harm than good. Because of his demeanour and attitude during his reign, white America practically shunned out any other black fighter from fighting for the title until Joe Louis. Even Joe Louis had to follow 'rules' on how to behave with the public due to Jack Johnson.

Most of these aren't really his fault, but it's still the reason people like Harry Wills never got a shot. Tex Rickard even said that he didn't want the fight with Dempsey made so that they wouldn't risk another Jack Johnson.

 

Well Jack Johnson to me is a hero, he won the World title in a era when the hue of your skin prevented such achievement.

Jack Johnson was his own man, he refused to accept his racially prescribed position in life, he did it his way, so was not championing his fellow coloured fighters as such .

But i turn the question around and say that it was society's attitudes which were bad for black fighters, not the behaviours of one black fighter by the name of Jack Johnson.

 

It's entirely plausible that he was , but what exactly could he have done that the culture of those times would have accepted and praised? I'll say this, that man had more guts than a burglar in Beverly Hills.

 

It brings me no pleasure to say it, but I think that he was bad for black fighters.

For the avoidance of any doubt, he was not the villain of the story, the people hounding him were.

The fact remains that he was just the wrong man at the wrong time.

Given the boxing politics of the day, it was important for teh first black heavyweight champion, to be a diplomatic and cool headed man.

Johnson unfortunately was neither.

For all that, we must tell the truth and shame the devil.

There were white heavyweight champions, who did worse than Johnson did, who were loved despite it.

If Johnson had been treated like a member of the club, he would have responded positively to it.

He was very charming, and fan friendly, and media friendly when the situation permitted.

 

White America was bad for black fighters not Jack Johnson

 

Hi Buddy.
Very interesting and insightful response to the question posed, just a couple of observations, and slight reservations on some of your neatly worded post, from my readings of his life and boxing career, I find him not only good for black fighters, moreover good for the black race in America, not quite sure what you mean when you say " wrong man wrong time " for me he was fundmentle the right man for the right time.
Also you state that it was important to be a black man that " should be diplomatic and cool headed " I am certain you did not mean this inference, but it sounds and reads like code for, he should have known his place, he shouldn't have been so opinionated, should have been more passive and cordial, when being called the N word, when his life was threatened, not for him the curtailing to the white man's thinking of how he should behave and conduct himself, Johnson knew his own mind, knew his worth, at that time, such thinking was a anathmer to the some of the white people, and extremely dangerous, shamefully in his younger days, he had fought in the battle Royales, where for the posters that are unfamiliar with this term, the " sport " was to throw 8/12 young black men in a ring blindfolded, and then to the amusement of the white spectators, the young men would flail away until all but 1 remained upright.
I see Johnson as a trail blazer, a once in a lifetime boxer or even man, come to that, only Ali would compare, when his fellow blacks were still seen as inferior, as less cerebral, he stood virtually alone in the sporting world against such denigrating and pitiful accusations, lest we forget 15 maybe 20 years after his reign, black men were still being hung from trees, and gauped at for such crimes as stealing food, he would nether have been treated like a member of the club, his colour excluded that.
My post is my opinion, just as your post is yours, I seek neither to denigrate or criticise, we have both liked and responded to each others comments in the past, and I sincerely hope we continue to do so in the future.
stay safe buddy, chat soon. Regards Mike.

 

He was bad for the likes of Sam Langford, Sam McVea and Joe Jeannette, whom he denied title shots to.

"I'm the first black champion and I'll be the last."
--Jack Johnson

 

He was bad for boxing in a more general way. He was the archetype of the huggy mauling heavyweight that has plagued the top exhelons since then. Give me more Holyfield and Usyk and less Johnson and Wlad insofar as holding is concerned.

 

There were black men who were lynched whenever he had a title defense…so I would say yes

 

He was so bad that every black heavyweight champion that came after him …looked at him as an example of what they didn’t want to be ….even Sonny Liston ….and Muhammad Ali

 

This.

 

THIS.

 

THIS ALSO.

 

Perfect.

I want to post shortly on this, but my post won’t be as efficient - it will be excessively worded and self gratifying BUT whatever rant I do submit, it will ALWAYS come back to your own, elegant expression and irreducible terms.