Jack Johnson, the first Black world heavyweight champion, and Jim Jeffries, the so-called "Great White Hope", slugged it out in Reno, Nevada on 4th July, 1910 - in one of the most explosive sporting events in American sports history.

Literally billed as a battle for racial supremacy, the fight attracted 20,000 paying fans - and sparked the biggest race riots in the United States until the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Jeffries came out of retirement for a fat paycheck. Johnson danced circles around him, forcing his corner to throw in the towel by round 15. To many white Americans, this wasn’t just a loss; it was an existential meltdown in boxing gloves.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how Johnson’s brashness and defiance made him a marked man; explore how his triumph resonated in Black America, just one generation after emancipation; and reveal what Sylvester Stallone contributed to his place in the history books...

Further Reading:

• ‘Introduction - Jack Johnson vs. James Jeffries: Topics in Chronicling America’ (Library of Congress): https://guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-johnson-vs-jeffries

• ‘Tex Rickard and the Making of Modern Sports’ (We're History, 2015): https://werehistory.org/tex-rickard/

• ‘Jack Johnson Vs. James J Jeffries (July 4th, 1910): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esnq-orAvo8&t=14s

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Ollie Peart

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.

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