Jack Johnson (boxer)’s Real Name and Boxing Biography
The boxer Jack Johnson’s birth name was John Arthur Johnson. His best-known ring nickname was “the Galveston Giant.”
- Known as
- Jack Johnson (boxer)
- Full or birth name
- John Arthur Johnson
- Category
- Boxers
Biography
John Arthur Johnson became the first Black boxer to win the world heavyweight championship. He fought professionally as Jack Johnson and was associated with Galveston, Texas, the place reflected in his nickname, the Galveston Giant.
Johnson won the heavyweight title from Tommy Burns in Sydney on December 26, 1908. His success confronted a sport and society in which racial barriers had restricted opportunities for Black contenders. In 1910 he defended against James J. Jeffries, who returned from retirement amid an explicitly racist campaign to find a white challenger who could defeat him.
The Johnson–Jeffries bout took place in Reno, Nevada, on July 4, 1910. Johnson won in the fifteenth round. Surviving fight footage records the two men; it should not be confused with Johnson’s earlier title-winning encounter with Burns or his later loss to Jess Willard.
Johnson lost the championship to Willard in Havana in 1915. He died in a car accident in 1946 and was included in the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s inaugural 1990 class.
Jack is the professional form associated with John Arthur Johnson. The boxer is a different person from the musician Jack Johnson and must have a separately disambiguated page.
Names and nicknames
The Galveston Giant.
Archival film connection
Jack Johnson vs James J. Jeffries (1910).
Frequently asked questions
What name is documented for Jack Johnson (boxer)?
The boxer Jack Johnson’s birth name was John Arthur Johnson. His best-known ring nickname was “the Galveston Giant.”
Which archival footage is associated with Jack Johnson (boxer)?
Jack Johnson vs James J. Jeffries (1910).
Sources
Further reading: Wikipedia