How Would Championship Boxing History Have Changed with Racial Equality ?

Why Peter Jackson would not have made a significant difference to the title reign of John L Sullivan

This is the timeline of significant events:

Jan 8 1887 – Sullivan breaks his left arm fighting Patsy Cardiff. The surgery doesn’t work, and the arm subsequently has to be re broken. Sullivan looses much of the mobility in his left arm, and is forced into a significant absence from the ring.

Mar 10 1888 – Sullivan fights Charlie Mitchell under London Prize Ring Rules.

April 21 1888 – Jackson leaves Australia for America.

April 26 1889 – Jackson defeats Patsy Cardiff, ironical due to an arm injury.

July 8 1889 – Sullivan fights Jake Killrain under London Prize Ring rules, then announces his retirement.

Dec 27 1889 – Jackson defeats Joe McAuliffe, and people really start to talk about a Jackson Sullivan fight.

Sept 7 1891 – Sullivan is tempted out of retirement to fight Jim Cobrett.

Conclusion:

Even if the fight had been made at the earliest realistic opportunity, and we assume that Sullivan looses, Jackson just becomes a glorified grave digger.



Why Jack Johnson would not have made a significant difference to the title reign of James J Jeffries, and might not have stopped Marvin Hart or Tommy Burns

This is the timeline of significant events:

Feb 3 1903 – Jack Johnson defeats Denver Ed Martin (this begins Johnson’s status as a serious title challenger).

Feb 27 1903 – Johnson defeats Sam McVea (A key win).

Aug 14 1903 – Jeffries defends his title against Corbett for a second time (Jeffries had to take this fight because Corbett gave him a close fight in their previous outing).

Aug 26 1903 – Jeffries defends his title for the last time, against Jack Munroe.

Oct 27 1903 – Johnson defeats Sam McVea a second time (this might not sound like a big landmark, but this is when papers start to promote Johnson as the #1 challenger).

Mar 28 1905 – Marvin Hart defeats Jack Johnson.

May 14 1905 – Jeffries formally announces his retirement.

July 3 1905 – Marvin Hart is matched against Jack Root for the vacant heavyweight title.
Conclusion:

Johnson might have got a title shot in place of Jack Munroe, but even based on the assumption that he wins, it makes very little difference to Jeffries title reign. Since Marvin Hart based his claim to fight for the vacant title on beating Johnson, we cannot say that he would not have fought for the title without the colour line.

 

Looking at divisions other than heavyweight, Archie Moore would have gotten a shot at the light heavy title much earlier than he actually did. Conceivably he could have been LHW champion from 1940 (if not sooner) to 1962, losing the title to Ezzard Charles in the late '40s and regaining it after Charles moved up to heavyweight.

 

But you're implying that Moore was denied a shot because of race. I don't find this to be supportable, especially since there had just been a black LHW champion a short time before Moore arrived on the scene.

Like Burley, Moore was avoided because he was good, not because he was black.

 

You make some very good points. While he doubtless encountered discrimination along the way, I agree that the primary avoidance of Moore was due to his being too good.

 

I started this almost a year ago.
http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?t=426007
I got distracted and never finished.