Most socially significant boxing match in history?

You don´t have Johnson vs Jeffries there ?

 

Oh I certainly not qualified enough as dozens of others here to tell you something, I see that you joined the forum recently, I am more of a "generalist" here, I talk a bit about everything but I´m no expert.

Just a little info for you, a offer was made to the President of United States at the time, to referee the fight. Imagine that, the President of USA could have been the referee ! He declined but even so...

 

Sullivan-Kilrain seems to have been very socially significant at the time, as were Corbett-Fitzsimmons, Sayers-Heenan and Cribb-Molineaux.

I think I'd pick Louis-Schmeling 2 due to the fact that it was basically a precursor for the war that was about to ensue. It had the perfect social circumstances for immense cultural relevancy, as well as Johnson-Jeffries which was mentioned by someone else.

 

After Jack Johnson won the Heavyweight title over Tommy Burns in 1908, the public was clamouring for a white fighter to beat him. At first there were some talks of Gentleman Jim Corbett coming out of retirement to fight Johnson, but the public inevitably settled on the undefeated, retired former champion James J. Jeffries.

It was the biggest fight of that era, arguably in history. It was basically a sanctioned race war

 

I'd pick Louis Vs Schmeling 2 cause of how much respect Louis gained not only for himself, but for black people as a whole in America throughout his career, and that match especially.
Louis was able to win over white people more than Johnson because Johnson was "scary" to white people because he was boisterous and outspoken, whereas Louis was stoic, and undeniable in his achievements. The outwardly cocky fighter will almost always be less respected than the outwardly humble one when given similar achievements.
Of course, one was necessary for the other, but Louis gave a much more major push socially.

 

Obviously Louis-Schmeling 2. It became a proxy for democracy vs Nazis, with a black man being the champion for democracy. Don’t discount the huge racial impact there. Louis’s win there went a long way toward getting white fans to root for black fighters.

My grandpa, a white dude who fought in WW2, became a huge fan of Louis due to that fight. And later after the war when my grandpa ended up owning a factory, he paid his black workers the same wage as his white workers (pretty uncommon for that era). I’m sure that was the result of many experiences he had in life and just a general sense of fairness, but I don’t write off the effect having a black man become a hero had in those days.

 

Louis vs Schmeling 2

 

Id include Holmes-Cooney

 

Ronald Reagan had a phone to call Cooney with and everything.

 

Johnson Jeffries, and for all the wrong reasons.

 

Of what you offered Johnson v Jeffries.Johnson v Burns was as significant but was held on the other side of the world.and so did not have the impact of the first FOTC.

 

Nice story ,with a positive outcome.Your Grandpa seems to have been a good Dude!

 

Louis-Schmeling 2 because it transcended sports to geopolitics.