I don’t think the first black HW champion would’ve done much no matter what. Johnson did it his way and that must’ve meant at least something to the black population- it means something to me. He was a sparklingly example of Sinatra’s hit song “My Way” we can learn a lot from Jack, we should all face our lives as a smiling Sisyphus.
His refusal to defend against them apart from journeyman Jim Johnson who he drew with would make me think so.
I dont fault Johnson for his selfishness I applaud him for the most part but to say he was good for black fighters is a joke. If he was for black fighters he would have given at least a few a title shot he didnt. To fault others for this but to give Johnson a pass is as hypocritical as you can get.
People say Johnson refused to face black challengers, but the truth is he signed to fight Jeanette in New York in 1912, McVey and Langford in Australia in 1912, and Langford in London in 1914. It wasn't his fault that all those fights were cancelled by the promoters or local authorities.
Johnson fought all those guys before winning the championship. The only fighter that I feel badly about him not fighting is Langford. Langford had developed a great deal since their first encounter and probably would've been a nightmare for him. Also, Johnson disliked Louis so much he helped train Abe Simon for their first fight. Johnson really had it out for him. Apparently, Jack Blackburn humiliated him once in the past and young Joe rejected his friendship. So he belittled him every chance he got. Its interesting to note that Johnson knew exactly how Schmeling could beat Louis, he predicted the fight exactly how it went. And he helped Abe Simon give Louis one of the tougher fights in his career.