A Controversial Hero

At a time when race was a predominant factor in American society , a man appeared who defied the prejudice. His name was Jack Johnson and he was the greatest boxer of all times. Jack Johnson was born on March 31, 1878, in Galveston ,Texas. He was the second of six children. His family was very poor. Jack turned to boxing to survive. He boxed professionally from 1897 to 1928 . In 1908 , Johnson knocked out Jim Jeffries , the white champion , and became the first African American heavy weight champion of the world. During his boxing career, Jack Johnson fought 114 fights and won 80 matches, 45 by knockout. His great power and skill in the ring awed the boxing world . However, because of the prejudice of the times, he received bad publicity from the press and his fights even caused race riots. This prejudice was furtherd by the fact that he married a white woman. Jack Johnson refused to give in to prejudice and discrimination ,and in so doing , became a great hero to all races.