After decades of lobbying, it may be Donald Trump who pardons black boxing pioneer Jack Johnson from a racially-biased criminal charge.
Sylvester Stallone is reportedly influencing Donald Trump to do something that’s been asked of the Oval Office for decades — issue a pardon to trailblazing black boxer Jack Johnson. After years of politicians and historians calling for the wiping of Johnson’s criminal record, it might finally happen.
Johnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world in the Jim Crow era, beset by racial double standards and outright hatred because of the color of his skin. Johnson blazed a trail not only for African American athletes, but prizefighting in general. He was famously arrested in 1901 after fighting Joe Choynski in Galveston, Texas due to prizefighting being illegal in the state. Unable to pay the large fine, the sheriff allowed the two imprisoned men to go home at night if they agreed to spar in front of large crowds at the jail. Eventually, the reduced the fines, a jury refused to indict the men, and his career continued to take off.
In the years following, Johnson became a star, and his 1910 Fight of the Century drew tens of thousands to Reno, Nevada. But like much of his life, every victory counter-punched. The film of Johnson’s victory was immediately censored around the country.
