It was one of the most eagerly anticipated boxing matches of all time, with betting odds significantly favoring Jeffries,[2] who had come back from retirement for the fight.

The lead-up to the bout was peppered with racist press against Johnson; author Jack London described Jeffries two days before the fight as "the chosen representative of the white race, and this time the greatest of them", whilst a New York Times editorial wrote: "If the black man wins, thousands and thousands of his ignorant brothers will misinterpret his victory as justifying claims to much more than mere physical equality with their white neighbors.

"[3][4] Johnson beat Jeffries in the fifteenth round, approximately one hour after the fight began at 1:30 pm PST.

[11] In 1910, former undefeated heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries, came out of retirement to challenge Johnson, saying "I am going into this fight for the sole purpose of proving that a white man is better than a Negro".

[12] Aged 35, he had not fought in six years and he had to lose well over 100 pounds (45 kg) in order to get back to his championship fighting weight.

[14] However, on October 29, 1909, Johnson and Jeffries signed an agreement to "box for the heavyweight championship of the world" and called promoters to bid for the right to orchestrate the event.

[13] In early December 1909, Johnson and Jeffries selected a bid from the nation's top boxing promoters—Tex Rickard and John Gleason.

John L. Sullivan, who made boxing championships a popular and esteemed spectacle, stated that Johnson was in such good physical shape compared to Jeffries that he would only lose if he had a lack of skill on the day of the fight.

Behind the racial attitudes which were being instigated by the media was a major investment in gambling for the fight, with 10–7 odds in favor of Jeffries.

[16] The lead-up to the bout was peppered with racist press against Johnson; American author Jack London described Jeffries two days before the fight as "the chosen representative of the white race, and this time the greatest of them", whilst a New York Times editorial wrote: "If the black man wins, thousands and thousands of his ignorant brothers will misinterpret his victory as justifying claims to much more than mere physical equality with their white neighbors.

[20] Race riots erupted in New York, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Atlanta, St. Louis, Little Rock and Houston.

[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][excessive citations] Anticipation for the fight sparked motivation to film the event as it was thought to be a guaranteed money-maker.

The fight's promoter, George "Tex" Rickard, (who also refereed the bout) sold exclusive film rights.