Jack London, Jack Johnson, and the Fight of the Century

The 1910 World Heavyweight Championship was a huge event in American history. It took place in Nevada on July 4th. This match happened during the Jim Crow era. This period was known for strict racial segregation and unfair treatment of African Americans. The famous writer Jack London attended the fight to write about it as a boxing journalist. London is famous for his adventure novels. However, he also strongly supported Jim Jeffries. Jeffries was known as the "Great White Hope." He was a white boxer trying to win the title back from Jack Johnson. Johnson was the first African American to become the heavyweight champion. His success challenged the racial rules of that time. Scholars like Andrew Rihn have studied London's reports. They show that London had complex and sometimes mixed views on race. These contradictions are important. They help us understand London's ideas about the sport and society in the early 1900s.

Most people today know Jack London for adventure books like The Call of the Wild. But his life had many other passions. He worked as a war reporter. He was a socialist. He was also a writer who loved boxing. In a letter from 1903, London described how society saw him. He said, "A rough, savage fellow, who likes prizefights and brutalities, who has a clever turn of pen." This description fit his life. He was obsessed with boxing. London learned to box in the 1890s. He learned from Herman Whitaker, a writer and boxing teacher. Throughout his life, London practiced boxing with friends. He even sparred with famous champions like Bob Fitzsimmons.

During London's time, boxing was not legal in all parts of the United States. Fights often happened in secret to avoid police. Organizers called them "athletic exhibitions" to hide the truth. The sport was changing slowly. It was becoming more organized with new rules. London was the first major American author to write a lot about boxing. He did this before Ernest Hemingway. He followed writers from Europe like George Bernard Shaw and Arthur Conan Doyle. They also wrote about the sport. London wrote four works of fiction about boxing. But his most important work was his newspaper reports on real fights. These reports captured the raw excitement of the era.

London covered many fights. But his report on the 1910 match between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries is the most famous. This contest was the first to be called the "Fight of the Century." The event caused riots and murders. It also changed federal laws. Modern readers often find London's words about race offensive. Some people think his work was just racist propaganda. However, a closer look shows a complex and contradictory worldview. The source of these ideas is in his earlier articles.

In 1901, London reported on a fight between two white boxers. One was James "Jim" Jeffries. The other was Gus Ruhlin. His article was called "Gladiators of Machine Age." It showed his deep love for the sport. In the article, he used animal imagery. He described Jeffries as a "big, dark male, hairy of chest." He called Ruhlin a "big, light male, smooth of skin." London wrote that the loser, Ruhlin, was not "animal" enough to be a true champion. He said, "the prize fighter, big-muscled and brutish and barbarous is a finer thing than a decadent." This showed he believed physical strength was better than civilized rules.

In 1905, London covered another fight. It was between Jimmy Britt and Battling Nelson. He used animal metaphors again. He called Britt an "intelligent animal." He called Nelson a "fighting animal." London used a phrase often. He called the fighter an "abysmal brute." He argued that Nelson had a strong "brute" nature. This was a primitive rage that all humans have. According to London, this quality made Nelson win. He later used the phrase "The Abysmal Brute" as a title for a 1913 novel. This cemented the idea in his work.

In 1908, London went to Australia. He covered the world heavyweight championship. The fight was between Jack Johnson and Tommy Burns. Johnson was a powerful boxer from Texas. He held the World Colored Heavyweight title. Burns was a white fighter from Canada. He held the official World Championship. Johnson had wanted to fight Burns for a long time. When the match happened in Australia, Johnson won easily.

London reported the result for an American newspaper. "A golden smile tells the story," he wrote. This referred to Johnson's gold teeth. He was clear about Johnson's dominance. He wrote, "There was no fraction of a second in all fourteen rounds that could be called for Burns." London called Johnson an "Ethiopian" and a "colossus." He called Burns a "futile white man" and a "naughty child." Surprisingly, this article had less racial talk than usual.

This was because American editors cut a longer version. The original text for Australia showed London's mixed feelings. "Personally I was with Burns all the way," he said. "He is a white man, and so am I. Naturally I wanted to see the white man win." Then he added, "All hail to Johnson. His victory was unqualified." This honest admission is surprising. Modern readers expect him to be rigid. London ended his article with a challenge. He wrote, "But one thing remains, Jeffries must emerge from his alfalfa farm and remove that smile from Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you." With these words, London linked himself to the "Great White Hope." This was a strong desire for a white boxer to defeat Johnson. Johnson was not the first Black champion. But he was the first Black heavyweight champion. This made him the most famous and controversial figure in American sports.

Jack Johnson lived boldly. He openly broke racial rules. He wore fine suits. He played musical instruments. He drove expensive cars. Most controversially, he dated white women during the Jim Crow era. Writers used racial stereotypes to attack him. Johnson refused to fit their narrow categories. When people could not stop him with words, they wanted a white fighter to beat him. When that failed, the government stepped in. In 1912, authorities charged Johnson. They said he broke the Mann Act. This law banned taking women across state lines for immoral purposes. The charges were seen as unfair. Johnson fled the country. He lived in exile for seven years. He returned to the United States in 1920. He served one year in prison. The exile and time in prison ended his boxing career. He had to perform on stage and fight exhibitions to earn money. He died in 1946 after a car crash. Just before he died, he was refused service at a segregated diner. Today, Jack Johnson is considered one of the greatest heavyweight champions in history.

Jim Jeffries agreed to come out of retirement. He wanted to challenge Johnson. In 1910, London returned to the United States. He documented the buildup. He wrote over a dozen articles before the match. In these pieces, he described the men. He analyzed their tactics. He evaluated their "abysmal brutishness." London's language was confusing and contradictory. He used terms like "protoplasmic vigor" and "cell generation." He remembered Johnson's easy win in Australia. But he used racist logic. He framed Johnson's skill as a weakness. He argued Johnson was more of a "boxer" than a true fighter. He claimed Johnson was too smart and too friendly.

In one article, London compared Jeffries to a wild animal from The Call of the Wild. He said Jeffries was "still red of fang and claw." He looked like a "Germanic tribesman." Here, London flipped racial stereotypes. Usually, white people were seen as civilized. Black people were seen as savage. London made Jeffries the savage. But his writing still often showed Johnson in a bad light. In another article, London wrote a love letter to boxing. He praised the sport for its "fair play." He said it was better than "jungle fighting." He wrote, "Some day the ape and tiger in us will completely die out." He talked about a primitive nature that we all have. But his racial thinking returned. He declared that boxing "belongs unequivocally to the English-speaking race." He said it was "woven into the fibers of our being." He called it an "instructive passion of race."

As the "Fight of the Century" approached, London described the men more equally. He wrote, "Johnson, the fighting boxer, will go up against Jeffries, the boxing fighter." He said no one could match these two "giants." He wrote, "in their own generation there is no third man who approaches them." Despite this praise, he could not stop using racial language.

The fight took place on July 4, 1910, in Reno, Nevada. Jack Johnson won decisively. He knocked out Jim Jeffries in the 15th round. After the victory, race riots erupted in many American cities. White mobs attacked Black communities. Dozens of people died. The violence showed the deep racial tensions in American society.

The federal government responded quickly. In 1912, Congress passed a law. It banned the interstate transportation of fight films. Officials feared films of a Black man beating a white man would cause more violence. This law stayed in effect until 1940. Jack London's reporting on the fight was his last major boxing work. He died six years later, in 1916. His writing on Johnson and Jeffries remains a difficult part of his legacy. It shows the common racist attitudes of his time. It also shows a writer struggling with complex ideas. He admired Johnson's skill while hoping for a white victory. His contradictions reflect the larger contradictions of American society during the Jim Crow era.