A public history platform · New blogs every week

← All posts

Jack Johnson, First African American to Win Heavyweight Title

Jack Johnson, Boxer
Jack Johnson, Boxer

O Denc 26, 1908: Jack Johnson became the 1st African American to win the world heavyweight boxing title. He KO’d Canadian Tommy Burns in the 14th round in a championship fight near Sydney, Australia. Whites hated Johnson, who held the heavyweight title until 1915, for his defiance of the "Jim Crow" racial segregation and oppression of early 20th-century America.

#JackJohnson #BlackBoxing

Share:

Stay Current

Join our mailing list

One dispatch a week: a new essay, a podcast episode, and something from the archive worth a second look.