
Boxing is a great sport to follow, but in recent decades that’s all it has been, a sport. It used to be the mecca of athletics; the sport which truly determined who was the dominant athlete on the planet. Unfortunately it doesn’t really feel that way anymore.

Corruption, greed, and shady promoters tore down boxing’s credibility, and the sport no longer carries the cultural significance it once did.
This article celebrates the craziest stories to happen in boxing when the sport was experiencing a peak in popularity; a time where what happened in boxing seemed to matter more than it does today.
Jack Johnson KO’s James J. Jeffries – 1910
The first black heavyweight boxing champion was Jack Johnson. He would break boxing’s infamous “color-line” in 1908 when he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns.
Johnson had been unable to get a fight with longtime champion James J. Jeffries, who refused to defend the title against him because he was black. Jeffries was the fourth fighter recognized as the world heavyweight champion, and the 3 champions before him all refused to defend against black fighters as well. Joe Gans, a lightweight fighter, had already broken the colour-line in his division however.
Still the heavyweight championship was the big prize, and it was a huge deal with Johnson finally convinced Tommy Burns to give him the shot previous champions wouldn’t. Burns had won the title from Marvin Hart after Jeffries retired in 1904.
The heavyweight championship being won by a person of colour did not sit well with some Americans. Slavery had just ended a few decades previously, and racial tension was high. James J. Jeffries opted to come out of retirement and become the “great white hope” for his era. In the fight of the century however, Johnson KO’d Jeffries in the 15th round. There were said to be riots all across the country after the fight.