Editing Jack Johnson (boxer) (section)

===Maintaining the Color Bar===
The color bar remained in effect even under Johnson. Once he was the world's heavyweight champ, Johnson did not fight a black opponent for the first five years of his reign. He denied matches to black heavyweights [[Joe Jeanette]], one of his successors as colored heavyweight champ, [[Sam Langford]], who beat Jeanette for the colored title and the young [[Harry Wills]], who was colored heavyweight champ during the last year of Johnson's reign as world's heavyweight champ.

Blacks were not given a chance at the title because Johnson maintained that he could make more money fighting white boxers. In August 1913, as Johnson neared the end of his reign as world heavyweight champ, there were rumors that he had agreed to fight Langford in Paris for the title, but it did not happen. Johnson alleged that Langford was unable to raise the $30,000 for his guarantee.

Because black boxers with the exception of Johnson had been barred from fighting for the heavyweight championship, Johnson's refusal to fight African-Americans offended the African-American community since the opportunity to fight top white boxers was rare. Jeanette criticized Johnson, saying, "Jack forgot about his old friends after he became champion and drew the color line against his own people."<ref>{{cite news |last=Rosero |first=Jessica |title=Native sons and daughters North Hudson native and 20th century boxing sensation Joe Jeanette |url=http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2407742/article-Native-sons-and-daughters-North-Hudson-native-and-20th-century-boxing-sensation-Joe-Jeanette |newspaper=Hudson Reporter |access-date=May 20, 2012 |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409015903/http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2407742/article-Native-sons-and-daughters-North-Hudson-native-and-20th-century-boxing-sensation-Joe-Jeanette |url-status=dead }}</ref>

====Johnson v. Johnson====
When Johnson finally agreed to take on a black opponent in late 1913, it was not Sam Langford the current colored heavyweight champ that he gave the title shot to. Instead, Johnson chose to take on [[Jim Johnson (boxer)|Battling Jim Johnson]], a lesser-known boxer who in 1910 had lost to Langford and had a draw and loss via KO to Sam McVey, the former colored champ. Battling Jim fought former colored champ Joe Jeanette four times between July 19, 1912, and January 21, 1913, and lost all four fights. The only fighter of note who he did beat during that period was the future colored champ [[Bill Tate (boxer)|Big Bill Tate]], whom he KO-ed in the second round of a scheduled 10-round bout. It was Tate's third pro fight.

In November 1913, the [[International Boxing Union (1913–1946)|International Boxing Union]] had declared the world heavyweight title held by Jack Johnson to be vacant. The fight, scheduled for 10 rounds, was held on December 19, 1913, in Paris. It was the first time in history that two blacks had fought for the world heavyweight championship

<blockquote>Jack Johnson, the heavyweight champion, and Battling Jim Johnson, another colored pugilist, of Galveston, Texas, met in a 10-round contest here tonight, which ended in a draw. The spectators loudly protested throughout that the men were not fighting, and demanded their money back. Many of them left the hall. The organizers of the fight explained the fiasco by asserting that Jack Johnson's left arm was broken in the third round. There is no confirmation of a report that Jack Johnson had been stabbed and no evidence at the ringside of such an accident. During the first three rounds he was obviously playing with his opponent. After that it was observed that he was only using his right hand. When the fight was over he complained that his arm had been injured. Doctors who made an examination, certified to a slight fracture of the radius of the left arm. The general opinion is that his arm was injured in a wrestling match early in the week, and that a blow tonight caused the fracture of the bone.</blockquote>{{long quote|date=June 2016}}

Because of the draw, Jack Johnson kept his championship. After the fight, he explained that his left arm was injured in the third round and he could not use it.