man and one who notoriously had no great punch, and the fact that at 30, and after many hard fights, his prospective opponent was coming to the end of his career did no harm either. Even so, the champion was aware of his bargaining power. He knew that he had the whip hand in any project concerning his title.
First he insisted on the bout being a no-decision contest, knowing that even at his best O’Brien would never have had a chance of knocking him out. Then Johnson demanded a guarantee of $5,000, an exorbitant sum for six three-minute rounds with no likelihood of the title changing hands. O’Brien bit the bullet and agreed. At this point Johnson really started to turn the screw. Knowing that O’Brien had gone on record as disliking blacks in general and the champion in particular, he insisted on O’Brien making the long journey to a sleazy saloon in the black district of Pittsburgh to sign the contracts. O’Brien swallowed his pride, submitted to being patronised by the champion, and dourly made the two-way trip.
The challenger then went into training for the bout; supremely confident, Johnson did not put himself out to the same extent.
O’Brien was aided in his preparation by one of Philadelphia’s more eccentric sporting patrons. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle was a banking millionaire who loved boxing and boxers. He was noted for causing chaos among those members of the noble art who were foolish enough to let him near them. ‘He was in Jack O’Brien’s corner with me once,’ reminisced manager Billy McCarney wonderingly. ‘He kept getting his foot stuck in the water bucket.’
Biddle was a throwback, in boxing terms, to the eccentric, not to say mad, aristocratic patrons of the old prize-ring, and Philadelphia Jack O’Brien was his White Hope. For his part, the fighter, who mistrusted managers, was perfectly content to let the influential and well-connected millionaire have some limited input into his career, as long as it cost him nothing. O’Brien even went along with his backer’s church movement, Athletic Christianity, and suffered himself to be taken along to children’s Sunday School meetings and displayed as an example of one of Biddle’s holy warriors.
There were other boxers in the millionaire’s extended family. It was his custom to invite local and visiting pugilists for a meal at his mansion and, once they had arrived, force them to spar several rounds with him in a specially constructed ring. Most of his guests went through the motions philosophically, but one White Hope, the towering Al Kaufmann, failed to catch the spirit of the affair. By accident or design he hit the useless Biddle with a substantial punch, putting the other man out of action for the rest of the day and forcing the cancellation of the proposed meal.
No one disputed the banker’s dedication to boxing. On one occasion Biddle had persuaded former world heavyweight champion Bob Fitzsimmons to spar with his 10-year-old son. Fitzsimmons mistimed a jab and knocked the boy out. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Junior recovered consciousness in time to hear his father, in all seriousness, congratulating Fitzsimmons on the efficacy of the blow.
As he did with everything, Biddle put his whole heart into O’Brien’s preparation. He even fought a public four-round exhibition with his protégé to display his commitment. This gave the millionaire an idea. He suggested that next he should spar with the champion in order to see how fit Jack Johnson was. Jack O’Brien agreed to the proposal with alacrity. It was not disclosed whether he thought the plan a good one, or whether he just relished the thought of getting rid of his hearty patron for a few days.
In any event, Biddle turned up at the gymnasium in Merchantville, New Jersey where Johnson was going through the motions of training, and offered to be the champion’s sparring partner. His pride suffered a blow when he was told that the champion was out driving with his wife.
First he insisted on the bout being a no-decision contest, knowing that even at his best O’Brien would never have had a chance of knocking him out. Then Johnson demanded a guarantee of $5,000, an exorbitant sum for six three-minute rounds with no likelihood of the title changing hands. O’Brien bit the bullet and agreed. At this point Johnson really started to turn the screw. Knowing that O’Brien had gone on record as disliking blacks in general and the champion in particular, he insisted on O’Brien making the long journey to a sleazy saloon in the black district of Pittsburgh to sign the contracts. O’Brien swallowed his pride, submitted to being patronised by the champion, and dourly made the two-way trip.
The challenger then went into training for the bout; supremely confident, Johnson did not put himself out to the same extent.
O’Brien was aided in his preparation by one of Philadelphia’s more eccentric sporting patrons. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle was a banking millionaire who loved boxing and boxers. He was noted for causing chaos among those members of the noble art who were foolish enough to let him near them. ‘He was in Jack O’Brien’s corner with me once,’ reminisced manager Billy McCarney wonderingly. ‘He kept getting his foot stuck in the water bucket.’
Biddle was a throwback, in boxing terms, to the eccentric, not to say mad, aristocratic patrons of the old prize-ring, and Philadelphia Jack O’Brien was his White Hope. For his part, the fighter, who mistrusted managers, was perfectly content to let the influential and well-connected millionaire have some limited input into his career, as long as it cost him nothing. O’Brien even went along with his backer’s church movement, Athletic Christianity, and suffered himself to be taken along to children’s Sunday School meetings and displayed as an example of one of Biddle’s holy warriors.
There were other boxers in the millionaire’s extended family. It was his custom to invite local and visiting pugilists for a meal at his mansion and, once they had arrived, force them to spar several rounds with him in a specially constructed ring. Most of his guests went through the motions philosophically, but one White Hope, the towering Al Kaufmann, failed to catch the spirit of the affair. By accident or design he hit the useless Biddle with a substantial punch, putting the other man out of action for the rest of the day and forcing the cancellation of the proposed meal.
No one disputed the banker’s dedication to boxing. On one occasion Biddle had persuaded former world heavyweight champion Bob Fitzsimmons to spar with his 10-year-old son. Fitzsimmons mistimed a jab and knocked the boy out. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle Junior recovered consciousness in time to hear his father, in all seriousness, congratulating Fitzsimmons on the efficacy of the blow.
As he did with everything, Biddle put his whole heart into O’Brien’s preparation. He even fought a public four-round exhibition with his protégé to display his commitment. This gave the millionaire an idea. He suggested that next he should spar with the champion in order to see how fit Jack Johnson was. Jack O’Brien agreed to the proposal with alacrity. It was not disclosed whether he thought the plan a good one, or whether he just relished the thought of getting rid of his hearty patron for a few days.
In any event, Biddle turned up at the gymnasium in Merchantville, New Jersey where Johnson was going through the motions of training, and offered to be the champion’s sparring partner. His pride suffered a blow when he was told that the champion was out driving with his wife.
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