In the Ring: Marvin Hart .. Real facts on Johnson fight

This is what I have said for years, minus the Fripo comment. There is a Tommy Burns book which says that Johnson dressed like a pimp. He had a pimp cane, wore colorful tight pants ( with a sock in them ), and had a pet panther.

 

I think there is a difference between seeing a prostitute and employing them, and moving them around as Johnson did. Most of Johnson's prostitutes where white, which includes one that he married, and nearly beat to death.

As for Johnson's women, here is a very good link on all of them. Most were prostitutes, and Johnson most certainly moved them across state lines which was in violation of the law.

[url]http://www.pbs.org/unforgivableblackness/knockout/women.html[/url]

 

I think Johnson had a lot of talent in and out of the ring. Honestly. Johnson was a musician, a top boxer, spoke multiple languages, and in my opinion could have been an actor.

However the other side of the coin, well judge for yourself. Everyone has has crimes that they view as an abomination, and in my case one of them is a much stronger man beating up women which Johnson did.

 

HE,

Did you read my reply on page 1 of this thread?

 

:yep

 

" Dressed like a pimp carried a cane ,wore colourful tight pants".

That's it then, hang him.

ps Sullivan ,Corbett,Burns O Brien , and Fitz , all carried canes, it was the fashion.

No photos in circulation show Johnson to be dressed any more flamboyantly than any other celebrity of the times.

Fitzsimmons had a pet lion.
Johnson did not put a sock into his trousers ,he wrapped bandages around his ***** when training ,to get up the nose of racist bigots who fall for streotype bull****. Seems it worked

There is not one shred of evidence that Johnson ever profited from the activities of the women he lived with, in fact several books have been at pains to say the opposite.
Please explain the significance of your statement "most of Johnson's prostitutes were white"?
Does the fact they were white, make his consorting with them more morally reprehensible in your eyes?

Frank Sinatra used prostitutes habitually over many years ,and took them over state lines ,was he ever questioned about it?
You bet your sweet life he wasn't.


You can assassinate Johnson's character all you want ,after all the man is dead and cannot answer for himself.
How does it affect his standing as a fighter ? Not one iota.
Sullivan was a bully boy who kept a prostitute as a mistress , beat up several civilians,and ended up an alcoholic.
Corbett was a rabid racist and a nasty piece of work all round.
Fitz was a heavy drinker, who left debts all over the place.
Burns called Johnson a damned hyena ,a black cur and a yellow backed n****r. And ran a speak easy during prohibition .Hardly an impartial witness as to Johnson's character.

Ray Robinson beat his wife so severely she miscarried at least twice.
Johnson beat his wife because she left him and took his money with her ,reprehensible? No doubt, excusable? No , but possibly understandable.


I am beginning to think there is some substance to opinions on this forum that your hatred of Johnson has quite a bit to do with the colour of his skin.

 

In Johnsons era there was a verry fine line between the ocupations of actress and prostitute. All high profile sporting figures consorted with these women, including the previous heavyweight champions, and it is probably not a coincidence that Johnson was the first to be pulled up for it.

If you look at the details of the case built aggainst Johnson, they used tactics that they normaly only uise to go after the maffia. They basicaly went through his afairs with a fine tooth comb untill they found something, however peripheral that would stick.

 

They tried to get him on unatural sex acts,[ with his wife of all people], but the sensibility of one of the prosecutors had this chucked out.
I believe there are still some states in the US where cunninlingus,fellatio,and anal intercourse are illegal.

Duelling Banjos?

 

I would also be careful about drawing deep inferences about how Jack Johnson compares to Jeffries from this fight.

It might simply be that Marvin Hart was a stylistic foil for Jack Johnson. You might similarly conclude that George Foreman was in a diferent class to Muhamad Ali based on their respective performences against Ken Norton.

It is worth noting that before figting Johnson, Hart won a similarly controvertial decision over Sandy Ferguson who Johnson dominated five times. If Jeffries had defended his title again then it is likley that either Hart or Ferguson would have been the challenger.

 

My thought exactly.