Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1910-07-04
RENo'S ANSWER TODAY.
What is the Color of heavyweight
Champion.

Reno, New, July 3-Who is the
heavyweight champion of the world?
This is the question set for argument
tomorrow afternoon, when James J.
Jeffries, undefeated champion, retired,
and Jack johnson. holder of Jeffries.
rclinquished title, by right of conquest.
meet in the first real heavyweight
championship battle held in this coun-
try since Tommy Burns defeated Bill
Squres. the Australian challenger, in
this city just three years ago tOmOr-
row
For the first time since he defeated
Bob Fitzsimmons in 1899. Jeffries is
the challenger. Through all his spec
tacular ring career. Jeff never encoun-
tered setback. He has never tasted
the bitterness of defeat. and the sport
ing public has held him to be the
champion. despite his voluntary with
drawal in favor of Marvin Hart in
1905. There were no new fields then
for Jeffries to conquer. OF all the
heavyWeights before the public he was
so easily the master that a bout be
tween the champion and any one of
them proved a poor drawing card.
So Jeffries. in the prime of his man
hood. and when his skill, strength and
fighting spirit we're at their height
retired. He passed completely out Of
the prize fighting world. 1t was his
intention and desire never to re-enter
it, Let who would struggle for the
honors' he laid down. said Jeffries: he
was no longer a fighter. He proposed
to enjoy in peace and comfort in his
southern California home the com
petence he had won in the give and
take of hard knocks.
THE BLACK HORSE.
But there was a dark horse I'm the
race-a very dark horse indeed-and
Jeffries never thought of the race
question. better known in the sporting
whrl as the color line" represented
in John Arthur Johnson. of Galveston,
when he planned bucolic future for
himself He failed TO reckon with
that mighty host. public opinion
Jack Johnson Of Galveston. began
his ring career in his home town in
1901 He was big. strong man, but
he lacked skill and experience, and his
skin vas black. No one thought of
him except as a husky third rater.
That is. no one but Johnson himself.
marked out d high place in the pugil
istic game He did not talk much
about it. but he worked for it early
and late. fighting every one who came
his way: but fighting craftily. steering
clear of over exertion, and of men who
were decidedly his superior, and apt
to bring his ambitions to disastrous
defeat. With every fight he gained
experience He slowly blOsSOmed out
as a full blown scientific boxer, clever
beyond the run of ordinary big men.
His ring generalship developed in a
most surprising way, and his big body
showed at each appearance that nc
was taking care Of himself between
whiles, carefully building up his
strength without impairing his speed
LOOKING TO THE TOP.
Through all the time Johnson was
fighting his way to the top, his dreams
were centered about the one fight
that some day he would achieve-a
fight with Jeffries, the great man
of the ring. With a mind single to
that purpose he went forward. fret
ting against delays but watching JEFF
fries, always on hand when Jeffries
stepped into the ring, and giving no
part of his attention to any other
object than the great white fighter.
When Jeff retired Johnson did not
despair He went on toward the
championship, chasing half way
around the world to get his chance
at Tommy Burns in Australia; but
never losing sight of the quiet farmer
i'm southern California. The cham
pionship meant a great deal to him.
1t meant that fighters must come To
him; that he would no longer be
compelled to scheme and struggle just
for the chance to fight. But more
than that i'm the end it meant a
fight with Jeffries, and Johnson
knew it, and also he knew that JEFF
fries knew it. He had tested race
prejudice in many ways. He had
heard the hiss of race feeling in the
shouting and yells at countless ring
sides He knew that if black man
held the coveted title of the arena
the day must come when the white
champion would. be forced out of his
retreat and do battle for his relin-