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Since Johnson's been a heavy topic recently I figured I'd post an article giving one boxing historian's take on him 
Jack Johnson: The Equal Of Ali Part 1
By Monte D. Cox
Jack Johnson is often underrated and unappreciated today, but those who saw him would be the first to point out that he was every bit the equal of Muhammad Ali as an athletic talent. A peak Jack Johnson had the same kind of amazing speed, elusiveness and natural ability as that of a prime Ali. Jack Johnson's skills and accomplishment's have always been over-shadowed by his social significance and out of the ring activities, however, if one really studies Johnson it is apparent that he was a truly intelligent, crafty, and great fighter inside of the ring.
In modern times one often sees Muhammad Ali rated as high as 1-2 on an all time rating list, while Jack Johnson, once considered the greatest heavyweight by many veterans, has slipped to the bottom of the top 10 in some “experts” estimation of his talents. I submit that those who take such a view of Johnson’s skills really know little about Jack Johnson’s ability as a fighter.
One must consider the consensus opinion of those who saw Jack Johnson and his contemporaries fight. Nat Fleischer, founder of Ring Magazine, saw every heavyweight champion from James J. Corbett to Muhammad Ali and rated Jack Johnson as the greatest heavyweight he had ever seen. Fleischer wrote, “Jack Johnson boxed on his toes, could block from most any angle, was lightning fast on his feet, could feint an opponent into knots…he possessed everything a champion could hope for punch, speed, brains, cleverness, boxing ability and sharp-shooting. Johnson’s mastery of ring science, his ability to block, counter, and feint, are still unexcelled.”
Veteran fight manager and historian Charley Rose rated Johnson as a first tier all time heavyweight putting him second on his all time ratings list in 1968. In the December 1962 Ring Magazine a panel of 40 veteran boxing experts rated Jack Johnson third behind Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis. In McCallum's "Survey of Old-Timers" (1975), Johnson finished in second place. As time marched on and those who actually saw Jack Johnson fight died off he began to slip further and further in the polls. As one writer recently put it, “While Ali remains a household name today, Johnson's reputation has faded like a neglected black-and-white photograph left too long in the sun.” By 1998 the Holiday Ring Magazine editors had Johnson as low as ninth. Johnson does not deserve such a low estimation of his abilities in the eyes of the careful observer.
Consider that Johnson fought at a time where boxing conditions were not as favorable as they are in modern times. Today one often sees heavyweight boxers carrying around too much weight and tiring before the end of 12 round fights. Ask yourself could the “moderns” fight 20 rounds with 5-ounce horsehair gloves, no mouthpiece, no cup, no padded turnbuckle or padded ring canvas as Johnson did? Then go look at some pictures of Jack Johnson. His face was virtually unmarked despite fighting nearly 100 fights under such conditions. That speaks volumes about his ability, especially defensively.
Both Muhammad Ali and Jack Johnson had unusual defensive styles. Former light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres commented, (Unforgivable Blackness Film by Ken Burns), “Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali used to make guys miss by pulling back, and that’s a no-no in boxing because pulling back is like being on the train track and the trains coming. Do you want to be hit by the train? What do you do? You don’t move back because the train is eventually going to hit you. You move to one side or the other. But Johnson and Muhammad Ali did not move to this side or that side, they went back, but the train never caught up with them.”
Johnson’s reputation as a defensive master is well deserved. Although both were somewhat unorthodox Johnson’s classic defense was far superior to that of Ali, particularly his ability at blocking punches and countering. Abe Attell said that Johnson fought out of the “perfect stance.” This stance, with the front foot pointed forward, was what heavyweight champion Jack Johnson called, “the key to real scientific boxing” (Ring, April 1941, 16). He noted that the purpose of that stance is that by simply moving the right rear foot, one can move, shift, and pivot in such away as to avoid a blow and always be in perfect position to counter with the full force of one’s body behind the blow. Muhammad Ali was known for his ability to lean away from punches and counter with quick jabs or right hands leads, but he usually did it while moving away from his opponent and was somewhat off balance, which is why he was not known as a terrific hitter. Ali also usually did it with his hands down, which is quite dangerous. The stance of Johnson allowed him to evade and lean away from punches with his hands up, ready to block and counter while remaining in punching position. Johnson also moved about the ring gracefully with quickness to avoid blows, stepping around and countering mistakes by his opponents punitively.
Historian Tracy Callis offers the following comparison, “How many fighters FOUGHT like Ali did? How many COULD fight like he did? How many were trained to fight EXACTLY like he did? The answer is not many (if any). His combination of physical skills enabled him to move (often with hands down) to avoid an opponent's blows. In particular, his boxing savvy, anticipation, exceptionally quick head movement, capability to lean out of his opponent's reach, etc., enabled him to do it. Others did not possess all those skills. Perhaps, some did - to a degree - but not to the extent that he did.” The footwork, parrying and countering skills of Jack Johnson were effective in much the same way. “He stood and moved like he did because he could and was effective at doing it (whatever the technique). He trained at it, perfected it, utilized it, and was well-nigh unbeatable with it.” Incidentally Callis rates Johnson above Ali.
Former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey said of Johnson, (McCallum, Encyclopedia of World Boxing Champions p 17), “He was the greatest catcher of punches that ever lived (glove blocker). And he could fight all night. He was a combination of Jim Corbett and Joe Louis. I’m glad I didn’t have to fight him.”
Former Middleweight Champion Stanley Ketchel, who fought and lost to Johnson, agrees that Johnson was unparalleled as a defensive fighter. Writing before the Johnson-Jeffries fight in the July 2, 1910 San Francisco Chronicle Ketchel described Johnson as “clever, fast, and the best blocker the pugilistic world has ever seen.” Those who saw him always described Johnson's defensive skills in this manner.
Today when we look at Johnson it is not as easy to be impressed, because we do not see him in color, “with zoom-lensed, slow motion technological grace” as Randy Roberts wrote in Papa Jack. What we see are old grainy films where the film speed is quite artificial and where the subtlety of movement is often lost. One cannot review most of Johnson’s most significant fights on film because they do not exist. When one does watch the films that are available one cannot always tell what is happening in the infighting. Neither does one get a true sense of movement that is often captured in Charlie Chaplin like fashion. Does one really believe that a modern actor such as Brad Pitt walks more smoothly than did Charlie Chaplin? No, it is the quality of the film speed that makes Chaplin seem so foolish.
Imagine Mike Tyson’s fight against Bonecrusher Smith with Chaplin-like movement, with the film speeded up and 3 of 4 frames of film missing. It wouldn’t be too impressive too watch, they may even look cartoonish. Yet Smith landed only one significant punch in that fight as Tyson neutralized him in the clinches and worked the body. Jack Johnson, in similar fashion, bested his opponents by negating his opponents in the clinch and out speeding them and out-thinking them inside and outside. Jack Johnson was physically a very strong muscular fighter with great tendon strength. He could manhandle opponents in the clinches. But only some of this can be seen in what exists in the film record.
Despite the lack of quality film one can still get an impression of what Johnson was like as a fighter by studying him. Here are my notes on Johnson:
Johnson reminds one of Ali on the inside with his clinching although he was better at controlling his opponent's arms than Ali. Johnson was not just holding, but holding and maneuvering, trapping -almost like a Wing Chun Kung Fu "sticky hands" tactic creating openings to hit inside. Johnson punched and countered on the inside whereas Ali only held waiting to get back outside.
Jack Johnson: The Equal Of Ali Part 1
By Monte D. Cox
Jack Johnson is often underrated and unappreciated today, but those who saw him would be the first to point out that he was every bit the equal of Muhammad Ali as an athletic talent. A peak Jack Johnson had the same kind of amazing speed, elusiveness and natural ability as that of a prime Ali. Jack Johnson's skills and accomplishment's have always been over-shadowed by his social significance and out of the ring activities, however, if one really studies Johnson it is apparent that he was a truly intelligent, crafty, and great fighter inside of the ring.
In modern times one often sees Muhammad Ali rated as high as 1-2 on an all time rating list, while Jack Johnson, once considered the greatest heavyweight by many veterans, has slipped to the bottom of the top 10 in some “experts” estimation of his talents. I submit that those who take such a view of Johnson’s skills really know little about Jack Johnson’s ability as a fighter.
One must consider the consensus opinion of those who saw Jack Johnson and his contemporaries fight. Nat Fleischer, founder of Ring Magazine, saw every heavyweight champion from James J. Corbett to Muhammad Ali and rated Jack Johnson as the greatest heavyweight he had ever seen. Fleischer wrote, “Jack Johnson boxed on his toes, could block from most any angle, was lightning fast on his feet, could feint an opponent into knots…he possessed everything a champion could hope for punch, speed, brains, cleverness, boxing ability and sharp-shooting. Johnson’s mastery of ring science, his ability to block, counter, and feint, are still unexcelled.”
Veteran fight manager and historian Charley Rose rated Johnson as a first tier all time heavyweight putting him second on his all time ratings list in 1968. In the December 1962 Ring Magazine a panel of 40 veteran boxing experts rated Jack Johnson third behind Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis. In McCallum's "Survey of Old-Timers" (1975), Johnson finished in second place. As time marched on and those who actually saw Jack Johnson fight died off he began to slip further and further in the polls. As one writer recently put it, “While Ali remains a household name today, Johnson's reputation has faded like a neglected black-and-white photograph left too long in the sun.” By 1998 the Holiday Ring Magazine editors had Johnson as low as ninth. Johnson does not deserve such a low estimation of his abilities in the eyes of the careful observer.
Consider that Johnson fought at a time where boxing conditions were not as favorable as they are in modern times. Today one often sees heavyweight boxers carrying around too much weight and tiring before the end of 12 round fights. Ask yourself could the “moderns” fight 20 rounds with 5-ounce horsehair gloves, no mouthpiece, no cup, no padded turnbuckle or padded ring canvas as Johnson did? Then go look at some pictures of Jack Johnson. His face was virtually unmarked despite fighting nearly 100 fights under such conditions. That speaks volumes about his ability, especially defensively.
Both Muhammad Ali and Jack Johnson had unusual defensive styles. Former light-heavyweight champion Jose Torres commented, (Unforgivable Blackness Film by Ken Burns), “Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali used to make guys miss by pulling back, and that’s a no-no in boxing because pulling back is like being on the train track and the trains coming. Do you want to be hit by the train? What do you do? You don’t move back because the train is eventually going to hit you. You move to one side or the other. But Johnson and Muhammad Ali did not move to this side or that side, they went back, but the train never caught up with them.”
Johnson’s reputation as a defensive master is well deserved. Although both were somewhat unorthodox Johnson’s classic defense was far superior to that of Ali, particularly his ability at blocking punches and countering. Abe Attell said that Johnson fought out of the “perfect stance.” This stance, with the front foot pointed forward, was what heavyweight champion Jack Johnson called, “the key to real scientific boxing” (Ring, April 1941, 16). He noted that the purpose of that stance is that by simply moving the right rear foot, one can move, shift, and pivot in such away as to avoid a blow and always be in perfect position to counter with the full force of one’s body behind the blow. Muhammad Ali was known for his ability to lean away from punches and counter with quick jabs or right hands leads, but he usually did it while moving away from his opponent and was somewhat off balance, which is why he was not known as a terrific hitter. Ali also usually did it with his hands down, which is quite dangerous. The stance of Johnson allowed him to evade and lean away from punches with his hands up, ready to block and counter while remaining in punching position. Johnson also moved about the ring gracefully with quickness to avoid blows, stepping around and countering mistakes by his opponents punitively.
Historian Tracy Callis offers the following comparison, “How many fighters FOUGHT like Ali did? How many COULD fight like he did? How many were trained to fight EXACTLY like he did? The answer is not many (if any). His combination of physical skills enabled him to move (often with hands down) to avoid an opponent's blows. In particular, his boxing savvy, anticipation, exceptionally quick head movement, capability to lean out of his opponent's reach, etc., enabled him to do it. Others did not possess all those skills. Perhaps, some did - to a degree - but not to the extent that he did.” The footwork, parrying and countering skills of Jack Johnson were effective in much the same way. “He stood and moved like he did because he could and was effective at doing it (whatever the technique). He trained at it, perfected it, utilized it, and was well-nigh unbeatable with it.” Incidentally Callis rates Johnson above Ali.
Former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey said of Johnson, (McCallum, Encyclopedia of World Boxing Champions p 17), “He was the greatest catcher of punches that ever lived (glove blocker). And he could fight all night. He was a combination of Jim Corbett and Joe Louis. I’m glad I didn’t have to fight him.”
Former Middleweight Champion Stanley Ketchel, who fought and lost to Johnson, agrees that Johnson was unparalleled as a defensive fighter. Writing before the Johnson-Jeffries fight in the July 2, 1910 San Francisco Chronicle Ketchel described Johnson as “clever, fast, and the best blocker the pugilistic world has ever seen.” Those who saw him always described Johnson's defensive skills in this manner.
Today when we look at Johnson it is not as easy to be impressed, because we do not see him in color, “with zoom-lensed, slow motion technological grace” as Randy Roberts wrote in Papa Jack. What we see are old grainy films where the film speed is quite artificial and where the subtlety of movement is often lost. One cannot review most of Johnson’s most significant fights on film because they do not exist. When one does watch the films that are available one cannot always tell what is happening in the infighting. Neither does one get a true sense of movement that is often captured in Charlie Chaplin like fashion. Does one really believe that a modern actor such as Brad Pitt walks more smoothly than did Charlie Chaplin? No, it is the quality of the film speed that makes Chaplin seem so foolish.
Imagine Mike Tyson’s fight against Bonecrusher Smith with Chaplin-like movement, with the film speeded up and 3 of 4 frames of film missing. It wouldn’t be too impressive too watch, they may even look cartoonish. Yet Smith landed only one significant punch in that fight as Tyson neutralized him in the clinches and worked the body. Jack Johnson, in similar fashion, bested his opponents by negating his opponents in the clinch and out speeding them and out-thinking them inside and outside. Jack Johnson was physically a very strong muscular fighter with great tendon strength. He could manhandle opponents in the clinches. But only some of this can be seen in what exists in the film record.
Despite the lack of quality film one can still get an impression of what Johnson was like as a fighter by studying him. Here are my notes on Johnson:
Johnson reminds one of Ali on the inside with his clinching although he was better at controlling his opponent's arms than Ali. Johnson was not just holding, but holding and maneuvering, trapping -almost like a Wing Chun Kung Fu "sticky hands" tactic creating openings to hit inside. Johnson punched and countered on the inside whereas Ali only held waiting to get back outside.
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