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Unforgiveable Blackness GEOFFREY C. Ward's extensively researched book on Jack Johnson, Unforgiving Blackness, recently won the William Hill Sports Book of the Year for 2006. Now issued in paperback and running to nearly 500 pages, it is described as the definitive biography of the "Galveston Giant", whose career is familiar to most boxing fans. The flamboyant Johnson lived a life of relentless excess. He dressed like a dandy, had his teeth capped with gold, loved expensive cars and drove them too fast. He drank heavily and cheated on all his wives. He consorted with prostitutes and spent his fortune recklessly. Yet in between all that, he found time to become the first black man to win the world heavyweight crown. Racism, of course, was a huge issue in Johnson's life and Ward portrays in great detail his early existence and battles in and out of the ring. Johnson was born into poverty but had an influential mother who instilled in him the idea that he was capable of anything. Consequently, Johnson dealt with the racial prejudice of his day by simply ignoring it. It is startling to read how black people were treated in those days. The author explains that cartoons of the time depicted Johnson as a goggle-eyed, thick-lipped shadowy figure while any white opponent was drawn in representational caricature. Even quotes from Johnson were written up in the newspapers in a form of colloquialism that white editors assumed was spoken by blacks. Tellingly, the headline of the Sydney Truth newspaper blared "De Big Coon Am A-Comin'" when Johnson sailed into Australia for his challenge to Tommy Burns. Johnson lived the way he wanted but, of course, white America did not appreciate it. When his persistence paid off and he won the heavyweight title by pursuing Burns around the world and catching up with him at Rushcutter's Bay, Sydney in 1908, the press immediately implored unbeaten ex-champion James J. Jeffries to return to the ring. Jeffries was reluctant but bowed to public opinion and his meeting with "The Galveston Giant" in Reno on July 4 1910 proved Johnson's finest hour. Ignoring the malevolent crowd, Johnson thrashed "The Boilermaker" into submission, stopping him in the 15th round. His ruthless victory sparked race riots all over the country, with at least 11 dying. Film of the fight was banned in many states. Jeffries admitted: "I could never have whipped Jack Johnson at my best. I couldn't have reached him in a thousand years." My understanding has always been that Johnson received death threats before the fight, further threats to shoot him in the ring, and many guns were confiscated as the fans entered the arena. Ward makes no mention of this, which is interesting. Similarly, the legend that Johnson found three of Stanley Ketchel's teeth buried in his right glove is not addressed here. Ward writes that "four of his teeth were strewn across the canvas" while Johnson stood "one arm along the top rope, the other on his hip, peering down anxiously for some sign that his opponent would revive." Yet in the wonderfully clear old film of the fight you can clearly see Johnson examine and shake his right glove. Following the Jeffries fight, Johnson's career and life spiralled out of control. It seems he never trained properly again. Certainly, after publicly flouting convention on numerous occasions he finally fled to Europe in 1913. He had been accused of violating the Mann Act, which prohibited white women being transported across state lines for "immoral purposes", so he left America to avoid a jail sentence. Ageing and out of condition, he lost his world title to Jess Willard in Cuba in 1915. Five years later he returned to the States and served out 10 months in Leavenworth prison. When he came out, he resumed his career, finally retiring after getting knocked out by Big Bill Hartwell in 1928. He was 50. Sadly, Johnson's life lost its purpose. As the author put it, "He would spend the rest of his life struggling to stay within the spotlight that gave his life meaning... increasingly, Jack Johnson was old news." The ex-champion was jealous of Joe Louis - the next black man to become world heavy champ - criticising him at every turn. When Louis was knocked out by Max Schmeling, Johnson was delighted. He had backed Schmeling and paraded down 125th Street waving his winnings about. An angry crowd gathered, punches were thrown and Johnson had to be rescued by police. Almost fittingly, his life ended in a fast car. In his latest high-powered Lincoln Zephyr he was tearing down Highway One just outside Raleigh, North Carolina when he swerved to avoid a truck and crashed into a telegraph pole. He died in hospital three hours later, aged 68. In a sport rife with fascinating characters, Johnson is up there with the most intriguing. However, at times Ward's book is rather laborious. It is almost too informative. Many of the pages have copious footnotes that distract the reader. Ward is almost as concerned about writing a history of the era as he is with Johnson's life. His style is not particularly inspiring and there are periods in the book when it reduces a hugely colourful character's life into a slog. But for any real boxing fan, it is a must-read. *Unforgivable Blackness - The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. Published by Pimlico. Price £8.99 (paperback). |
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