Jack Johnson
First Black world heavyweight champion, won the title in 1908 in Sydney
Overview
The Galveston Giant took the title from Tommy Burns in Sydney on December 26 1908, then crushed former champion James Jeffries in 1910 in the most hyped fight of the young century. His dominance and flamboyant life enraged racist America, which hunted him with legal prosecutions. Defensively he was decades ahead of his time, slipping and countering from a cross armed guard.
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