Battling Jim Johnson vs Jack Johnson Revisited

This was the one and only title shot Jack would give to a black opponent while champion. He had turned down several other much more lucrative offers to fight Jeannette, Langford, McVey and other more deserving opponents. Various sources claim Jack accepted somewhere between $1,000 - $5,000 for the fight with Battling Jim that ended in a draw after Jack struggled for ten grueling rounds and was exhausted at the end. He had turned down offers of $20,000 for Jeannette that year.

Battling Jim was a tough brawler who has lost most of his outings with the other three aforementioned contenders. He lost to Jeannette twice earlier that year when he got his shot at Jack. He lost to Langford the fight after a few months later and Jeannette several more times in '14.

Why would Johnson give Battling Jim a title shot for far less money that was offered by Jeannette, Langford and McVey only to struggle with him over ten rounds and be fortunate to land a draw? One judge even had Battling Jim winning.