(John Arthur Johnson), 1878–1946, American boxer, b. Galveston, Tex. Emerging from the battle royals (dehumanizing fights between blacks for the amusement of white patrons) of his youth, he defeated Tommy Burns in 1908 to become the world's first African-American heavyweight champion. After an interracial marriage and his defeat of several white hopefuls, Johnson was convicted in 1913 under contrived circumstances for violation of a federal law. He fled to Europe and remained a champion in exile until he lost in 1915 to Jess Willard in Cuba. Upon his return to the United States, he served a year in prison.
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Publication Information: Encyclopedia Article Title: Johnson, Jack. Encyclopedia Title: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Publisher: Columbia University Press. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 2004.
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