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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In 1908 black fighter Jack Johnson won the heavyweight championship of the world. There was an immediate storm of protest: it was predicted - accurately - that his reign would lead to civic unrest and race riots. Over the next seven years, more than 30 fighters lured by the prospect of fame tried to beat Jackson. This title tells the story.
About the Author
Graeme Kent was the head of educational broadcasting and textbook production in the Solomon Islands,a headteacher for 18 years, a scriptwriter and producer for the schools broadcasting department at the BBC. He has written more than 40 non-fiction and fiction books. He has spent years collecting material on the White Hopes from contemporary newspaper accounts and court records.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In "The Great White Hopes", author Graeme Kent has done a splendid job of documenting the years 1908-15, also known as the white hope era of the heavyweight division.
This book contains facts about the fighters of that age which until now have been either forgotten or little known for the last 80+ years.
Kent also sets the record straight about certain lore and unaccuracies which have wrongly become accepted as fact over the years.
Overall, "The Great White Hopes" is a valuable piece of work that should be found in every serious boxing historians bookshelf. Recommended.
This book contains facts about the fighters of that age which until now have been either forgotten or little known for the last 80+ years.
Kent also sets the record straight about certain lore and unaccuracies which have wrongly become accepted as fact over the years.
Overall, "The Great White Hopes" is a valuable piece of work that should be found in every serious boxing historians bookshelf. Recommended.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Very very good
13 Oct 2006
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a tremendous read full of stories of the myriad characters from the turn of the century.
Jack Johnson is the central figure in the book but not the main character. The author takes the tack of looking at the white hopes who were groomed to take the crown from Johnson. These fighters tended to be big but technically clumsy and the ones who were unfortunate enough to get into the ring with Johnson tended to have a hard time of it.
Being a fan of photos, I would have liked some more pictures to be in the book but that is a minor quibble.
Jack Johnson is the central figure in the book but not the main character. The author takes the tack of looking at the white hopes who were groomed to take the crown from Johnson. These fighters tended to be big but technically clumsy and the ones who were unfortunate enough to get into the ring with Johnson tended to have a hard time of it.
Being a fan of photos, I would have liked some more pictures to be in the book but that is a minor quibble.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful
The Ring Of Hate
13 Nov 2006
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Artist Andy Warhol would have run out of supplies if he needed to paint the mostly tomato cans that were vying to be the Great White Hope.
In an interesting angle, author Graeme Kent profiles many of the white boxers that were battling to be the heavyweight contender to dethrone the great champion, Jack Johnson. The trail spans the globe; the United States, Canada, England, France, South Africa and Australia. Hate fueled by racisim has no boundaries.
The pretenders came from all walks of life - eveything from pro wrestlers to those who had their past created by their promoters - and oftentimes competed in tournaments to crown the "White Heavyweight Champion." There are fixed matches, unscrupulous cornermen, a match highlighted by a biting incident, gloves filled with material so the punches were like puffs and several deaths inside the ring.
The irony is the hate grew to such levels in the United States that quality black fighters had to leave for Europe to have any chance of getting an opportunity to compete, while white European fighters were coming stateside to try and build their reputations inside the ring and with the media.
Kent presents excellent background information on the history of the era, along with following up on what happened to many of the fighters later in life.
Johnson looms large in the story, but is not the focus of the book. The section on Jess Willard alludes to Johnson's later contention that he took a dive to drop the belt in a deal to return to the United States and not face the trumped-up federal charges that had forced him to flee the country.
Kent pretty much dismisses the "dive," citing Johnson's declining ring skills and age. I contend that Johnson was tired of living abroad and the pressure of having a government and racist society made him pursue the only means to bring this period of his life to a close; agree to lose the title.
Willard emerged from the mass of white fighters, but could hardly be considered championship-quality. His career was nearly over when he quit in the ring during a match and had an opponent die in another fight. He was not considered a great title holder then and his lack of skills were exposed when Jack Dempsey defeated him for the crown.
Though black fighters could possibly compete for championships in the lighter weight divisions, the victory by Willard closed the door on black heavyweights having a chance for ring immortality until the emergence of Joe Louis.
Johnson had the savvy to become the greatest heavyweight champion ever, but he could not defeat a larger opponent that still plagues society today.
In an interesting angle, author Graeme Kent profiles many of the white boxers that were battling to be the heavyweight contender to dethrone the great champion, Jack Johnson. The trail spans the globe; the United States, Canada, England, France, South Africa and Australia. Hate fueled by racisim has no boundaries.
The pretenders came from all walks of life - eveything from pro wrestlers to those who had their past created by their promoters - and oftentimes competed in tournaments to crown the "White Heavyweight Champion." There are fixed matches, unscrupulous cornermen, a match highlighted by a biting incident, gloves filled with material so the punches were like puffs and several deaths inside the ring.
The irony is the hate grew to such levels in the United States that quality black fighters had to leave for Europe to have any chance of getting an opportunity to compete, while white European fighters were coming stateside to try and build their reputations inside the ring and with the media.
Kent presents excellent background information on the history of the era, along with following up on what happened to many of the fighters later in life.
Johnson looms large in the story, but is not the focus of the book. The section on Jess Willard alludes to Johnson's later contention that he took a dive to drop the belt in a deal to return to the United States and not face the trumped-up federal charges that had forced him to flee the country.
Kent pretty much dismisses the "dive," citing Johnson's declining ring skills and age. I contend that Johnson was tired of living abroad and the pressure of having a government and racist society made him pursue the only means to bring this period of his life to a close; agree to lose the title.
Willard emerged from the mass of white fighters, but could hardly be considered championship-quality. His career was nearly over when he quit in the ring during a match and had an opponent die in another fight. He was not considered a great title holder then and his lack of skills were exposed when Jack Dempsey defeated him for the crown.
Though black fighters could possibly compete for championships in the lighter weight divisions, the victory by Willard closed the door on black heavyweights having a chance for ring immortality until the emergence of Joe Louis.
Johnson had the savvy to become the greatest heavyweight champion ever, but he could not defeat a larger opponent that still plagues society today.
EXCELLENT READ FOR BOXING FANS
16 Mar 2012
Format:Paperback
Kent has a vivid writing style as a boxing writer. This in itself is a talent that seems more and more exclusive, as more restrictions and criticisms are levelled at the sport (give me boxing over ultimate fighting any day).
I laughed out loud a few times; some of the boxers and the people who associated with them are the stuff from which so much fantastic fiction has been drawn. And the account of the period when managers and promoters seized their charges and gave them exotic names is brilliant.
It's not a bio of Johnson, although he is the central figure, and stories of his life in and out of the ring course through the book. There's also a potted history of the emergence of boxing as a sport, and thumbnail sketches of its popularity in the key markets of Australia, The U.S., The U.K., and France.
It is true that not everyone depicted fought Jack Johnson, but it seems that all of them wanted to. In any case, they were all noteworthy fighters in the orbit of this earth-shattering champion, who could not be beaten.
I learned a lot about how racism was a savagely motivating factor in sports at the time. Indeed, the outcomes of the JJ years-- the colour bars and so on-- lasted up until after the Second World War.
I laughed out loud a few times; some of the boxers and the people who associated with them are the stuff from which so much fantastic fiction has been drawn. And the account of the period when managers and promoters seized their charges and gave them exotic names is brilliant.
It's not a bio of Johnson, although he is the central figure, and stories of his life in and out of the ring course through the book. There's also a potted history of the emergence of boxing as a sport, and thumbnail sketches of its popularity in the key markets of Australia, The U.S., The U.K., and France.
It is true that not everyone depicted fought Jack Johnson, but it seems that all of them wanted to. In any case, they were all noteworthy fighters in the orbit of this earth-shattering champion, who could not be beaten.
I learned a lot about how racism was a savagely motivating factor in sports at the time. Indeed, the outcomes of the JJ years-- the colour bars and so on-- lasted up until after the Second World War.
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