great heavywieght

In my opinion, easily one of the best heavyweight boxers ever (I have him ranked #3 behind Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali).  The first truly great boxer in the history of the sport.  He easily destroyed the likes of Burns and Jim Jeffries and would've destroyed "Gentleman" Jim Corbett.  Jeffries ( considered "the great white hope" after Johnson won the title) claimed that he never would've had a chance against Johnson, even in his prime.  Jack Johnson devastated boxers, easily destroying them if he chose to, or "toying with them," then finishing them off when he chose to.  In many respects he was the Muhummad Ali of his era.  He easily had the best boxing skills and power of any boxer of his era.  He probably would've beaten Ali and Joe Louis -at least once if they had met several times.  Like Ali, Jack was very verbal, taunted his foes, and was hated by many and loved by many.  He made hilarious comments in and out of the ring and was notorious for buying and driving fast cars and for being a "womanizer," especially of white women.  Johnson only lost a little later in his career, but I believe he boxed into his 60s.  Some critics claim Jack Johnson is the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time and it is arguable that he may very well be.

Based on information and clips I've seen, I have to rate Johnson as the 3rd greatest heavyweight of all time, with an impenetrable defense, and a devastating punch(Knocked out several of Stanley Ketchel's teeth, made him unconscious for several minutes). Johnson unfortunately was a fighter who was decades before his time, thriving in a vicsiously racist environment, and undoubtedly feared many times to have been fighting while scoped behind a rifle. Yes, he fought many underweight, past-their-prime fighters, but his dominance of them could not be questioned. He fought in the era when fights would last 20, 30, even 40 rounds. I believe wholeheartedly that he took a dive in the "Great White Hope" fight agains Jess Willard. You can see him shielding his eyes from the sun as he laid down on his back after being knocked down.

This man was so skilled that he toyed with every challenger and could easily have knocked them out in the early rounds.He was SO good that he scared the racist whites of the early 1900s into railroading him.Sadly,back then,whites ran everything and it worked.The former world champ who lost to him,billed as the Great White Hope even admitted that he could never have beaten Johnson,not even in his prime.Besides being an unbeatable fighter,he was also an articulate,intelligent and colorful charachter.

One of the best heavyweights ever. He had it all - speed, knockout power, courage, ring smarts and even a sharp wit.

As a controversial figure nobody could rate higher.But as a boxer,Johnson was very overrated-even for his time. Tommy Burns-who he beat for the heavyweight championship was too small to be competitive;same with Stanley Ketchel.And Jim Jeffries was just too out of shape while attempting to make a comeback because of some stupid,racist commentary by the writer,Jack London.

jack johnson had technique, moderate power, a good chin, and he mastered the best fighters of his day. problem is he had little heart, no class, and he was mastered too. he just couldnt beat marvin hart, threw the fight (and the title) against jess willard, and was KOd in 3 against joe choynski. he was an excellent boxer, but the champions after him could easily destroy him.

Best defense to date (in HIS day, the first superstar of the division). Top Ten Easy. Wouldn't fight other fighters of color. Might not amount to much today, but George Mikan might not either. Respect the history of the sport, it's easy to judge antiquity by today's standards, but the guys of today are standing on shoulders of the guys who stood on the the shoulders of those who stand on the shoulders of Jack Johnson. Easy to judge him a crack pot, but he was the champ 55 yrs. before Floyd won it twice. The prototype of the Heavyweight champ. Respect Due!

Jack Johnson was the best defensive boxer that ever lived and 1 of the greatest ever.Took tremendous guts to even fight due to millions hating him because of the colour of his skin and was the FIRST black champion ever.

As there are no previous comments defending Johnson's dubious #1 ranking, I am lead to suspect an ideological project at work. Let facts speak for themselves. . .