Jack Johnson was the first ever African-American boxing heavyweight champion when he defeated Tommy Burns in 1908.

Johnson had a long career and fought from 1898 – 1945 and ended his career with a record of 73 wins, 13 losses, and 10 draws for a total of 96 bouts. He retired in 1945 following to exhibition fights in New York.

Not much is not known about this mixed rules match Johnson had with wrestler Fred Marcussen except that it took place in 1914 in Berlin, Germany.

Although not exactly a mixed martial bout, the exhibition was one of the earliest example of a professional boxer fighting a wrestler. The idea of two styles competing against each other was the foundation of what the UFC was built on in 1993.

As the clip starts you can see a horse drawn carriage driving through the streets with a billboard promoting the bout. It then cuts to Johnson and Marcussen squared off with each other. The rules are not known, but Johnson throws a quick punch and Marcussen immediately closes the distance to a clinch. The two battle in the clinch, but eventually Marcussen throws Johnson to the ground and lands on top of side mount. It looks like Johnson either gives up or is submitted and Marcussen jumps to his feet and begins to celebrate.

About Jack Johnson

John Arthur “Jack” Johnson (March 31, 1878 – June 10, 1946), nicknamed the Galveston Giant was an American boxer, who—at the height of the Jim Crow era—became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion (1908–1915). Johnson was faced with much controversy when he was charged with violating the Mann Act in 1912, even though there was an obvious lack of evidence and the charge was largely racially based. In a documentary about his life, Ken Burns notes that “for more than thirteen years, Jack Johnson was the most famous and the most notorious African-American on Earth”.

source: wikipedia.com