Late boxing great earns pardon
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump yesterday granted a posthumous pardon to boxing’s first black heavyweight champion, clearing Jack Johnson’s name more than 100 years after what many see as his racially charged conviction.
“I am taking this very righteous step, I believe, to correct a wrong that occurred in our history and to honour a truly legendary boxing champion,” Mr Trump said during an Oval Office ceremony.
He was joined by WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, retired heavyweight titleholder Lennox Lewis and actor Sylvester Stal- lone, whom Trump credited with championing the pardon.
Mr Trump said Johnson had served 10 months in prison “for what many view as a racially motivated injustice”.
“It’s my honour to do it. It’s about time,” the President said.
Johnson, a prominent athlete who crossed over into popular culture decades ago with biographies, dramas and documentaries, was convicted in 1913 by an all-white jury for violating the Mann Act for travelling with his white girlfriend.
That law made it illegal to transport women across state lines for “immoral” purposes”.