Jack Johnson?s not taking any chances. He?s jabbing, and I?m chasing him like he?s the shyest girl at the dance?
You?re kidding, right, taking me back to 1905 San Francisco to watch Jack Johnson, a peacock with a mouth big as Clay?s, fight some guy named Marvin Hart who?s got a fat ass. And you think Hart will be heavyweight champion in a year and that Johnson, whose abrasiveness and lawbreaking ruined opportunities for two generations of black fighters, is one of the all-time greats. What I?m seeing now is a good boxer who doesn?t want to fight even though he?s got some slow pudgy guy in front of him. Johnson can jab him, he can bruise him some, but he can?t put him away. He can?t even control his nerves. The way Johnson?s acting, you?d think Marvin Hart?s big George Foreman. I can?t take it after about five rounds. I get up, and folks say, ?Don?t go, big fella.?
?I?m not leavin?. I?m gettin? in the ring.?
?I ain?t fightin? two coons,? says Marvin Hart.
?You best control your mouth before I bust it.?
?Who the hell?re you?? Johnson asks.
?I?m Smokin? Joe and a helluva lot tougher than you.?
?It?s not customary, Smokin? Joe, to challenge boxers when they?re already engaged and have already been toiling several rounds.?
?I know. But I gotta go soon. So let?s get it on. Tell you what I?ll do. You guys sit down and rest while I warm up. Here, I?ll drop my drawers and fight you guys right now. I brought my shorts and cup just in case.?
The referee grabs me as I?m about to enter the ring so I jerk free and hit him with a left hook on the chin and he?s as asleep after one shot as Bob Foster was after two. Going about my business I grunt as I bob and weave around the ring, unloading left hooks like these guys have never seen. Each time I throw a hook I grunt louder, and stand in front of Hart?s corner, hooking, hooking, ducking, hooking, grunting, scaring the shit out of him and then I do the same in front of Johnson who smiles but it?s the smile of a man against a wall. You know damn well he?s never fought anyone like me. That isn?t fair, yeah. But a lot isn?t fair. I?d like to have more time to slaughter these hogs.
After ten straight minutes shadowboxing, I say, ?Okay, who?s first??
The promoter struts into the ring and says, ?You look pretty good. We?ll put you on our next card.?
?Gotta be now. Don?t worry, I?ll take it easy.?
?Don?t bother,? says Marvin Hart who comes at me swinging serious leather. I won?t disrespect the man. He could?ve been one of my sparring partners. I protect him and don?t bury my left hook as deep into his ribs as I could have, only far enough to drop him to one knee, like Jerry Quarry in our second fight. Give Hart the proper training, and he?ll last a few rounds with Jerry. Tonight, he?s done, holding his side and wheezing until able to say, ?When I?m fresh, I?ll get you.?
?Okay, Jack, you ready.? What a nice smile he has.
Trust me, Jack Johnson?s not taking any chances with me. He?s jabbing, and mostly missing, and I?m chasing him like he?s the shyest girl at the dance.
?Come on, Jack. Don?t you wanna fight??
I duck and move in and catch a right uppercut that about knocks my head through the ceiling. I grunt and pound my gloves together and keep moving in. Come on, Jack, I smile, you didn?t knock down Marvin Hart so you sure ain?t putting me on the canvas. I left hook Jack to the ribs and he groans a little, and I keep left hooking downstairs, forcing him to use his right elbow to protect his ribs instead of uppercutting me. His right arm can?t feel too good. He keeps moving, sliding, jabbing, and I unload a big left ? like the one that decked Clay in the fifteenth round of our first fight ? but Jack pulls his head back and doesn?t take most of the blow. He?s pretty good.
?It?s late and my rocket?s leaving,? I say.
?What the hell??
?Gotta go.?
?Next time we both start in round one.?
?You got it.?
?But remember, Smokin? Joe, there?s not much money when Negroes fight each other.?
?That?ll change, Jack. That?ll change.?
George Thomas Clark is the author of several books, most recently Death in the Ring, a collection of boxing stories, and The Bold Investor, a short story collection. See the author?s website at www.GeorgeThomasClark.com.
