SPORTSCLOPEDIA 63: JOHNSON VS. JEFFERIES IN THE FOURTH OF JULY 1910 CHAMPIONSHIP
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 04 Jul 2023
The Johnson–Jeffries Prize Fight was a boxing match between the first African American world heavyweight champion Jack Johnson and the previously undefeated world heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries on US Independence Day July 4, 1910 at Reno, Nevada. The fight further fueled the heated racial relations in the U.S., and caused the Johnson–Jeffries riots in which more than 20 people were killed.
* * *
Fans were eagerly awaiting the match, with betting odds highly favoring Jeffries, who had come back from retirement for the fight. Racial discrimination was highly widespread.
* * *
Johnson beat Jeffries in the fifteenth round. Jeffries boasted that he had never been knocked down in a fight but this time he fell three times after being hit by Johnson's punches, and was being counted out when his manager called the fight. Racial riots erupted all throughout the country over the following week and it marked the first nationwide racial riots in the United States.
* * *
A crowd of 18,020 attended the stadium built especially for the fight, and people were awaiting telegraphed reports across the country. Johnson and Jeffries both received a purse over $100,000 plus bonuses, and the sale of film rights.
* * *
The fight took place on July 4, 1910, in front of nearly 20,000 people in downtown Reno, Nevada. Jeffries was simply overpowered by the younger champion as Johnson dominated the fight. In the 15th round, after Jeffries had been knocked down twice for the first time in his career, Jeffries's corner threw in the towel to prompt the referee to stop the fight and prevent Jeffries from suffering a knockout.
* * *
Dubbed as the "Fight of the Century", it earned for Johnson $65,000 (over $2 million at present) and silenced the critics, who had derided Johnson's previous victory over Tommy Burns. Detractors claimed that Burns was a false champion since Jeffries had retired undefeated. John L. Sullivan, the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing, commented after the fight that Johnson won deservedly, fairly, and convincingly.
* * *
The result of the fight ignited racial riots that evening of the Fourth of July all across the United States, from Texas and Colorado to New York and Washington, D.C., Johnson's victory over Jeffries had failed the whites' dreams of finding a "great white hope" to defeat him. Many white boxing fans felt embarrassed by the loss of Jeffries.
* * *
Blacks, on the contrary, were jubilant, and celebrated Johnson's great victory as a victory for the African-American race. Racial riots exploded in New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta, St. Louis, Little Rock and Houston. Riots erupted in more than 25 states and 50 cities. At least 20 people died all over the US as a result of the riots, and hundreds others were injured.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Crawford to defy odds?
By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
Sun, 14 Sep 2025Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
Sat, 13 Sep 2025WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
Sat, 13 Sep 2025SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
Fri, 12 Sep 2025National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 12 Sep 2025