Black lightweights of the 20s?

In the KKK era, there was less incentive to compete, knowing you could be 'justifiably' ducked and would never get a chance to be a champion no matter how hard you tried. Plus, the threat of being lynched if victorious. Plus, biassed judging.

This along with all the other diasadvantages it creates, is the reason for a relative lack of talent post-Johnson.

 

Th lightweight division of the 1920s was a predominantly white era. There was a lot of black lightweight talent both before and after this period, but this was a place where it simply wasn't particularly strong.

 

I think Benny Leonard did beat a decent black contender or 2, although I'm not sure if there's any he missed

Kid Chocolate was the greatest black FW/LW of the decade. Stylistically quite similar to one Floyd Mayweather Jr

 

Baby Joe Gans...

 

There are a lot of talented black fighters in that period, and many of them become champion, but for some reason there seems to be a derth at lightweigha nd welterweight.

 

Benney Leonard took on his two top black challengers back to back and knocked them both out inside of two rounds.

 

You guys are referring to Leo Johnson. An excellent fighter but more of a 1910s guy than 1920s (his career ended in '20)

http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/johnson-l.htm

 

Probably the best black lightweight those days was Leo johnson who had a great winning record...Benny Leonard gave "the Harlem Hotshot " Leo Johnson, a shot at the Harlem A/C in which Johnson performed an unpardonable sin..Just before the handshake Leo Johnson mussed up Benny leonard's carefully combed hair to upset Leonard who proceeded to
Flatten Leo Johnson in the very first round...Leonard was very vain about the fact that he would finish every bout with his hair still combed as he entered the ring...One week later Leonard gave Eddie Dorsey another black lightweight a shot and kod Dorsey in the 2nd round...Today most people don't realize the awe and regard Benny Leonard was held in by the boxing fraternity...He was a smaller edition of the later Ray Robinson, virtually
unbeatable as a lightweight...And he ONLY fought the very best contenders
and allowed many to last the distance, so he could get a rematch...
The great Bennah, as he was known...

 

Dark Black Joe Gans, Black Irish Joe Gans, Jamaican Joe Gans, Louisiana Joe Gans, Mississippi Joe Gans, Teeny Joe Gans, Giant Joe Gans, So-so Joe Gans ("Hey, So-So Joe! He's just so-so but we wanna see mo' and mo'!" popular commentator Skip Scampsky could be heard shouting), Low Joe Gans, Down Low Joe Gans, Phantom Joe Gans (only boxed in dark exhibitions but Ring-ranked #8.5), Missouri Joe Gans, Big Daddy Joe Gans, Superfluous Joe Gans, Joe Gans IV, Joe Gans VI, Joe Gains (also known as MAWB Joe Gans or longer Might As Well Be Joe Gans), Kenyan Joe Gans, Ghanaian Joe Gans, Nigeria Joe Gans, Congo Joe Gans, African Joe Gans, South African Joe Gans, Funny Joe Gans, Baby Bobby Joe Gans, Middle-aged Joe Gans, Old Joe Gans, Country Joe Gans, Banjo Joe Gans, Joe Gans the younger, Senior Joe Gans, Junior Joe Gans, Petey Joe Gans, Bucky Joe Gans, Bad-tooth Joe Gans, One-leg Joe Gans, Bowie Joe Gans, No-Dice Joe Gans, Queen of hearts Joe Gans, Bicycle Joe Gans, Cotton-mouth Joe Gans, Unibrow Joe Gans, Army Joe Gans, GI Joe Gans, Green-Sleeve Joe Gans, Bucket-hole Joe Gans, California Joe Gans, California Joe Gans II, Young California Joe Gans and Sweet Potato Joe Gans were all pretty strong fighters that boxed at lightweight in the twenties who were black. I don't think Leonard faced any of them. :conf Was it the colour or the name? You decide.