| James Johnson | |
| Nickname: | Battling Jim |
| Height: | 5feet |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | September 2, 1887 |
| Birth Place: | Danville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Total: | 84 |
| Wins: | 35 |
| Ko: | 23 |
| Losses: | 35 |
| Draws: | 13 |
| No Contests: | 1 |
"Battling" Jim Johnson (September 2, 1887 – November 1, 1918) was an American boxer who fought as a heavyweight from 1908 to 1918. He had little success and lost with great frequency to top boxers such as Sam Langford, Joe Jeanette, Sam McVey, Harry Wills and Kid Norfolk.[1]
In spite of this, Jack Johnson, the first black world heavyweight champion, gave him a title shot. When they fought in Paris in August 1913, it was the first time that two black boxers had fought for the world heavyweight title. Battling Jim was the only black fighter Johnson faced during his reign as heavyweight champ from 1908 to 1915.
Battling Jim fought former colored champ Joe Jeanette four times between 19 July 1912 and 21 January 1912 and lost all four fights. The only fighter of note he did beat in that period was future colored champ Big Bill Tate, whom he K.O.-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 had declared the world heavyweight title held by Jack Johnson to be vacant. The heavyweight title fight between the two Johnsons, scheduled for 10 rounds, was held on 19 December 1913 in Paris. It was the first time in history that two blacks had fought for the world heavyweight championship.
While the Johnson v. Johnson fight had been billed as a world heavyweight title match, in many ways, it resembled an exhibition. A sportswriter from the Indianapolis Star reported that the fight crowd became unruly when it was apparent that neither boxer was putting up a fight.
"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."
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.
Battling Jim's next fight, four months later, also was a title match. On 27 March 1914 in New York City, Sam Langford won a newspaper decision in a ten-rounder with Johnson. According to the New York Times, the colored heavyweight champ "won by a wide margin" because Johnson "failed to show anything remotely resembling championship ability."
Battling Jim fought Langford ten more times (including two more colored title matches). Two of the fights were draws, including their last fight on 22 September 1918, which was also Battling Jim's last pro bout. He faced Joe Jeanette five more times and did not win a single contest. Two of their fights were draws and their last fight on 20 August 1918, Battling Jim's penultimate pro fight, was a no decision. Of the other colored heavyweight champs that Battling Jim battled, he won only one fight, against Harry Wills, because he broke his wrist blocking a punch in a non-title match and Johnson won by a technical knockout. Battling Jim lost his other two fights with Wills and lost the five fights he had with ex-colored heavyweight champ Sam McVey in the post-Jack Johnson title shot period.
Jim was signed to fight Sam Langford in a 12-round fight at the Crescent Athletic Club in Lowell, Massachusetts. However, the fight was postponed due to the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. While waiting for the bout to be rescheduled, Johnson contracted the disease. After he was removed from the hospital, he died after a few days of pneumonia.
Battling Jim ended with a career record of 30 wins against 31 losses and six draws[2] when his newspaper decisions are factored in. Looking at his dismal performance with the top black heavyweights of his era and his inability to best a one-armed Jack Johnson, Battling Jim Johnson cannot be considered a top contender of his era or a worthy opponent when Jack Johnson awarded him the sole title shot given to a black boxer in the 29 years between Jack and Joe Louis winning the heavyweight crown.
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,[3] unless otherwise stated.
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | Loss | 27–18–7 | Joe Jeanette | PTS | ? | Aug 27, 1918 | ||
| 83 | Loss | 27–17–7 | Sam Langford | NWS | 8 | Aug 22, 1918 | ||
| 82 | Loss | 27–17–7 | Sam Langford | NWS | 8 | Aug 5, 1918 | ||
| 81 | Loss | 27–17–7 | Kid Norfolk | NWS | 4 | Jul 16, 1918 | ||
| 80 | Loss | 27–17–7 | Sam Langford | PTS | 10 | Jun 19, 1918 | ||
| 79 | Loss | 27–16–7 | Sam McVey | PTS | 25 | Oct 14, 1917 | ||
| 78 | Win | 27–15–7 | Jeff Clark | TKO | 8 (15) | Sep 16, 1917 | ||
| 77 | Loss | 26–15–7 | Sam McVey | PTS | 20 | Aug 12, 1917 | ||
| 76 | Loss | 26–14–7 | Tango Kid | DQ | 8 (10) | Jun 29, 1917 | ||
| 75 | Loss | 26–13–7 | Harry Wills | NWS | 10 | Jun 1, 1917 | ||
| 74 | Win | 26–13–7 | Harry Wills | TKO | 2 (12) | Feb 7, 1917 | ||
| 73 | Loss | 25–13–7 | Sam Langford | PTS | 12 | Jan 1, 1917 | ||
| 72 | Loss | 25–12–7 | Sam Langford | KO | 12 (12) | Dec 12, 1916 | ||
| 71 | Win | 25–11–7 | Lowe Simms | KO | 5 (10) | Sep 15, 1916 | ||
| 70 | Loss | 24–11–7 | Joe Bonds | PTS | 10 | Aug 1, 1916 | ||
| 69 | Win | 24–10–7 | Jack Thompson | KO | 3 (20) | May 18, 1916 | ||
| 68 | Win | 23–10–7 | Kyle Whitney | KO | 2 (20) | Apr 13, 1916 | ||
| 67 | Draw | 22–10–7 | Jack Thompson | PTS | 10 | Dec 3, 1915 | ||
| 66 | Draw | 22–10–6 | Jeff Clark | PTS | 15 | Nov 1, 1915 | ||
| 65 | Loss | 22–10–5 | Sam Langford | PTS | 15 | Oct 18, 1915 | ||
| 64 | Loss | 22–9–5 | Andre Anderson | TKO | 9 (10) | Oct 4, 1915 | ||
| 63 | Draw | 22–8–5 | Soldier Kearns | NWS | 10 | Sep 21, 1915 | ||
| 62 | Loss | 22–8–5 | Harry Wills | NWS | 10 | Jul 5, 1915 | ||
| 61 | Loss | 22–8–5 | Sam McVey | NWS | 10 | Jun 9, 1915 | ||
| 60 | Loss | 22–8–5 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Jun 8, 1915 | ||
| 59 | Win | 22–8–5 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | May 10, 1915 | ||
| 58 | Draw | 22–8–5 | Joe Battling Woods | NWS | 10 (?) | May 3, 1915 | ||
| 57 | Win | 22–8–5 | Arthur Pelkey | KO | 7 (10) | Apr 30, 1915 | ||
| 56 | Loss | 21–8–5 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Apr 6, 1915 | ||
| 55 | Loss | 21–8–5 | Sam McVey | PTS | 20 | Feb 20, 1915 | ||
| 54 | Win | 21–7–5 | Fred Jackson | TKO | 4 (10) | Jan 11, 1915 | ||
| 53 | Loss | 20–7–5 | Sam McVey | NWS | 10 | Dec 10, 1914 | ||
| 52 | Draw | 20–7–5 | Joe Jeanette | PTS | 12 | Nov 10, 1914 | ||
| 51 | Draw | 20–7–4 | Sam Langford | PTS | 12 | Sep 15, 1914 | ||
| 50 | Loss | 20–7–3 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Aug 12, 1914 | ||
| 49 | Loss | 20–7–3 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Aug 5, 1914 | ||
| 48 | Loss | 20–7–3 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Jul 15, 1914 | ||
| 47 | Loss | 20–7–3 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Jul 1, 1914 | ||
| 46 | Loss | 20–7–3 | Porky Dan Flynn | PTS | 12 | May 19, 1914 | ||
| 45 | Loss | 20–6–3 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Mar 27, 1914 | ||
| 44 | Draw | 20–6–3 | Jack Johnson | PTS | 10 | Dec 19, 1913 | ||
| 43 | Win | 20–6–2 | Jim Esson | KO | 1 (?) | Jun 22, 1913 | ||
| 42 | 19–6–2 | Kid Jackson | NC | ? | May 29, 1913 | |||
| 41 | Win | 19–6–2 | Bob Scanlon | TKO | 6 (20) | May 26, 1913 | ||
| 40 | Win | 18–6–2 | Kid Jackson | TKO | 10 (?) | May 3, 1913 | ||
| 39 | Win | 17–6–2 | Gustave Marthuin | TKO | 8 (20) | Apr 28, 1913 | ||
| 38 | Win | 16–6–2 | Con O'Kelly | KO | 11 (15) | Apr 3, 1913 | ||
| 37 | Loss | 15–6–2 | Joe Jeanette | DQ | 15 (?) | Jan 21, 1913 | ||
| 36 | Win | 15–5–2 | Tom Overby | KO | 6 (10) | Jan 16, 1913 | ||
| 35 | Loss | 14–5–2 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Jan 1, 1913 | ||
| 34 | Win | 14–5–2 | Bill Tate | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 1, 1912 | ||
| 33 | Win | 13–5–2 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | Nov 26, 1912 | ||
| 32 | Win | 13–5–2 | Black Bill | KO | 7 (10) | Nov 12, 1912 | ||
| 31 | Loss | 12–5–2 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Oct 30, 1912 | ||
| 30 | Win | 12–5–2 | Bill Watkins | KO | 2 (5) | Sep 30, 1912 | ||
| 29 | Win | 11–5–2 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 6 | Jul 19, 1912 | ||
| 28 | Win | 11–5–2 | Chuck Carleton | NWS | 6 | May 20, 1912 | ||
| 27 | Loss | 11–5–2 | Fred Storbeck | PTS | 20 | Apr 4, 1912 | ||
| 26 | Win | 11–4–2 | Tom Cowler | PTS | 15 | Mar 30, 1912 | ||
| 25 | Loss | 10–4–2 | Alf Langford | DQ | 3 (20) | Jan 29, 1912 | ||
| 24 | Win | 10–3–2 | Dennis Haugh | KO | 3 (?) | Dec 8, 1911 | ||
| 23 | Loss | 9–3–2 | Matthew Curran | DQ | 4 (20) | Dec 1, 1911 | ||
| 22 | Loss | 9–2–2 | Alf Langford | KO | 4 (20) | May 22, 1911 | ||
| 21 | Win | 9–1–2 | Seaman George Pascall | KO | 6 (10) | Feb 20, 1911 | ||
| 20 | Win | 8–1–2 | Jewey Smith | TKO | 11 (20) | Jan 23, 1911 | ||
| 19 | Win | 7–1–2 | Fred Drummond | TKO | 4 (10) | Jan 7, 1911 | ||
| 18 | Loss | 6–1–2 | Sam McVey | KO | 21 (25) | Nov 19, 1910 | ||
| 17 | Win | 6–0–2 | Gustave Marthuin | PTS | 10 | Oct 9, 1910 | ||
| 16 | Win | 5–0–2 | Jim Maher | KO | 3 (10) | Sep 1, 1910 | ||
| 15 | Win | 4–0–2 | Alexandre Meunier | KO | 5 (10) | Aug 19, 1910 | ||
| 14 | Draw | 3–0–2 | Sam McVey | PTS | 15 | Aug 7, 1910 | ||
| 13 | Draw | 3–0–1 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | May 31, 1910 | ||
| 12 | Win | 3–0–1 | Morris Harris | NWS | 6 | May 23, 1910 | ||
| 11 | Loss | 3–0–1 | Sam Langford | NWS | 6 | May 14, 1910 | ||
| 10 | Draw | 3–0–1 | Tony Ross | NWS | 6 | Apr 19, 1910 | ||
| 9 | draw | 3–0–1 | Tom Overby | PTS | 10 | Apr 14, 1910 | ||
| 8 | Draw | 3–0 | Al Kubiak | NWS | 6 | Mar 29, 1910 | ||
| 7 | Win | 3–0 | Charley Stevenson | NWS | 6 | Mar 14, 1910 | ||
| 6 | Win | 3–0 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | Mar 5, 1910 | ||
| 5 | Win | 3–0 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | Feb 19, 1910 | ||
| 4 | Loss | 3–0 | Jeff Clark | NWS | 6 | Feb 14, 1910 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | George Kid Cotton | PTS | 8 | Jan 17, 1910 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Battling Harris | PTS | 8 | Jan 3, 1910 | ||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Battling Brooks | TKO | 4 (6) | Mar 26, 1909 | ||
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round | Date | Location | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 84 | Loss | 35–35–13 | Joe Jeanette | PTS | ? | Aug 27, 1918 | ||
| 83 | Loss | 35–34–13 | Sam Langford | NWS | 8 | Aug 22, 1918 | ||
| 82 | Loss | 35–33–13 | Sam Langford | NWS | 8 | Aug 5, 1918 | ||
| 81 | Loss | 35–32–13 | Kid Norfolk | NWS | 4 | Jul 16, 1918 | ||
| 80 | Loss | 35–31–13 | Sam Langford | PTS | 10 | Jun 19, 1918 | ||
| 79 | Loss | 35–30–13 | Sam McVey | PTS | 25 | Oct 14, 1917 | ||
| 78 | Win | 35–29–13 | Jeff Clark | TKO | 8 (15) | Sep 16, 1917 | ||
| 77 | Loss | 34–29–13 | Sam McVey | PTS | 20 | Aug 12, 1917 | ||
| 76 | Loss | 34–28–13 | Tango Kid | DQ | 8 (10) | Jun 29, 1917 | ||
| 75 | Loss | 34–27–13 | Harry Wills | NWS | 10 | Jun 1, 1917 | ||
| 74 | Win | 34–26–13 | Harry Wills | TKO | 2 (12) | Feb 7, 1917 | ||
| 73 | Loss | 33–26–13 | Sam Langford | PTS | 12 | Jan 1, 1917 | ||
| 72 | Loss | 33–25–13 | Sam Langford | KO | 12 (12) | Dec 12, 1916 | ||
| 71 | Win | 33–24–13 | Lowe Simms | KO | 5 (10) | Sep 15, 1916 | ||
| 70 | Loss | 32–24–13 | Joe Bonds | PTS | 10 | Aug 1, 1916 | ||
| 69 | Win | 32–23–13 | Jack Thompson | KO | 3 (20) | May 18, 1916 | ||
| 68 | Win | 31–23–13 | Kyle Whitney | KO | 2 (20) | Apr 13, 1916 | ||
| 67 | Draw | 30–23–13 | Jack Thompson | PTS | 10 | Dec 3, 1915 | ||
| 66 | Draw | 30–23–12 | Jeff Clark | PTS | 15 | Nov 1, 1915 | ||
| 65 | Loss | 30–23–11 | Sam Langford | PTS | 15 | Oct 18, 1915 | ||
| 64 | Loss | 30–22–11 | Andre Anderson | TKO | 9 (10) | Oct 4, 1915 | ||
| 63 | Draw | 30–21–11 | Soldier Kearns | NWS | 10 | Sep 21, 1915 | ||
| 62 | Loss | 30–21–10 | Harry Wills | NWS | 10 | Jul 5, 1915 | ||
| 61 | Loss | 30–20–10 | Sam McVey | NWS | 10 | Jun 9, 1915 | ||
| 60 | Loss | 30–20–9 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Jun 8, 1915 | ||
| 59 | Win | 30–19–9 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | May 10, 1915 | ||
| 58 | Draw | 29–19–9 | Joe Battling Woods | NWS | 10 (?) | May 3, 1915 | ||
| 57 | Win | 29–19–8 | Arthur Pelkey | KO | 7 (10) | Apr 30, 1915 | ||
| 56 | Loss | 28–19–8 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Apr 6, 1915 | ||
| 55 | Loss | 28–18–8 | Sam McVey | PTS | 20 | Feb 20, 1915 | ||
| 54 | Win | 28–17–8 | Fred Jackson | TKO | 4 (10) | Jan 11, 1915 | ||
| 53 | Loss | 27–17–8 | Sam McVey | NWS | 10 | Dec 10, 1914 | ||
| 52 | Draw | 27–16–8 | Joe Jeanette | PTS | 12 | Nov 10, 1914 | ||
| 51 | Draw | 27–16–7 | Sam Langford | PTS | 12 | Sep 15, 1914 | ||
| 50 | Loss | 27–16–6 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Aug 12, 1914 | ||
| 49 | Loss | 27–15–6 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Aug 5, 1914 | ||
| 48 | Loss | 27–14–6 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Jul 15, 1914 | ||
| 47 | Loss | 27–13–6 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Jul 1, 1914 | ||
| 46 | Loss | 27–12–6 | Porky Dan Flynn | PTS | 12 | May 19, 1914 | ||
| 45 | Loss | 27–11–6 | Sam Langford | NWS | 10 | Mar 27, 1914 | ||
| 44 | Draw | 27–10–6 | Jack Johnson | PTS | 10 | Dec 19, 1913 | ||
| 43 | Win | 27–10–5 | Jim Esson | KO | 1 (?) | Jun 22, 1913 | ||
| 42 | 26–10–5 | Kid Jackson | NC | ? | May 29, 1913 | |||
| 41 | Win | 26–10–5 | Bob Scanlon | TKO | 6 (20) | May 26, 1913 | ||
| 40 | Win | 25–10–5 | Kid Jackson | TKO | 10 (?) | May 3, 1913 | ||
| 39 | Win | 24–10–5 | Gustave Marthuin | TKO | 8 (20) | Apr 28, 1913 | ||
| 38 | Win | 23–10–5 | Con O'Kelly | KO | 11 (15) | Apr 3, 1913 | ||
| 37 | Loss | 22–10–5 | Joe Jeanette | DQ | 15 (?) | Jan 21, 1913 | ||
| 36 | Win | 22–9–5 | Tom Overby | KO | 6 (10) | Jan 16, 1913 | ||
| 35 | Loss | 21–9–5 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Jan 1, 1913 | ||
| 34 | Win | 21–8–5 | Bill Tate | KO | 2 (10) | Dec 1, 1912 | ||
| 33 | Win | 20–8–5 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | Nov 26, 1912 | ||
| 32 | Win | 19–8–5 | Black Bill | KO | 7 (10) | Nov 12, 1912 | ||
| 31 | Loss | 18–8–5 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 10 | Oct 30, 1912 | ||
| 30 | Win | 18–7–5 | Bill Watkins | KO | 2 (5) | Sep 30, 1912 | ||
| 29 | Win | 17–7–5 | Joe Jeanette | NWS | 6 | Jul 19, 1912 | ||
| 28 | Win | 16–7–5 | Chuck Carleton | NWS | 6 | May 20, 1912 | ||
| 27 | Loss | 15–7–5 | Fred Storbeck | PTS | 20 | Apr 4, 1912 | ||
| 26 | Win | 15–6–5 | Tom Cowler | PTS | 15 | Mar 30, 1912 | ||
| 25 | Loss | 14–6–5 | Alf Langford | DQ | 3 (20) | Jan 29, 1912 | ||
| 24 | Win | 14–5–5 | Dennis Haugh | KO | 3 (?) | Dec 8, 1911 | ||
| 23 | Loss | 13–5–5 | Matthew Curran | DQ | 4 (20) | Dec 1, 1911 | ||
| 22 | Loss | 13–4–5 | Alf Langford | KO | 4 (20) | May 22, 1911 | ||
| 21 | Win | 13–3–5 | Seaman George Pascall | KO | 6 (10) | Feb 20, 1911 | ||
| 20 | Win | 12–3–5 | Jewey Smith | TKO | 11 (20) | Jan 23, 1911 | ||
| 19 | Win | 11–3–5 | Fred Drummond | TKO | 4 (10) | Jan 7, 1911 | ||
| 18 | Loss | 10–3–5 | Sam McVey | KO | 21 (25) | Nov 19, 1910 | ||
| 17 | Win | 10–2–5 | Gustave Marthuin | PTS | 10 | Oct 9, 1910 | ||
| 16 | Win | 9–2–5 | Jim Maher | KO | 3 (10) | Sep 1, 1910 | ||
| 15 | Win | 8–2–5 | Alexandre Meunier | KO | 5 (10) | Aug 19, 1910 | ||
| 14 | Draw | 7–2–5 | Sam McVey | PTS | 15 | Aug 7, 1910 | ||
| 13 | Draw | 7–2–4 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | May 31, 1910 | ||
| 12 | Win | 7–2–3 | Morris Harris | NWS | 6 | May 23, 1910 | ||
| 11 | Loss | 6–2–3 | Sam Langford | NWS | 6 | May 14, 1910 | ||
| 10 | Draw | 6–1–3 | Tony Ross | NWS | 6 | Apr 19, 1910 | ||
| 9 | draw | 6–1–2 | Tom Overby | PTS | 10 | Apr 14, 1910 | ||
| 8 | Draw | 6–1–1 | Al Kubiak | NWS | 6 | Mar 29, 1910 | ||
| 7 | Win | 6–1 | Charley Stevenson | NWS | 6 | Mar 14, 1910 | ||
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | Mar 5, 1910 | ||
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Tom Overby | NWS | 6 | Feb 19, 1910 | ||
| 4 | Loss | 3–1 | Jeff Clark | NWS | 6 | Feb 14, 1910 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | George Kid Cotton | PTS | 8 | Jan 17, 1910 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Battling Harris | PTS | 8 | Jan 3, 1910 | ||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Battling Brooks | TKO | 4 (6) | Mar 26, 1909 | ||