What could Johnson have been allowed to accomplish if he'd been white?

He would probably have got money behind him sooner, so he perhaps develops a little differently.

He has fewer fights on his way to title contention, and his opponents rea picked more carefully.

He might well not fight men like Martin or McVea, and I doubt that he fights Sandy Ferguson five times.

He very likely fights men like Gus Ruhlin, Jack Root, and other name white fighters.

Jeffries almost certainly offers him a title defense, likely in place of Munro.

Impossible to say how that turns out, but even if he loses, he almost certainly fights for the vacant title after Jeffries retires.

As champion he might draw comparatively little interest, owing to his lack luster style, though his charismatic personality could be a selling point.

Ironically, that might push him to fight one of the top black contenders, because people have become bored of him using Bill Squires as a punch bag.

He is probably not prosecuted under the Mann act, leading to more competitive fights in the latter part of his title reign.

Assuming that it is Willard who dethrones him, he very likely gets a rematch.

He might even have been dragged out as an opponent for Jack Dempsey.

 

The universe collapses in on itself. Obviously.

 

I don't think he ever fights Jeffries. If he does, he probably has a chance of beating Jeffries in a 15-20 round fight. His management might be careful enough with him to wait Jeffries out, because there would have been a real chance of a Jeffries victory at that point in time. I do think white Johnson beats Hart and then probably goes against Root for the title, after Jeffries retires. Then I imagine Willard either never fights him at all or loses if he does. Then Dempsey would have taken the title from an aging Jack Johnson, in about 1919. Then Johnson might eventually get past Firpo and get a rematch, but I would expect Dempsey to win that, too. In that case there may be no Dempsey - Firpo fight. After those changes, I imagine the timeline would be restored from there. All IMHO, of course.

 

With all due respect, i think your a wind up merchant, but a good one. i mean no disrespect mate. i enjoy your posts

 

I had to look that up.

 

theres LOADS i hve to look up too mate, your not alone :}

 

He accomplished more because he was black. Beat all the murderer's row fighters.

 

This is really stupid.

 

What a sight this would be topic of the thread aside if Jackson had been lulled out to be battered by a young Dempsey.

 

Well we know he wouldn’t have lost prime years running away to Europe getting fat and out of shape

we know he wouldn’t have been forced to sign that outrageous contract to defend his title at age 37 in a 45 round fight in the blazing heat vs a 24 year old giant white cowhand who had nothing but stamina

We saw glimpses of Johnson at his best. Watch the burns fight. See ya later mr Tommy!

If Johnson were white, Johnson would have fought Jeffries prior to him retiring..exposed Jeffries then. There would be no burns. Johnson would defend his title for a decade defeating the best black men McVea Langford Jeanette and a young wills. Johnson eventually loses his title in his late 30s in 1915 -1916 against a prime Harry wills emerging

 

If Johnson were white, once champion and with his ego, he, too, would likely draw the colour line.

A lot of his courage and defiance is exactly because he was black; that same contrarian spirit isn't as loud had he not had to deal with what being Black and being great meant back then. There is no overwhelming call for him to defend his title at old age against dangerous Black fighters were he white. Such was the racial climate back then.

 

I'd like to make a thread in reverse using a certain white Italian American Heavyweight and ask how he would be perceived today, if he had been black ? But I won't I'm rather enjoying my stay here and don't wish to hasten its end.