Jack Johnson #1122

$ 8.00

Caption from poster__

 

 

Jack Johnson

 

"I know the horror

 

of  being hunted

 

and haunted.

 

 I have dashed

 

across continents

 

 and oceans as a

 

fugitive and have

 

matched my wits

 

 with the police

 

 and secret agents

 

seeking to deprive

 

 me of one of the

 

greatest blessings

 

 man can have

 

 liberty. ”

 

 

 


John Arthur Johnson (March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), better known as Jack Johnson and nicknamed the "Galveston Giant", was an American boxer and arguably the best heavyweight of his generation. He was the first black Heavyweight Champion of the World, 1908-1915. In a documentary about his life, Ken Burns said: "For more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous, and the most notorious, African-American on Earth". Jack Johnson was born in Galveston, Texas as the third child and first son of Henry and Tina "Tiny" Johnson, former slaves and faithful Methodists, who both worked blue-collar jobs to earn enough to raise six children (the Johnsons had nine children, four of whom survived to adulthood, and an adopted son) and taught them how to read and write. Jack Johnson had five years of formal education. Johnson fought his first bout, a 16-round victory, at age 15. He turned professional around 1897, fighting in private clubs, and by age 18 was earning more in one night than his father earned in an entire week. In 1901, Joe Choynski, the small Jewish heavyweight, came to Galveston to fight Jack Johnson. Choynski, an experienced boxer, knocked Johnson out in round three, and the two were arrested for "engaging in an illegal contest" and put in jail for 23 days. (Although boxing was one of the three most popular sports in America at the time, along with baseball and horse-racing, the practice was officially illegal in most states, including Texas.) Choynski began training Johnson in jail. 

Now available 11" x 17"
Print with Black Frames $25.00

For 24" x 36' Size prints
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