Jack Johnson All Time Ranking

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026.


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  1. SwarmingSlugger

    SwarmingSlugger Active Member Full Member

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    Jack Johnson gets tons of attention due to his historical impact on boxing, however as a fighter the real question is where does he rank all time? Johnson was a defensive master, this is not something up for debate in his time he was one of the best fighters from a defensive point of view. No doubt many of his better fights were before he became champion and as champion the bulk of his opponents were smaller than him and definitely less skilled. All things considered I do not rate Johnson all that high, as I can't think of one all time heavyweight great I would pick Johnson to beat, except for Jim Jeffries and even that is questionable since the Jeffries he did beat was so diminished at that point.
     
    SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026
    SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026
    #1
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  2. Mark Dunham

    Mark Dunham Well-Known Member Full Member

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    great defensive fighter. He could also remove your teeth.
     
    Mark Dunham, Jul 4, 2026
    Mark Dunham, Jul 4, 2026
    #2
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  3. Philosopher

    Philosopher Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Johnson is always in my top ten. Sometimes lower end, sometimes top five.
     
    Philosopher, Jul 4, 2026
    Philosopher, Jul 4, 2026
    #3
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  4. Jackomano

    Jackomano Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I rate Johnson very highly, since his resume speaks for itself. He’s in my top 3 along with Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali.
     
    Jackomano, Jul 4, 2026
    Jackomano, Jul 4, 2026
    #4
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  5. SwarmingSlugger

    SwarmingSlugger Active Member Full Member

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    Especially if you're a middleweight.
     
    SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026
    SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026
    #5
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  6. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    Historic importance, top 3.

    As a fighter, top 25, but again somewhat relative to his time.
     
    Seamus, Jul 4, 2026
    Seamus, Jul 4, 2026
    #6
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  7. Boxed Ears

    Boxed Ears this my daddy's account (RIP daddy) Full Member

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    10. Wlad
    11. Johnson
    12. Dempsey
    13. Hearns

    Just for @HW.
     
    Boxed Ears, Jul 4, 2026
    Boxed Ears, Jul 4, 2026
    #7
  8. Greg Price99

    Greg Price99 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    #6 all time at HW. Not an overly impressive reign, but did excellent work before winning the title.
     
    Greg Price99, Jul 4, 2026
    Greg Price99, Jul 4, 2026
    #8
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  9. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    Can someone list his top 7 wins?
     
    Seamus, Jul 4, 2026
    Seamus, Jul 4, 2026
    #9
  10. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Tommy Burns
    Jim Jeffries
    Sam Langford
    Joe Jeanette
    Sam McVey
    Stanley Ketchel
    Frank Moran

    A mixture of historical importance, Quality of opponents and how impressive Jack looked.
     
    Fergy, Jul 4, 2026
    Fergy, Jul 4, 2026
    #10
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  11. Seamus

    Seamus Proud Kulak Full Member

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    Again, we can nitpick any list of opponents but this one is particularly poor given the state of his opponents, the size, enfeebledness, etc. Can you imagine a modern, or even Dempsey and beyond era, champ claiming a the equivalents of a super middle and light middleweight opponents as two of his three best, and the other being a guy retired for 5 years in his first fight back?
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2026
    Seamus, Jul 4, 2026
    Seamus, Jul 4, 2026
    #11
  12. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    I find it difficult to rate him , as with anyone of that time due to a lack of good quality film .But I'll say this, I'd put Jack Johnson in the ring with anyone. Not saying he'd beat everyone, no way. But that man was fearless and I suspect there are some good heavyweights in history he'd take apart. Add to the fact that men back then were far , far tougher than they are today.
     
    Reinhardt, Jul 4, 2026
    Reinhardt, Jul 4, 2026
    #12
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  13. SwarmingSlugger

    SwarmingSlugger Active Member Full Member

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    I definitely agree with the toughness factor, though Johnson didn't have an iron chin for sure.
     
    SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026
    SwarmingSlugger, Jul 4, 2026
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  14. PRW94

    PRW94 Well-Known Member Full Member

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    Fourth at heavyweight. I disagree with those who think he was overrated. And given the dearth of good footage I am aware and concede that one can’t say anything about him with metaphysical certainty. But so much of his resume is based on defense, I have a gut feeling that if you could conjure up some showdowns between him and some other ATGs, they might be stinkeroos from an entertainment standpoint. Like I think Ali or Holmes vs. Johnson might not be entertaining.
     
    PRW94, Jul 4, 2026
    PRW94, Jul 4, 2026
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  15. Fergy

    Fergy Walking Dead Full Member

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    Different times and circumstances.
    He beat the best men he was allowed to Before winning the title ,Johnson repeatedly beat black heavyweight s like Sam Langford, Joe Jeanette and McVey.
    These men were outstanding fighters , even if not household names today.

    Many top white Contender s refused to fight him , Johnson was frozen out of opportunity's.
    He was too good for his own good tbh.
     
    Fergy, Jul 5, 2026
    Fergy, Jul 5, 2026
    #15
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