BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : THE BOXER JACK JOHNSON - GOES INTO " THE HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

John Arthur "Jack" Johnson born March 31st 1878 and died on June 10th 1946  nick named the Galveston Giant, was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world Heavy Weight Boxing Champion (1908 to 1915 )   In a documentary about his life " For more than thirteen years Jack Johnson was the most notorious African American on Earth. Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas the second child and the first son of Henry and Tina "Tiny" Johnson. Former slaves who worked at blue collar jobs to raise their six children and they taught them to read and write. Henry Johnson traced his ancestry back to the Coromantees of modern day Ghana.  Johnson dropped out of school after five or six years of Education to get a job at the docks in Galveston.

Johnson made his debut as a professional boxer on November 1897 in Galveston when knocked out Charley Brooks in the  second round of a fifteen round bout for what was billed as the  " The Black Heavy Weight Texas State Middle Weight Title. In his third pro-fight on May8th 1899 he battled "Klondike" John W. Haynes or Haines" an African American heavy weight known as  "The Black Hercules" in Chicago. Klondike who had declared him self the " The Black Heavy Weight Champion" won on a technical knock out in the fifth round of a schedule six rounder. The two fighter met again in 1900 with the contest ending in a draw as both fighters were on there feet at the end of the 20th round. Johnson won the third fight by a T.K.O.  when Klondike refuse to come out for the 14th round.