Airdate: TBD - FSN
Joe Jeanette was an African-American boxer in the early twentieth century who began fighting in 1904. At age 25, he took up the sport on a dare and got most of his "training" through street fights. At 5' 10" and weighing 190 lbs., Jeanette was relatively short and stocky, with his only knowledge of fighting stemming from those street brawls from his youth. But within two years of turning pro, Jeannette was already considered one of the best black heavyweights in the nation, mentioned in the same breath as Jack Johnson, Sam Langford, and his arch-rival, Sam McVey. He fought the much more experienced Jack Johnson a total of ten times in his career, and the results were balanced. After Johnson became the first African-American Heavyweight Champion of the World on December 26, 1908, he never again fought Jeanette, despite numerous challenges. Because great boxers of the era were barred from fighting for the heavyweight championship because of racism, Johnson’s refusal to fight African-Americans stung 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."
Despite the lack of a title shot, Jeanette continued to fight and win. Unable to get fights against white boxers because of his race, Jeanette was forced to fight black fighters multiple times. One such opponent was Sam McVey, who Jeanette fought 15 times over the course of his career. But one particular fight stands out, the Paris fight of 1909. The two familiar combatants met yet again in Paris, but this fight was different. Jeanette pounded McVey into the canvas 11 times, but that’s not the story. McVey returned the favor, knocking Jeanette to the ground an astounding 27 times. Nonetheless, Jeanette triumphed because when the 50th round began, McVey refused to budge, crying "this man ain’t human!"
Sadly, Jeanette would never obtain the Heavyweight title, due to a nagging arm injury, and champion Jack Johnson's refusal to grant title shots to other African-Americans. But Jeanette will always be remembered for his historic performance in Paris, when he made a powerful statement by simply refusing to give up. Jeanette retired at the age of 40 with 166 documented pro fights (106 wins, 68 KO & 20 losses) under his belt, but his number of fights is probably closer to 400. After his career, he became a referee and a trainer of young boxers. He owned a boxing gym on 26th Street and Summit Avenue in Union City, New Jersey, where he was a fixture on the boxing scene for many years. Jeanette died in 1958 and he was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997. A street located between Summit Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard in Union City was named Jeanette Street in his honor.