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Len Johnson (ɗan boksin)

Daga Wikipedia, Insakulofidiya ta kyauta.
Len Johnson (ɗan boksin)
Rayuwa
Haihuwa Clayton (mul) Fassara, 22 Oktoba 1902
Mutuwa 28 Satumba 1974
Sana'a
Sana'a boxer (en) Fassara

Leonard Benker Johnson [1] (22 Oktoba 1902 - 28 Satumba 1974), wanda aka fi sani da Len a cikin masu sha'awar sa, kuma 'yan jarida sun yi masa lakabi da "Len Johnson", dan damben Birtaniya ne wanda ya yi takara daga 1920 zuwa 1933. Ya rike daular Burtaniya ta matsakaicin nauyi, na farko wanda ba farar damben dambe ya rike wani babban take a watan Fabrairu 2. 1926 zuwa 12 ga Yuli 1926. Ya kuma gudanar da gasar zakarun yankin Arewa a ajin matsakaici da nauyi mai nauyi. Dan dambe mai dabara kuma haziki, an dauki Johnson a matsayin daya daga cikin mafi kyawun matsakaicin nauyi na zamaninsa. An san shi da ƙwarewar wasan damben sa na musamman, ta amfani da hannun hagu mai ilimi, da kuma tsaro mai zamewa wanda ya sa shi da wahala a buga shi[2][3] yayin da ya bar siffofinsa ba su da alama a tsawon aikinsa na shekaru goma sha uku.[4] Bugu da ƙari, Johnson yana da tsayi mai tsayi sosai kuma yana da tsayi mai kyau.[5]

An dauki Johnson a matsayin daya daga cikin manyan 'yan damben damben ajin matsakaicin nauyi na zamaninsa a cikin shekaru tsakanin yakin duniya.[6] A matsayinsa na mai son, Johnson ya koyi tushen dambe a cikin rumfunan dambe na Bill Moore da Bert Hughes. Bayan ya zama ƙwararru daga baya a cikin 1920, ya ci nasara a halin yanzu da kuma tsohon zakarun, ciki har da tsohon zakaran welterweight na duniya Ted "Kid" Lewis a 1925. Saboda shawarar da Sakataren Harkokin Cikin Gida Winston Churchill ya yanke a 1911 don tallafawa mashaya mai launi, an dakatar da shi daga yin gasa a duka Royal Albert Hall da National Sporting Club. Bugu da ƙari, Hukumar Kula da Dambe ta Biritaniya ba za ta ba da izini ga gasar zakarun Turai tare da Johnson don Lonsdale Belt, saboda Doka ta 24, wanda ya bayyana cewa masu fafatawa a gasar " dole ne su sami iyayen farar fata guda biyu",[7] ko da yake duk da haka ya ci Harry Collins a Australia don gasar matsakaicin nauyi na Masarautar Burtaniya a 1926. a shekara ta 1927. A wannan shekarar, ya kuma doke zakaran matsakaicin ajin Len Harvey a nan gaba, sannan ya yi nasarar doke zakaran matsakaicin ajin Turai Leone Jaccovacci a shekara ta 1928 da kuma zakaran ajin matsakaicin nauyi na Turai Michele Bonaglia a 1929.

Johnson babban dan dambe ne a tsakiyar karni na 20 na Biritaniya, kuma ko da yake bai taba rike wani mukami ba, ya kasance mai fafutuka mai mahimmanci a harkar kwadago a Manchester a shekarun 1940 da 1950. Bayan yakin duniya na biyu, Johnson ya shiga jam'iyyar Kwaminis ta Burtaniya (CPGB) kuma ya kasance mamba mai mahimmanci har zuwa mutuwarsa. Ya kasance mai haɗin gwiwa na New International Club a Manchester, wanda ya ba da abin hawa don baƙar fata na siyasa da ƙungiyoyin jama'a a cikin birni da yaƙin wariyar launin fata a gida da waje, ciki har da shirya kide-kide da kuma taron da ke nuna jaruminsa Paul Robeson don tallafawa Trenton shida, wanda mutane 10,2000 suka halarta. Ya taka rawar gani wajen yin tasiri wajen narkar da mashaya kalar Birtaniyya a shekarar 1947, inda Dick Turpin ya zama zakaran damben bakar fata na farko a Burtaniya a 1948; A shekarun 1950 zuwa 1970 ne kasar Ghana ta zama kasa ta farko a yankin kudu da hamadar Sahara da ta samu 'yancin kai daga turawan turai, a karkashin jagorancin Kwame Nkrumah, wakili tare da Johnson a babban taron kasashen Afrika na 5; da aiwatar da dokar dangantakar jinsi ta 1965, ta haramta wariyar launin fata a wuraren jama'a.[8]

Rayuwar farko

[gyara sashe | gyara masomin]

An haifi Leonard Benker Johnson a ranar 22 ga Oktoba 1902 a Clayton, Manchester, Ingila, a cikin unguwannin Cottonopolis; shi ne ɗan fari na Margaret (née Maher) da William Benker Johnson.[9] An haife shi ga mahaifiyar Bature 'yar asalin Irish da mahaifin Saliyo Creole, wanda ya sa ya zama jinsin jinsi; kuma yana da 'yan'uwa biyu, Albert da William, ƙwararrun 'yan dambe, da kuma 'yar'uwa ɗaya, Doris.[10] Mahaifiyarsa, Margaret, mashin din pinafore, an haife shi a arewacin Manchester; Ita 'yar asalin Irish ce, tare da iyayenta biyu daga Ireland. Kakan mahaifiyar Johnson, William, ya fito daga Roscrea, County Tipperary. Johnson ya bayyana mahaifiyarsa a matsayin "Irish kuma tana alfahari da hakan", kuma ya yi magana game da mugunyar da ta yi mata, kamar yadda aka ɓata mata fuska bayan wani mummunan harin wariyar launin fata da aka kai a kan titi inda aka yi niyya don kasancewarta matar wani baƙar fata. Mahaifin Johnson, William, ya yi aiki tare da Sojojin Burtaniya a lokacin yakin duniya na farko, kuma ya yi aiki ga Layin Dattijon Dempster; shi dan kasuwa ne, dan dambe, kuma injiniyan injiniya daga Saliyo, wanda ya zauna a Manchester bayan ya auri Margaret.[11] Ko da yake William ya kasance matsakaicin nauyi, amma ya yi iƙirarin gasar zakarun ajin masu nauyi na Arewacin Ingila a 1903, ta hanyar doke Jack Lamb, wanda ya auna 196 lbs, a zagaye biyu a Stalybridge, Manchester.

Gidansa na farko ya kasance a 12 Barnabus Street a Clayton, tare da danginsa suna masauki tare da Sal Connell, da matarsa. Ya bayyana cewa Connell's kamar iyaye ne ga mahaifiyarsa kuma su maye gurbinsa da kakanni. Iyalin sun bar Manchester zuwa Leeds, inda mahaifinsa ya kafa rumfar damben balaguro. Ya halarci Makarantar Jack Lane da makarantun Cockburn a Leeds. Koyaya, barkewar yakin duniya na daya ba da daɗewa ba ya dawo da dangi zuwa Manchester, wanda a ƙarshe zai kai ga wani matashi Johnson ya bar makaranta ya fara aiki a matsayin mai kafa a Crossley. Johnson ya girma a cikin ƙuruciyar al'adu da yawa tare da abokan ƙaura na Bayahude, Irish, Italiyanci, da asalin Yemen. Duk da bambancin kabilanci da kabilanci da za a iya samu a Manchester a farkon shekarun 1900, dangin sun fuskanci ƙiyayya da tashin hankali, tare da Johnson yana tunawa da ake kira 'lebe na nigger' da 'Sambo' a makarantar sakandare.[12]

A cikin 1904, mahaifinsa, William, ya ɗauko masa rumfar dambe ta farko, ko da yake yana ɗan shekara biyu, inda mahaifinsa ya sanar da shi a matsayin "Len Johnson ɗan dambe mafi ƙanƙanta a duniya". A cikin 1921, yana ɗan shekara 19, Johnson ya shiga rikici tare da abokin aikinsa a Crossley kafin ubanninsu su raba su. Da yake fahimtar wasu hazaka, mahaifinsa, William, ya yanke shawarar shigar da shi a wasu fafatawar a wani zauren da ke kan titin Ashton Old Road mai yawan aiki. An kai Johnson da 'yan uwansa zuwa Alhambra Amateur Boxing Club a Openhaw, Manchester, wanda tsohon mayaki Jack Smith ne ke tafiyar da shi, wanda Johnson ya burge shi. Wasan da aka yi a Alhambra ya burge Johnson, inda ya ce "Ba su rufe fuskokinsu ba lokacin da wani abokin hamayya ya buge su a ido, sai suka yi kururuwa suka shiga daukar fansa." Daga baya Johnson ya yi magana game da nasarar da ya samu a kan Minto yayin da yake cewa, "Wannan shine mataki na farko a cikin binciken dan dambe: amincewarsa. Don haka ina da babban bashi saboda.

Bayan 'yan makonni bayan asararsa na uku da na gaba, abokansa sun rinjaye shi ya shiga gasar dambe a Gorton Fair, wanda Bert Hughes ke gudanarwa. Hughes ya burge shi kuma ya ba Johnson aikin da ya dauki tsawon watanni shida, a lokacin Johnson ya inganta kwarewarsa ta dambe da karfin gwiwa sosai. Johnson yana da ɗan ilimin yadda ake dambe, ko da yake ya horar da iyawarsa; tare da mahaifiyarsa, Margaret, ya ba da wani tsohon layin tufafi wanda ya tsallake da shi, kuma ya yi masa suturar gajeren wando.[13]

  1. Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2007. Gives name at birth as "Leonard Benker Johnson
  2. "Len Johnson vs Alf Stewart". The Register. 17 April 1926. p. 10. Retrieved 15 January 2021
  3. Aldred, Tanya (28 January 2014). "Len Johnson: Boxing's radical hero with scrapbook shrine". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 January 2021
  4. Howard, Rob (26 October 2004). "BLACK DYNAMITE LEN JOHNSON". Greater Manchester County Record Office. Retrieved
  5. "LEN JOHNSON'S ABNORMAL REACH". The Referee. 3 March 1926. p. 7. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  6. First part of accolades, the second part are in the dedicated section below:
  7. A Few Punches More - The Fairground Boxing Shows". University of Sheffield. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  8. Irving, Sarah (17 August 2009). "Len Johnson; Manchester boxer and Communist". Manchester's Radical History. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  9. "Roland Todd's Chance with Johnson". The Sportsman. 23 February 1924. p. 7. Retrieved 20 December 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. Review: 'Never Counted Out! The story of Len Johnson, Manchester's Black Boxing Hero and Communist'". The Meteor. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  11. Dooley, Terry (30 March 2020). "Len Johnson - a man who changed a city". Boxing News. Retrieved 12 December 2020
  12. Dooley, Terry (30 March 2020). "Len Johnson - a man who changed a city". Boxing News. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  13. When Roland Todd Retired". The South Yorkshire Times. 14 November 1930. p. 15. Retrieved 9 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.