Jack Johnson, American, 1878 - 1946 James J. Jeffries, American, 1875 - 1953 Caption This 1910 boxing match between Jack Johnson, the first African American World Heavyweight Champion, and James ...

The July 4, 1910 title fight between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries led to riots, mayhem, murder — and the racially motivated prosecution of boxing's first Black heavyweight champion.

Jim Jeffries was a 330-pound alfalfa farmer who had left boxing behind six years earlier when he received the frantic call to defend the honor of his race. When he answered it, the “Fight of the ...

Jack Johnson's historic boxing win on July 4,1910, upset much of America. But the next Black world heavyweight champ remains an American icon.