An Interview with Tommy Burns At Johnson's Camp In Reno

It is an interesting link. I dont think Burns over Langford is anywhere near as outlandish as people might think. Pound for Pound, Burns has to be the most underated fighter of all time, i would have thought.

What is particularly interesting, is the way that tommy and Jack appear to bear no ill will towards each other, despite all the stories of their hate and the existence of racism. I really do get more and more confident of my call that the colour line was nothing more than a marketing tool with each passing article that i read.

 

My point is that the fighters and boxing public were not the shocking racists they are portrayed of. In fact I believe they were far less racist than the general public as a whole. The white boxers seemed to mix no problems with coloured fighters, they got on well, and despite what they say, they new when the coloured fighters were the real deal and when they werent.

John L in vented the colour line, only towards the end of his reign (it is often forgotten that he fought coloured fighter Herbert Sladed in a title match, and toured with him). He did it to build up his all american image and make money. As he admitted later in life, it also helped him avoid a dangerous challenger without losing face and prolong his money earning ability. To be honest, there are very few if any coloured fighters from the period who can blame the coloured bar on them not being champion. It is the fact that they were simply too good and dangerous. Jackson was ducked by Corbett, plain and simple but then again technically Lennox and Bowe had the same problem and there was no racism in that one. Langford, Mc Vey and Co have the worst ducking, and this was done by a coloured fighter. And even then, there are arguably other reasons why they didnt get their shot. This leaves Wills, who definitely was the biggest loser IMO because of the bar, although it didnt really hurt his bank balance too much, and it may even have prolonged and helped his career and legacy.

 

The scenes surrounding the Johnson-Jeffries suggest otherwise

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUqhJzgSj4M[/ame]

3:00 - Camera halted by Police. Whitey being beaten shitless.

4:12 - Eleven killed in Race Riots. Result of Prize Fight.

3:55 - Public Newspaper. Cartoon picture of Jack Johnson, with lips bigger than his body, munching on a water melon.

 

Great video! I love that footage.

 

unfortunately the video isnt playing properly for me. But the actual boxers and fighters are not beating the whitey shitless are they? They certainly are not involved in the race riots. And i hardly think that they are drawing the cartoon. That is my point. Racisms was not bad amongst fighters, especially compared to the attitutudes of the time. IN fact Peter Jackson (for example) was actually idolised by most fighters and hardcore fans which would be pretty rare by the sounds of things, in those days.

Now obviously at one stage, the colour line became a tool to promote fighters sell fights etc, and the fighters jumped on it (even the coloured fighter Johnson), but as far as general racism goes, they was far less in the fight game than elsewhere.

 

Jeffries, Burns and Corbett may have been racist but it seems they became more accepting of Jack Johnson once he proved his skills.

Burns especially seems to have been using the "color line" as an excuse in order to make the most money against Jack Johnson. He taunted Johnson throughout the fight, unable to do anything physically, but was gracious in defeat.

Jack Johnson himself liked to talk in the ring and paid little attention to insults, probably believing it to be a fair game.

 

Assuming it was said by them, and not just made up by a journalist or manager, it is quite clear that Jeffries is just telling the media and press what they want to hear. It is about getting a name in paper and nothing else. Much like when mike tyson wanted to eat lennox lewis kids.

I am not sure i could really hear Corbett's racial slurs for the first rounds in the available film footage, so i cant say whether they stopped or not. If they did. I am sure it was because Johnson was winning, which is usually the best way to shut up any type of slurs. I am sure Corbett tried to intimidate and get an advantage by using racial slurs. But so what, you use whatever advantage you get in there. In this case it back fired. It means nothing.

It was no different to the old American arrogance where americans think they are better than Europeans australians or whoever. Or Australians think (or based on results of most sports know) they are better than English. Nothing more or nothing less. I doubt Americans currently think Australian heavyweights can fight but it doesnt mean much really. In fact, at the moment it is probably largely fair comment to say that Australian fighters cant handle the top level black american heavyweights.

With the exception of Peter Jackson and later Jack Johnson and others they couldnt. And to be fair, they accused plenty of white fighters of being yellow as well it was just different language used in the fight game.

Perhaps. Or perhaps the publicity actually built the myth. Isnt it true that the fighters thought that any fighter (regardless of colour) who was not first class would quit?

Is that why he cracked a rib:rofl

Or maybe it just happened (like today or actually 10 or so years ago) that certain coloured fighters actually were not as good as others. And obviously this changed.