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What do you think is the most significant boxing fight in boxing history? Whether if it had any impact on society or if it was just a big fight.
In my opinion I think the most significant fight in boxing history is the 1910 fight between Jack Johnson and James Jefferies which was billed "Fight of the Century" and for good reason. It was a bad time in US history where blacks were treated as objects still even after the civil war and not human beings. Scratch objects, they were treated like animals. It was like the White people where Michael Vick and black folks where the dogs they made fight for next to nothing not to mention all the great white fighters ducked them.
It was a big fight because they named Jame Jefferies "the great white hope" trying to take that heavyweight title away from Johnson because they couldn't stand having a black heavyweight champion. He was even quoted in saying "I feel obligated to the sporting public at least to make an effort to reclaim the heavyweight championship for the white race. . . . I should step into the ring again and demonstrate that a white man is king of them all."
Their was so much hate and James Jefferies was even an undefeated ex-heavyweight champion so the white people were so hyped thinking James was going to take Jack Johnson out but in the end, in front of 20,000 people which is pretty huge, Jack Johnson took that man to school. Made his corners make him quit so he wouldn't knockout their precious white man.
I feel it was so significant because Jack Johnson put a big foot down for the African American race making a powerful statement that African American's are great boxers and are the best to ever do it of course depending on the fighter. It pretty much made the white people accept great African american boxers even though it didn't stop them from trying to take him out, he still made a huge statement with that gigantic win. He paved the way for the great likes of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali who came after him only a few decades later where they went on to become Pound for Pound 3 of the greatest fighters to ever do it.
I know a lot of people might say Joe Louis over the German, but if Jack Johnson loses that bout, who's to say Louis ever gets his chance to beat the Nazi's for the US? I'm sure black athletes would have eventually been accepted but Jack Johnson did it in impressive fashion when it mattered the most. One of the best heavyweights of all time. Shamefully he was still ducked by many white fighters, but nobody can ever forget the big step he took for African Americans and nobody can deny his greatness, especially after such a magnificent moral victory like that for a whole entire race of people.
In my opinion I think the most significant fight in boxing history is the 1910 fight between Jack Johnson and James Jefferies which was billed "Fight of the Century" and for good reason. It was a bad time in US history where blacks were treated as objects still even after the civil war and not human beings. Scratch objects, they were treated like animals. It was like the White people where Michael Vick and black folks where the dogs they made fight for next to nothing not to mention all the great white fighters ducked them.
It was a big fight because they named Jame Jefferies "the great white hope" trying to take that heavyweight title away from Johnson because they couldn't stand having a black heavyweight champion. He was even quoted in saying "I feel obligated to the sporting public at least to make an effort to reclaim the heavyweight championship for the white race. . . . I should step into the ring again and demonstrate that a white man is king of them all."
Their was so much hate and James Jefferies was even an undefeated ex-heavyweight champion so the white people were so hyped thinking James was going to take Jack Johnson out but in the end, in front of 20,000 people which is pretty huge, Jack Johnson took that man to school. Made his corners make him quit so he wouldn't knockout their precious white man.
I feel it was so significant because Jack Johnson put a big foot down for the African American race making a powerful statement that African American's are great boxers and are the best to ever do it of course depending on the fighter. It pretty much made the white people accept great African american boxers even though it didn't stop them from trying to take him out, he still made a huge statement with that gigantic win. He paved the way for the great likes of Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali who came after him only a few decades later where they went on to become Pound for Pound 3 of the greatest fighters to ever do it.
I know a lot of people might say Joe Louis over the German, but if Jack Johnson loses that bout, who's to say Louis ever gets his chance to beat the Nazi's for the US? I'm sure black athletes would have eventually been accepted but Jack Johnson did it in impressive fashion when it mattered the most. One of the best heavyweights of all time. Shamefully he was still ducked by many white fighters, but nobody can ever forget the big step he took for African Americans and nobody can deny his greatness, especially after such a magnificent moral victory like that for a whole entire race of people.
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