Jack Johnson Bronze Unveiled!

New statue honors heavyweight champ

One hundred years after the historic battle between Jack Johnson and Jim Jeffries, the first black heavyweight champ still holds a commanding presence over everyone. Jack Johnson, while feared in the ring, was also a formidable person outside the ropes. His power still remains strong as the “Galveston Giant” will always be a legend in the sport. And now he’s been forever immortalized in bronze as boxing trainer/sculptor Steve Harpst unveiled this new statue in Reno, Nevada during the 100th Anniversary of the Johnson-Jeffries fight.

Sculpting the piece by hand was a pure labor of love for the California resident and founder of the Burbank Boxing Club. “The whole weekend was one I’ll never forget,” the artist says. “I was honored to have the Johnson family see the new statue up close and personal.”

This piece came to fruition as a tribute to the Centennial celebration hosted by referee Mills Lane’s sons, Terry and Tommy. Through the years, many people had asked Steve to sculpt Jack Johnson’s likeness in bronze. “And after the great documentary ‘Unforgivable Blackness’ came out, more and more people were interested in having a statue made,” explains Harpst. “The interest really peaked at this point.”

For the blacks and the whites back in 1910, the Johnson-Jeffries brawl polarized the nation and went beyond boxing. Harpst offers the sculpture in neither black nor white–but in an equal shade of bronze! And he felt the call to put in extra hours between his other special commissions to ensure the new statue would be ready for the big Independence Day weekend.

The former amateur boxer and college athlete was honored to pay tribute to a man who changed the face of boxing. “He was a true pioneer in the sport,” comments Harpst. “Actually, he was a pioneer in the whole world of sports.”

Steve has already received many requests to sculpt a companion Jim Jeffries counterpart statue and he hopes to begin that monument in the near future. But the first part of the legacy, the Jack Johnson bronze, had its inaugural unveiling at the Friday Night Gala held at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino where family members from the four main parties of the fight joined boxing stars Andre Ward, Lupe Pintor and Raul Marquez on stage. The evening’s hosts Rich Marotta and Al Bernstein introduced Harpst and the new statue to the crowd while the announcing duo were up on the podium as the night got underway.

And from the kick-off dinner to the finale on Sunday visiting the original fight site and training camp, the southpaw artist met so many visitors who came from all over the world to take part in the 100-year anniversary of the “Fight of the Century.” The museum-quality bronze became his trusty sidekick throughout the weekend, as photo ops and requests from the fans continued to pick up steam throughout the three-day festival.

Everyone wanted to pose with the Jack Johnson likeness and Harpst was really humbled by all the attention. One of his most memorable moments was witnessing the heavyweight’s great-great niece’s reaction when she first laid eyes on the sculpture.

“Linda Haywood was in the middle of an interview when she first saw the bronze,” he recalls. “She called me over to see the piece and she told me, ‘Wow, that’s my uncle!’ To me, that was the greatest compliment.” The large bronze captures the fine detail of Johnson in all his glory. Harpst uses the “lost-wax” method of casting after building the sculpture all the way from metal armature to clay to bronze to its final patina on its walnut base. It truly is a labor of love for the longtime boxing trainer.

During the festivities, Steve also got a chance to get acquainted with promoter Tex Rickard’s grandson, Joe Halprin and his wife Annette. “I loved hearing the stories from Joe about his grandfather,” recalls Harpst. “And he looks just like his grandfather. There’s an uncanny resemblance!”

Harpst has a special connection with Johnson’s foe as well. As a resident of Burbank, he lives in the very same town where Jeffries lived. “The Boilermaker” had a farm with a barn on the corner of Victory Boulevard and Buena Vista Street where he promoted fights. There is even a Jeffries Avenue in Burbank to honor the fighter, who back then was tabbed “The Great White Hope.”

Dedicated to the sweet science, Harpst is also on the board of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, an inductee of the California Boxing Hall of Fame and a member of the Golden State Boxer’s Association. He has also taken a team of boxers to Canada several times to compete in amateur shows and has been voted “Burbank’s Best Fitness Instructor” seven times over.

An artist since childhood, he has won “Best of Show” for some of his legends of the ring, which are part of his full line of bronzes that also includes baseball players, action heroes, politicians, and various special commissions for award shows, charity events and galas.

But last weekend’s Centennial event was one he will remember forever. Said Harpst: “Going to the actual, original location of the fight site from 1910 was incredible. That was just one of the highlights of the weekend! I got chills from being there and seeing all the mountains and the same landscape I recognized from the old photos.”

At this original fight site, now a salvage yard, the media filmed the bronze being held by fans and luminaries in attendance. Joey Gilbert, fresh from his victory the night before on the Reno Xtreme Fight card, took some good-natured ribbing from the guys around him as he held the heavy bronze statue for several long minutes while the fans snapped shot after shot. Well-regarded referee Kenny Bayless also really enjoyed being introduced to the Jack Johnson statue as he chatted with the sculptor.

Harpst enjoyed meeting Bayless, Gilbert and everyone else too, while also getting to know the organizers of the massive-scale celebration. “The Lane brothers are a one-two punch,” credits Harpst. “They put together such an exciting and fitting tribute in capturing the nostalgia, the historical significance and the charm of this 100-year anniversary!”

In honoring one legendary heavyweight of yesteryear, Steve says the whole experience was one he’ll always remember.

In these exclusive photos, see the Jack Johnson bronze with superstar Andre Ward, famed referee Kenny Bayless, Reno hero Joey Gilbert, Terry and Tommy Lane, the heavyweight’s own direct descendant, Linda Haywood and others during the Centennial Celebration.

Photos by Michele Chong