Name: Joe Jeannette Alias: Joe Jennette Birth Name: Jeremiah Jennette Born: 1879-08-26 Birthplace: North Bergen, New Jersey, USA Died: 1958-07-02 (Age:78) Hometown: Union City, New Jersey, USA Stance: Orthodox Height: 5′ 10″ / 178cm Reach: 74″ / 188cm Record: click

oe Jeannette (Joseph Jennette)

BORN August 26 1879; North Bergen, New Jersey DIED July 2 1958; Weehawken, New Jersey (Some sources report 1956) HEIGHT 5-10 WEIGHT 185-205 lbs MANAGER Dan McKetrick

Jeannette was an extremely talented fighter; On defense, he was slippery and elusive; On offense, he was a dangerous inside puncher; He was a member of the outstanding "black" foursome of the teens, along with , and Sam McVea; Jeannette was inducted into the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame in 1967 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998

During his career, Jeannette defeated such men as Jack Johnson, Sam Langford, Sam McVea, , Black Bill (Claude Brooks), Jim Jeffords, George Cole, Al Kubiak, "Big" , and Bartley Madden

Joe Jennette

By Ben Hawes

Joe Jennette was born in North Bergen, New Jersey, on Agust 26, 1879. "Jeremiah" was the son of Benjamin F. and Mena Jennette. Joe's father was a blacksmith. Interestingly, Joe's mother was born in Bavaria, yet is listed as "black" in an 1880's census report of New Jersey. My guess, considering that the black population in Germany during the time period was extremely small, is that even if she were not "black," she would have been listed as such because of the obvious social and racial intolerance of the period.

Joe was raised in a very discilpined and hard-working family. He first worked with his father as an apprentice blacksith; later, around the turn of the century, Joe began to drive a coal truck for Jagels & Bellis, a notable organization of the period.

In 1904, Joe began his ring career with an exhibition against a journeyman fighter named Arthur Dickinson in Jersey City, NJ. Joe lost the decision, but held his own with Dickenson and decided to give the fight game a chance. In a 1912 interview, he credited his friends with encouraging him, but said that the main reasn for his decision to become a fighter was that he didn't have to work as hard and the compensation was just too good to pass up.

Despite Joe's brief training in pugilism, he showed that he could mix it up with the best of them by fighting Jack Johnson seven times and Sam Langford three times in his first 22 fights. Joe ended up beating Jack once on a foul in 2 rounds, losing once on a 15-round decision, and drawing once over 10 rounds. The other four fights were recorded as no- decisions. As for Langford, Joe beat Sam by tko in 8 rounds, lost a 15- round decision, and, in 1907, drew over 12 rounds.

Although Joe would never again fight Johnson after their 10-round draw in 1907 -- despite constant challenges while Jack was champion -- Joe and Sam Langford would fight on at least 11 other occasions. It should be pointed out that until became champion, many white boxers would only rarely fight outside of their race. Accordingly, black pugilists were left to fighting each other again and again. Joe was no exception, fighting nearly half of his recorded 157 bouts against 8 to 10 other black boxers of his day.

Joe's greatest accomplishments came during his three trips to Paris, France. The backlash of Johnson's victory in Australia and Jack's unwillingness to fight any other Black fighters left Joe with very few competitive and profitable bouts in the United States. Joe, hearing about the acceptance of Black fighters in Paris and the lucrative purses being offered, decided to set sail to Europe. Under the guidance of Dan McKettrick, the very worldly, educated, and resourceful editor of the New York World, Joe arrived in Paris in the early part of 1909. Joe Jeannette Website

1904 Nov 11 Morris Harris Philadelphia, Pa ND 6

1905 Mar 2 Morris Harris Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Apr 20 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Philadelphia, Pa LK 2 May 9 Jack Johnson Philadelphia, Pa ND 3 May 19 Jack Johnson Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jun 8 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jul 6 George Cole Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Aug 28 George Cole Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Oct 7 Pat O'Rourke North Bergen, NJ KO 5 Oct 11 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Wilmington, De KO 7 Oct 26 Jim Jeffords Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Oct 28 George Cole Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Nov 2 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Wilmington, De ND 6 Nov 25 Jack Johnson Philadelphia, Pa WF 2 Dec 2 Jack Johnson Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Dec 20 Walter Johnson New York, NY ND 3 Dec 25 Sam Langford Lawrence, Ma TK 8

1906 Jan 16 Jack Johnson New York, NY ND 3 Mar 14 Jack Johnson Baltimore, Md L 15 Apr 5 Sam Langford Chelsea, Ma L 15 Sep 6 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Philadelphia, Pa KO 4 Sep 20 Jack Johnson Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Nov 26 Jack Johnson Portland, Me D 10 Dec 9 Jack Johnson New York, NY L 3

1907 Jan 11 Sam Langford Lawrence, Ma D 12 Feb 10 Jim Jeffords Portland, Me KO 7 -Some sources report 2/11/07 Mar 7 "Young" Peter Jackson Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 -Some sources report 3/08/07 Apr 15 Sam McVea New York, NY ND 10 Jun 11 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) New York, NY TK 4 Sep 30 Morris Harris Rochester, NY TK 13 -Some sources report 10/13/07 in "Philadelphia, Pa"

1908 Jan 3 Jack Johnson New York, NY D 3 Jan 13 Joe Phillips New York, NY KO 3 Jan 13 Griff Jones New York, NY KO 3 -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date Jan 27 Jim Jeffords New York, NY KO 2 Feb 17 George Cole New York, NY KO 4 Mar 3 Sam Langford Boston, Ma D 12 Mar 9 Sam Campbell New York, NY TK 6 May 8 Jim Barry New York, NY ND 6 Sep 1 Sam Langford New York, NY ND 6 Sep 15 John "Sandy" Ferguson Boston, Ma W 12 Dec 7 Morris Harris Philadelphia, Pa ND 6

1909 Jan 23 Ben Taylor Paris, Fr KO 3 Feb 6 Charley Croxon Paris, Fr TK 2 Feb 20 Sam McVea Paris, Fr L 20 Apr 17 Sam McVea Paris, Fr TK 49 May 1 Jack Scales Paris, Fr KO 1 May 22 John "Sandy" Ferguson Paris, Fr W 20 Bob Fitzsimmons Paris, Fr EX Bob Fitzsimmons London, Eng EX May 27 Fred Drummond London, Eng SCH -This bout was scheduled but not held; Drummond did not show May 27 Trooper Cooke London, Eng TK 2 May 27 Harry Shearing London, Eng TK 4 -The preivous 2 bouts were held the same date Jun 22 John "Sandy" Ferguson Boston, Ma L 12 Aug 27 John "Sandy" Ferguson New York, NY TK 8 Sep 18 Al Kubiak Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Oct 30 Al Kubiak Paris, Fr KO 5 -Some sources report "KO 10" Nov 13 Sid Russell Paris, Fr W 15 Dec 11 Sam McVea Paris, Fr D 20

1910 May 24 Andrew Morris Boston, Ma TK 3 Jun 3 Jim Smith New York, NY ND 10 Jun 16 Jim Stewart New York, NY ND 10 Jul 1 Morris Harris New York, NY ND 10 Sep 6 Sam Langford Boston, Ma L 15 Sep 30 Morris Harris New York, NY ND 10 Nov 10 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) New York, NY KO 5

1911 Jan 10 Sam Langford Boston, Ma L 12 Feb 8 Jim Barry Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Mar 16 Jim Barry New York, NY ND 10 Apr 20 Al Kubiak New York, NY KO 9 Jul 25 Al Kubiak New York, NY KO 3 Aug 1 Tony Ross New York, NY ND 10 Aug 23 Dummy Maxson New York, NY KO 1 Aug 29 Dan "Porky" Flynn New York, NY ND 10 Sep 5 Sam Langford New York, NY ND 10 Nov 30 Bill Watkins Albany, NY KO 1 Dec 7 Joseph "Jewey" Smith New York, NY KO 3 Dec 11 "Young" Jack Johnson Memphis, Tn KO 4 Dec 15 Nat Dewey Chattanooga, Tn W 8 Dec 18 Al Mitchell Memphis, Tn KO 4 Dec 21 "Topeka" Jack Johnson New Orleans, La KO 3 Dec 26 Jack "Twin" Sullivan Buffalo, NY ND 10

1912 Jan 19 Griff Jones Utica, NY KO 3 Feb 18 Morris Harris Philadelphia, Pa ND 3 Feb 18 Chuck Carleton Philadelphia, Pa ND 3 -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date; Some sources report 2/19/12 Feb 27 Andrew Morris New Haven, Ct TK 6 Mar 13 Nat Dewey New York, NY TK 7 Apr 1 Griff Jones New York, NY TK 4 -Some sources report "TK 6" Apr 4 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Lewiston, Me KO 3 May 24 George "Boer" Rodel Plymouth, Eng KO 11 Jun 15 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Brooklyn, NY WF 6 Jul 15 Jeff Madden New Bedford, Ma TK 4 Jul 15 Mickey McDonough New Bedford, Ma TK 2 -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date Jul 29 "Battling" Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Aug 9 Hank Griffin Scranton, Pa KO 3 Aug 19 Jeff Madden New York, NY TK 2 Aug 20 "Big Bill Tate Newark, NJ KO 2 Aug 20 "Battling" Jack Brooks Newark, NJ KO 2 -The previous 2 bouts were held the same date Aug 30 Griff Jones Rockaway, NY KO 3 Sep 2 Jeff Clark Pittsburgh, Pa ND 6 Sep 9 Tony Ross New York, NY WF 7 Sep 11 K.O. Brown (Valentin Braun) Brooklyn, NY EX 3 Oct 30 "Battling" Jim Johnson New York, NY ND 10 Nov 27 George Christian Columbus, Oh KO 8 Dec 6 Chuck Carleton New York, NY TK 2

1913 Jan 1 "Battling" Jim Johnson Brooklyn, NY ND 10 Jan 17 Jeff Clark Joplin, Mo ND 10 Jan 21 "Battling" Jim Johnson Providence, RI WF 15 Jan 24 Chuck Carleton Easton, Pa KO 1 Feb 2 Jack Thompson L 20 Feb 10 Jack Reed Hazleton, Pa TK 2 Mar 17 Jack Reed Long Island City, NY TK 3 Apr 16 George "Kid" Cotton Philadelphia, Pa TK 4 May 21 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Brooklyn, NY ND 10 Jun 23 Jeff Clark Memphis, Tn NC 8 Jun 27 Al Benedict Joplin, Mo TK 3 Jul 1 New Orleans, La ND 10 Jul 4 Nat Dewey Savannah, Ga W 10 Jul 22 John Lester Johnson New York, NY ND 10 Oct 3 Sam Langford New York, NY ND 10 Dec 20 Sam Langford Paris, Fr L 20

1914 Feb 21 Alf Langford Paris, Fr KO 7 Mar 21 Georges Carpentier Paris, Fr W 15 Apr 8 Andrew "Thunderbolt" Johnson Liverpool, Eng KO 4 May 2 Kid Jackson Paris, Fr KO 7 May 4 Colin Bell London, Eng W 20 Jun 9 Harry Wills New Orleans, La ND 10 Jun 16 Silas Green Brooklyn, NY TK 3 Jul 1 "Battling" Jim Johnson New York, NY ND 10 Jul 15 "Battling" Jim Johnson New York, NY ND 10 Aug 1 Black Bill (Claude Brooks) Brooklyn, NY TK 9 Aug 4 "Battling" Jim Johnson New York, NY ND 10 Aug 11 "Big Bill Tate Rockaway, NY TK 6 Sep 12 Jim Kruger Martins Ferry, Oh KO 2 Oct 1 Sam Langford New York, NY ND 10 Nov 10 "Battling" Jim Johnson Boston, Ma D 12 Dec 14 "Big Bill Tate Brooklyn, NY ND 10

1915 Jan 11 John Lester Johnson New York, NY ND 10 -Some sources report 1/12/15 at "Brooklyn, NY" Feb 1 "Big Bill Tate New York, NY KO 2 Feb 26 Larry Williams Montreal, Que, Can KO 5 Mar 19 Cleve Hawkins Montreal, Que, Can ND 10 Apr 9 Arthur Pelkey Montreal, Que, Can TK 8 Apr 13 Sam Langford Boston, Ma W 12 Apr 19 "Battling" Jack Brooks New York, NY KO 4 Apr 27 Sam McVea Boston, Ma D 12 May 10 "Battling" Jim Johnson Montreal, Que, Can ND 10 May 14 "Battling" Jack Brooks New York, NY KO 5 Jul 2 Bill Watkins New York, NY ND 10

1916 Feb 26 Silas Green Montreal, Que, Can KO 6 Mar 24 George "Kid" Cotton New York, NY KO 2 May 12 Sam Langford Syracuse, NY LK 7 Aug 4 Dan "Porky" Flynn Rochester, NY ND 10 Aug 17 Jim Smith New York, NY KO 5 Aug 19 Jack Driscoll Brooklyn, Mo KO 3 -Some sources report "St. Louis, Mo"; Some sources report "Washington Park, Mo" Sep 5 Jumbo Wells (Jack Hubbard) Watertown, NY KO 5 Dec 4 Tony Ross Arlington, Pa KO 3

1917 Jul 6 Tango Kid Brooklyn, NY KO 6 Jul 20 Andre Anderson Brooklyn, NY ND 10 Sep 14 Sam Langford Toledo, Oh ND 12 Sep 15 Gabe Gulart New York, NY ND 10 -Some sources report 9/17/17 Dec 19 George Christian Philadelphia, Pa ND 6

1918 Apr 15 Jack Thompson Philadelphia, Pa ND 6 Jul 19 Jersey City, NJ ND 8 Aug 10 Jim Coffey New York, NY EX 3 Aug "Battling" Jim Johnson Newark, NJ ND 8 Oct 17 Jim Coffey Brooklyn, NY EX 3 Oct 18 Kid Norfolk West Hoboken, NJ ND 8 Nov 22 Jim Coffey New Haven, CT ND 4 Dec 2 Andy Schmader Hoboken, NJ ND 8 Dec 8 Andy Schmader Jersey City, NJ ND 8

1919 Feb 10 Tom Cowler Jersey City, NJ ND 8 May 1 Clay Turner Jersey City, NJ ND 8 May 23 Tom Cowler Buffalo, NY ND 10 Oct 30 Harry Wills Jersey City, NJ ND 8 -Some sources report 10/20/19 Nov 11 Bartley Madden Bayonne, NJ WF 4

-Jeannette retired and became a referee in New Jersey; He was also proprietor of a boxing gymnasium in West Hoboken, NJ which is now part of Union City, NJ; Subsequently, he converted the gym into a garage and operated a fleet of rental limousines

1922 Jun 1 Harry Gibson Orange, NJ D 6

1945 Nov 27 Jack Johnson New York, NY EX 3 -Jeannette and Johnson boxed one-minute rounds at a World War II Bond Rally

*** The Following Bouts Are Reported But Not Confirmed ***

1904 Bill Gorman KO -Some sources report this bout

1907 Jun 11 Morris Harris New York, NY TK 4

Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization

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 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. n an era where fights ended in draws or some other ambiguous fashion about as often as they ended convincingly, a fighter being able to wrangle a significant amount of stoppages or decisive victories was, in itself, impressive. Doing so against fighters that a large percentage of grown men in the sport refused to face made for a more unique feat.

When skin color divided boxing into two separate leagues, the black fighters who found themselves shut out of world title scenarios fought among themselves and produced an elite set of fighters with great records. Their records could have and should have been better and more diverse, but fighters like , Harry Wills, Sam McVey, Battling Jim Johnson, Black Bill, , Young Peter Jackson, and Joe Jeannette and Sam Langford, all fought each other as many times as the average fighter has total fights in this era.

Jeannette and Langford fought each other 14 times over a span of 12 years. Langford got the better of their extended series, which tallied 8-2-4 in favor of “The Boston Tar Baby.” It was their first fight, on Christmas Day of 1905, that marked a huge career achievement for Jeannette, and a first for Langford. Born in North Bergen, N.J., Jeannette worked as an apprentice to his father Benjamin, a blacksmith, until he began driving a truck for New Jersey coal company Jagels & Bellis. As his story goes, in 1904 Jeannette was dared to fight an exhibition bout against journeyman Arthur Dickinson in Jersey City. Though he lost, it apparently tickled Jeannette’s fancy, and he began fighting professionally.

Throughout his career, Jeannette’s name was either misspelled or written wrong altogether. In his public debut against Morris Harris, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that both fighters “mixed it furiously in every round,” but Jeannette’s name was mistakenly written “Panette.” Jeannette lost by decision, and six fights into his professional career, he had a record of 1-5. The losses were to more experienced fighters with skill like Black Bill, George Cole and “colored” heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, but Jeannette needed wins.

Over the last few months of 1905, Jeannette worked his way to a winning record, avenging all defeats but one. His late November win over Johnson came with little fanfare, however, as Johnson was winning for just under two rounds when Jeannette claimed foul and won by disqualification. As titles tended to change hands only by stoppage or clear decision, Johnson kept his championship claim and defeated Jeannette one week later.

A stoppage win over journeyman Walter Johnson in New York set the stage for Jeannette to test himself against a younger, tenacious fighter named Sam Langford, who had made name for himself in the Boston area.

Langford, originally from Nova Scotia, Canada, is said to have run away at age 11 to the Boston area, where he began training at 14-years-old. The first job Langford ever had was a $3 assignment to whitewash a cook house. Decades later, Langford said in an interview with the International News Service, “…while I was doing it, a bucket of lime fell on my head and covered my face. My left eye bothered me, but I didn’t do anything about it at the time.” According to Langford, tests then revealed that his optic nerve had been burned in the incident, and the visibility in that eye was only about 50 percent.

Nonetheless, a man named Joe Woodman who owned a drug store with an upstairs gym took Langford in sometime in his teens, and Langford then familiarized himself with boxing by cleaning up the place and occasionally filling in as a sparring partner. At 19-years-old and weighing in as a , Langford turned professional with a 5th round over Jack McVicker.

Taking on predictably mediocre opposition in his first 16 fights, Langford was held to some draws and no decision verdicts, but stayed undefeated in his first year or so of scrapping, and stuck around the Boston area in doing so. In June of 1903, Langford stopped experienced journeyman Tim Kearns in two rounds and logged two more fights over as many weeks. At the of June, a middling fighter named Danny Duane scored the only significant win of his career on points in 12 rounds, and became the first beat Langford. Six more wins followed, and in early December of 1903, Langford defeated lightweight champion Joe Gans on points. The Boston Journal incorrectly hailed Langford as champion, but he had come in two pounds over the agreed upon weight of 138. Additionally, the 3-to-1 underdog Langford, by all accounts, stalled early on and concentrated on defense for much of the bout, making for a relatively unconvincing win.

The win over Gans signaled a sharp increase in the ability of his opposition, though, and over the next year he fought to three draws with tricky veteran and future trainer Jack Blackburn, scored a quick win over faded contender George “Elbows” McFadden, an 0-1-2 series with former Battle Royal competitor Dave Holly, and a draw with champion Joe Walcott, “The Barbados Demon.”

Walcott, already a respected figure in boxing and likely not far from prime form, couldn’t figure Langford’s rhythm and speed out until halfway through the 15 round fight. When Walcott finally caught up, reports stated he looked amateurish in his attempts to club Langford back to the lightweight ranks; he almost succeeded in the 13th round, but Langford stayed on his feet and fought through the champion’s assault. The Boston Journal thought their adopted son had won the bout, and news wires reported that the crowd of 1,200 felt the same way, regardless of the referee’s decision.

Langford rang in the new year by knocking out one of Holly’s teeth in a revenge win, then got the better of three fights against Young Peter Jackson and two with Blackburn by autumn. In October, Langford again met Blackburn, who was substituting for contender George Cole. After three rounds of non-fighting, the crowd threatened to storm the ring and began tossing objects about. Police gathered and pushed the crowd back, but Langford and Blackburn were essentially chased out of town and not welcome back.

Following a rare few months off, Langford signed to fight the younger, but significantly bigger Joe Jeannette on Christmas day at the Unity Cycle Athletic Club in Lawrence, Mass.

The morning of the fight, the Boston Herald said, “The most important [fight card] perhaps, and certainly nearest to Boston, is the Lawrence organization, which will stage Joe Jeannette and Sam Langford in the feature event. This should be a rattling contest, and if guesses count for anything there will be some mighty hard milling.”

Both men started the bout searching for openings to exploit, but it wouldn’t take long to set decorum aside and rumble. Langford stuck around for exchanges, and both fighters looked to be testing their power and chin. Jeannette’s weight advantage showed up quickly and Langford found himself having to push the larger man off by the end of round 1. Said the Boston Journal, “…Langford looked like he was up against it and seemed to lose all his courage.” Apparently sensing Langford may not have been up to task, Jeannette smashed the smaller man about with both hands — especially to the body — and managed to rock Langford several times before closing his left eye with a right hand. Langford, lucky to have his good eye as his working one, argued his way through the 3rd round and made it to the bell. As the Baltimore American put it, “Langford was clever in ducking and blocking, and put it over Jeannette in infighting, but Joe was up and coming all the time, and his blows were delivered with telling effect.”

But Langford wasn’t finished, and in round 4 he landed a series of punches punctuated by an uppercut to wobble Jeannette and force him to clinch his way out of trouble. The Baltimore American reported that Jeannette actually took a count as a result of the punch, but the Boston Journal stated the referee was breaking the fighters when Jeannette held on when hurt.

It didn’t matter, as Jeannette rallied toward the end of round 5 to crash home a number of right hands that not only sent Langford to the ropes, but worsened his already broken eye. From that point forward, Langford had no chance and was merely lasting through punishment.

In round 7, Jeannette doubled Langford over repeatedly with body punches, then sent a weary Langford to his corner with a large cut on his left eye and cheek. Exhausted, hurt, out-sized and covered in blood, Langford motioned for his corner to throw up the sponge, and the fight was called off.

The Pawtucket Times said, “Langford showed evidence of the gameness which has placed him out of the class of men at his weight, but Jeannette was by no means lacking in that respect and he had the advantage of about 30 pounds in weight. This proved too great a handicap for the Boston lad but he hung on tenaciously until his physical condition would not longer permit his continuing.”

More dramatically, The Boston Journal reported, “The members of the Unity Cycle Club of this city today witnessed the waterloo of Sam Langford, the dusky welterweight from Boston, when he was forced to throw up the sponge in the seventh round before the wicked blows of Joe Jeannette of New York.”

The career trajectories of both men were similar after this, their first bout. Both were kept from earning universal titles, and often fought over the “colored” version of the heavyweight title.

Langford grew, as did his reputation and tenacity. When Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion in 1908, Langford followed him to Australia to hound him for a rematch of his 1906 loss to the comparatively huge fighter. He never got it. But off the books, Langford may have fought almost 700 times. Of the nine times Langford was stopped in a career that spanned 24 years and more than 250 recognized bouts, seven came after he had been a professional for 15 years and had bloated to fight as a permanent heavyweight more often than not.

Jeannette lost 10 times in over 150 pro outings, and was stopped twice: Langford managed it in their 13th fight in 1916, when Jeannette was 36, and Black Bill did it in Jeannette’s third pro fight in 1905. Even then, the first loss was strange. Said the Philadelphia Inquirer, “Bill landed… a hard right to Jeanette’s jaw, but the punch did not seem to have any visible effect. He followed up this advantage and, rushing Jeanette to a clinch, put a right-hander over to the jaw. The blow was only lightly delivered, but Jeanette fell to the floor and stayed down until counted out.”

The greatness Jeannette carved out was certainly similar to that of Langford’s, but less extensive, and in the end less recognized.

Decades later, in an interview published by Boxing Illustrated, Jeannette remarked, “Langford was the greatest fighter who ever lived. Sam would have been champion any time Johnson had given him a fight. And Johnson knew it better than anybody. Man! How that baby could hit. Nobody else could hit like that. Well, maybe Joe Louis could. But don’t forget that Sam only weighed about 160 pounds. Louis was about 195.”

Both men passed away within two years of each other.

Though glamorized, the sport of boxing around the start of the 20th century broke many men. Boxing has always, and will always be a treacherous path for anyone who chooses it as a profession. But in dustier, dimmer pre-Atomic times, the sport was riskier medically, legally and perhaps even morally, perdition looming with every handshake. Still, Jeannette would later say, the intense focus boxing demanded was better than manual labor — and it paid better.

It wasn’t always the pay that drew them in, and the money didn’t last anyway; both fighters died poor of health and wallet. What they accomplished in a squared ring carries on far longer.

…………………………

Joe Jeanette : biography

August 26, 1879 - July 2, 1958

Jeremiah "Joe" Jeannette (also JennetteHistorical marker on the corner of Summit Avenue and 27th Street in Union City, New Jersey. Dedicated April 17, 2009.) (August 26, 1879 - July 2, 1958) is considered one of the best heavyweight boxers of the early 20th century. Because he was African-American, he was not given a shot at the world heavyweight title, though he did win the World Colored Heavyweight Championship. Professional career

Within two years, Jeanette was considered one of the best black heavyweights in the United States. Jeanette mimicked the style of Sam Langford, whom he fought 15 times (some sources say 14Moyle, Clay. Interview by Bob Carroll, Doghouse Boxing; Mar 19, 2009), developing defensive techniques that were elusive and effective. Opponents considered Jeanette, whose style reflected the "inside punching" style of the times, a dangerous inside boxer whom few wished to fight. Because of the racial barrier, black boxers only had a small number of prospective opponents from which to choose, and often ended up matched against the same fighters over and over.

Jeanette fought the future heavyweight champion Jack Johnson seven times in his first two years as a pro, and a total of ten times. According to the Ken Burns documentary Unforgivable Blackness, Jeanette lost twice, won one fight on a foul after two rounds, had two draws, and five "No Decisions" in his fights against Johnson. Johnson called Jeannette "the toughest man I ever fought."

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 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."

Jeanette never fought for the heavyweight championship during his 15-year career, despite having a stellar record against opponents of all races.

Joe's most memorable fight occurred on April 17, 1909 in a return bout with Sam McVey in Paris, France that lasted three-and-a-half-hours, and 49 rounds, the longest boxing match of the 20th century, and one of the greatest marathons in boxing history. Although McVey began the fight strong and looked like a sure winner, knocking down the usually sturdy Jeannette 27 times, and almost knocking him out in the 16th round with a right uppercut to Jeanette’s jaw, he weakened greatly by the 19th round. Jeanette took control, knocking down McVey, a boxer (who had only been stopped once in his career, by Johnson), 19 times. After the 49th round, McVey could not rise from his stool at the call of time and Jeannette was declared winner on a technical knockout. This won him the "World Colored Heavyweight Championship," as Jack Johnson had defeated Tommy Burns for his heavyweight title the previous December.

Jeanette retired in 1919Burns, Ken. Profiles of Jack Johnson's opponents at Unforgivable Blackness at the age of 40. Of his 166 documented pro fights (he believed it was closer to 400), in a career spanning 1904-1922, Jeanette had 106 wins, 68 of which were by knockout, with 20 losses. Only two of his losses were by knockout, once early in his career and once late in his career. He is rated alongside the very best boxers of his era, including Johnson, Langford, and McVey.

Personal life

Jeanette met his wife, Adelaide, at a dance in Hoboken. They had two children, a son, Joe, Jr., and a daughter, Agnes. JoeJennette.com; 2008; Accessed July 9, 2010

Early life and career

Jeannette was born on August 26, 1879 in West Hoboken, New Jersey, which is now part of Union City, to Mena and Benjamin F. Jeanette, who worked for a local blacksmith. He began work as his father's apprentice, and then as a coal truck driver for Jaels and Bellis. In 1904, at the age of 25, he began his boxing career on a dare, fighting against Arthur Dickinson in Jersey City. At and weighing , Jeanette was relatively short and stocky, with his only knowledge of fighting stemming from street brawls from his youth. Although he lost the fight, he decided to remain a boxer, and made it his career.Rosero, Jessica. ; Union City Reporter; February 19, 2006 Post-boxing career and legacy

Unlike many boxers, Jeanette was not a spendthrift and invested his money and time wisely. He spent most of his career fighting in and around the Eastern Seaboard, with only brief tours of Europe. After his career, he became a referee and a trainer of young boxers. He owned a boxing gym on 27th Street and Summit Avenue in Union City, New Jersey, where he was a fixture on the boxing scene for many years, training hundreds of boxers, including Heavyweight Champion James J. Braddock.

Jeanette, who was fond of automobiles, eventually converted his boxing gym into a garage, out of which he operated a fleet of rental limousines, and then a taxi company named Adelaide, after his wife, which was located at 522 Clinton Avenue, now New York Avenue.

Jeanette died in 1958. He is buried in Fairview, New Jersey.

He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1997.

A historical marker was dedicated at the corner of Summit Avenue and 27th Street in Union City April 17, 2009, where Jeanette's former residence and gym once stood. It is Union City's first historical marker.The Union City Reporter April 26, 2009; Page 2

Based on materials from: Wikipedia.License CC-BY-SA

PHILLY BOXING HISTORY Boxer - Joe Jeannette

Home Boxers Fights Arenas Non-Boxers Gyms Relics More About Contact

RECORD Joe Jeannette

79-9-6-62 / 66 KO / 1 NC BIO Heavyweight PHOTOS Dangerous & talented, Joe was kept from a title shot because he was black. Visited often to face NEWS anyone who would have him, including 5 bouts with Jack Johnson & other repeat customers RELICS like Black Bill, George Cole & Morris Harris.

EXTRAS Born: 08/26/79 - Died: 07/02/58

Active 1904 to 1922 - Fought in Philadelphia 24 times