By Sam Gregory: On December 26, 1908 Jack Johnson became the first African American heavyweight champion of the world by defeating Tommy Burns at Rushcutter’s Bay, Sydney, Australia. At the time Johnson was the obvious contender to fight Burns for the title however; Johnson was constantly denied his chance to fight for the title because of his race. Johnson had to literally follow Burns around the world, taunting the champion at ringside until finally Burns agreed to give Johnson the chance to fight for the heavyweight title.

Promoter Snowy Baker guaranteed Tommy Burns the sum of $30,000 to fight Jack Johnson that day in December of 1908 at Rushcutter’s Bay. The money Baker offered Burns to fight Johnson was at that time the largest sum of money ever offered to a prize fighter. Johnson gave Burns a shellacking that December da8y in Australia. Finally, after fourteen rounds the police stepped in and stopped the fight.

From that day on Johnson became a wanted man; promoters world-wide looked for the “Great White Hope” to de -thrown the newly crowned black heavyweight champion of the world.

Jack Johnson was born to a former slave on March 31, 1878 in Galveston, Texas. At that time in U.S. history it was illegal for blacks to walk down the same side of the street as white people. It was also a time when black athletes were forbidden to compete against white athletes.

Johnson had remarkable ring skills he learned in part by fighting in “Battle Royals” in which several black men were thrown in a ring to fight with the last man standing declared the winner. His ring skills were honed to precision by one of his opponents. Having gone unbeaten the first few years of his career, the first fight Johnson lost was a third round knockout by west coast champion Joe Choynski. Since boxing was illegal at the time, both men were thrown in jail after the fight. While in jail Choynski showed Johnson the finer points of boxing: ring stance, balance, combination punching and the art of feinting.

From that point on Jack Johnson was unstoppable. After his win in Australia Jack Johnson had become legendary taking on the greatest fighters in the world. Along with being the first black heavyweight champion Johnson’s escapades and marriages to white women turned a large part of the U.S. public against him.

Jack Johnson clearly had himself in the spotlight and authorities were quick to arrest him anytime he stepped over the line. In 1911 Johnson married Etta Duryea; in September of that year Duryea was so harassed by the public she committed suicide. In June of 1912 Johnson was indicted for smuggling a diamond necklace into the United States. On July 4th police intervened and stopped a heavyweight fight in which Jack Johnson was fighting “Fireman” Jim Flynn. On October 12th of 1912 Johnson was arrested for violating the “White Slave Traffic Act.” On December 4th Johnson married Lucille Cameron. In May of 1913 Johnson was convicted in Chicago of violating the “White Slave Traffic Act.” On June 4th of 1913 Johnson was sentenced to a term of imprisonment for one year and one day plus a $1,000 fine.

Later that month with his appeal pending, Johnson fled the United States while free on bond. That same month the French Federation of Boxing Clubs stripped Johnson of his heavyweight title.

During this time Johnson decided to call Europe home and later South America. Promoters continued to search for a Caucasian fighter to stop Johnson’s reign as the heavyweight champion of the world.

In 1915 Johnson was talked into fighting Jess Willard in Havana for the heavyweight title. At the age of 37 Johnson was of the mindset to put all the turmoil behind him. In the 26th round of the fight Willard caught the champ with a left to the body and a right to the head that ended with a KO win for the 6’ 6” Willard. A promise from the fights promoter to get Johnson safely back into the United Sates failed to materialize and Johnson continued to live in exile. In 1920 Johnson surrendered to federal authorities and served eight months in Kansas’ Leavenworth penitentiary.

After his release Johnson fought sporadically until 1928 when he officially retired at the age of 50.

Jack Johnson went on to act in a few Hollywood movies, owned a Chicago nightclub and fought bulls in Spain during his long and elaborate career. In 1946 Johnson was working as an amusement arcade entertainer when he tragically was killed in an automobile accident.

It has been written by many boxing and sports historians that Jack Johnson went down in history as the most significant black athlete in history.

In July of 2009 Congress approved a resolution that was originally sponsored by Arizona Senator John McCain urging a presidential pardon for the former black heavyweight champion.

The House passed the resolution by voice vote; about a month after the Senate approved it.

“I’m pleased the House has joined the Senate in passing a resolution to express the sense of Congress that Jack Johnson, the best heavyweight fighter of his area, should receive a posthumous pardon for being convicted of violating the Mann Act in 1913,” said McCain.

The resolution’s House Sponsor, New York Republican Peter King, said that he was thrilled that after five years of efforts, it’s passed both chambers of Congress.

“Jack Johnson is a trailblazer and a legion, whose boxing career was cut short due to unjust laws and racial persecution,” King said. “I urge the president to do the right thing and take the final step and grant his pardon.”

For once President Barack Obama seemed to be faced with the easiest of decisions. Offered a chance to right a grievous historical wrong and to honor an African-American hero, he needed only to issue a presidential pardon that even his fiercest political rivals agreed was long overdue.

Yet there has so far been no pardon for Jack Jonson. Not only has there been no happy ending to a disgraceful episode in American racial relations, but Obama’s grim caution at handling the Johnson case has raised questions about the willingness of the president and his advisers to risk controversy over inflammatory issues of race, crime and punishment.

The White House declined to comment on the situation. A case that once seemed easy has instead become a dilemma as Obama weighs the legal and political consequences. Obama’s problem is that doing nothing is not what he promised as he stormed across America last year.