How come so many people know Ali and Tyson, but not Jack Johnson?

[thesenuts]

I swear almost every person I have run into knows who Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson are, but don't have the slightest clue who Jack Johnson is.

Jack was waaaaaaay ahead of his time. He was destroying white fighters in front of all white crowds during very dark times for the black race in America. Sleeping with white women when the KKK was big and gave blacks all over the country hope every time he beat his opponent. This guy was doing so much way before people like MLK and Malcolm X and groups like the Black Panthers came onto the scene.

How so many people have never heard of him is a shame.

[LoadedWraps]

I swear almost every person I have run into knows who Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson are, but don't have the slightest clue who Jack Johnson is.

Jack was waaaaaaay ahead of his time. He was destroying white fighters in front of all white crowds during very dark times for the black race in America. Sleeping with white women when the KKK was big and gave blacks all over the country hope every time he beat his opponent. This guy was doing so much way before people like MLK and Malcolm X and groups like the Black Panthers came onto the scene.

How so many people have never heard of him is a shame.

Who are these people you call "so many?". Maybe you don't know many boxing fans or haven't been around the sport for long. I know tons of boxing fans and all but the most casual and yougest ( young people ignore history. To me that's about as smart as ignoring the need to breathe.) and they all know who Jack Johnson is. Really no one can call themselves a knowledgable fan if they don't. That's like saying you know baseball and don't know who Bonds, Mantle, Cepeda and Ruth are.

[thesenuts]

Who are these people you call "so many?". Maybe you don't know many boxing fans or haven't been around the sport for long. I know tons of boxing fans and all but the most casual and yougest ( young people ignore history. To me that's about as smart as ignoring the need to breathe.) and they all know who Jack Johnson is. Really no one can call themselves a knowledgable fan if they don't. That's like saying you know baseball and don't know who Bonds, Mantle, Cepeda and Ruth are.

A person walking down the street who doesn't give a crap about boxing (and there are millions) knows who Ali and Tyson are.

But they don't have a single clue who Jack is, which is sad


I saw an ESPN poll a couple of months back that had about 80,000 people vote ask the question: Are you familiar with the boxer Jack Johnson?

83% said no
17% said yes

And that is coming from a sports website!

[firstborn]

Depends on the fan, boxing is one of my favorite sports so I follow it daily. However I'm a casual fan of Basketball and couldn't really tell you much about the NBA before Michael Jordan started playing.

[Capaedia]

Because he was a negative fighter who drew the colour line against his own people.

His heyday was about a hundred years ago, and was against lacklustre competition.

He may have been a g, but INSIDE the ring he is nowhere close to as intriguing as most of the champions who came after.

That's why.


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[thesenuts]

Depends on the fan, boxing is one of my favorite sports so I follow it daily. However I'm a casual fan of Basketball and couldn't really tell you much about the NBA before Michael Jordan started playing.

Yeah but Jack Johnson was so much more than a boxer, he was the shining light for people of color all over America at the time. School history books should start including him just like they've included MLK and any other historic figure that played a major role in America.

[Master Splinter]

The nature of this question tells me that you may know who jack johnson is but you don't know much else.

[firstborn]

I agree, right up there with Jackie Robinson. Probably more dangerous during his time though because there was always the possiblity of being lynched, etc. Not sure if everyone considered him a shinning light though, many black and white folks hated the way he flaunted his love of white women. We all know how much racial tension flowed back then and still flows in certain regions, that might have contributed to his lack of reverence.

[Capaedia]

Jack Johnson was no shining light, he was in it for himself.

Thats why he didnt let blacks challenge for the world title. Thats why blacks who resented him long afterward were pretty common.

Theres a reason why the next black champion was roughly 30 years after and had to sign an agreement to ensure he stayed humble first. He set blacks backwards.

Thats what Joe Louis' trainer, Jack Blackburn, said verbatim.

So no. Dont compare him and Dr. King. In fact, if you want a shining light, try Joe Louis. He was everything you thought Johnson was.


Posted from Boxingscene.com App for Android

[Reloaded]

I swear almost every person I have run into knows who Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson are, but don't have the slightest clue who Jack Johnson is.

Jack was waaaaaaay ahead of his time. He was destroying white fighters in front of all white crowds during very dark times for the black race in America. Sleeping with white women when the KKK was big and gave blacks all over the country hope every time he beat his opponent. This guy was doing so much way before people like MLK and Malcolm X and groups like the Black Panthers came onto the scene.

How so many people have never heard of him is a shame.

You seen Jack Johnson box on tape haven't you , was great in his time but the modern greats blow him away and that era away , they didn't know half the technique a modern champ is trained in , in a tongue in cheek way it be like a TFord against a Ferrari .