Jack Johnson Defeats Jim Jeffries in the 'Fight of the Century'

World Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson defeated former champion Jim Jeffries — the so-called 'Great White Hope' — in 15 rounds on July 4, 1910 in Reno, Nevada. The fight was framed explicitly in racial terms by the press; Johnson's decisive victory sparked celebrations in Black communities nationwide and violent white reprisals that killed dozens of Black Americans. It remains one of the most racially charged sporting events in American history.