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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. Apples were also banned as well as any weapon whatsoever. Racial tension was brewing in the lead-up to the fight and in order to prevent any harm from coming to either boxer, guns were prohibited within the arena along with the sale of alcohol and anyone who was under the effects of alcohol. Before the fight, Jeffries remarked, "It is my intention to go right after my opponent and knock him out as soon as possible." His wife added, "I'm not interested in prizefighting but I am interested in my husband's welfare, I do hope this will be his last fight." Johnson's words were "May the best man win." 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. Legal historian Barak Orbach argues that in "an industry that promoted events through the dramatization of rivalries, a championship contest between an iconic representative of the white race and the most notorious was a gold mine." Jeffries mostly remained hidden from media attention until the day of the fight, while Johnson soaked up the spotlight. Although it was well understood that a victory for Jeffries was likely to be more profitable than a victory for Johnson, there were no doubts that the event would produce record profits.

The bid guaranteed a purse of $101,000 to be divided 75% to the winner and 25% to the loser, as well as two-thirds of the revenues collected from the sales of the right to film the fight (each boxer received one third of the equity rights). In early December 1909, Johnson and Jeffries selected a bid from the nation's top boxing promoters- Tex Rickard and John Gleason. 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. Initially Jeffries had no interest in the fight, being quite happy as an alfalfa farmer. Efforts to persuade Jeffries to "retrieve the honor of the white race" began immediately after the Tommy Burns–Johnson fight. 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. 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". In 1910, former undefeated heavyweight champion James J. Background The New York Times editorial, May 12, 1910, commenting on the upcoming fight The film – The Johnson–Jeffries Fight – received more public attention in the United States than any other film to date and for the next five years, until the release of The Birth of a Nation, and was subsequently censored in many states and cities – the first movement for racist film censorship in history. Johnson and Jeffries both made over $100,000 from the purse, bonuses, and the sale of film rights. Ī crowd of 18,020 attended in a stadium built for the fight, and telegraphed reports were followed across the nation. Race riots broke out across the country over the following week-the first truly nationwide race riots in the United States. Jeffries-who boasted that he had never been knocked down in a fight-fell three times to Johnson's punches, and was being counted out when his manager called the fight.

Johnson beat Jeffries in the fifteenth round, approximately one hour after the fight began at 1:30 pm PST. 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." It was one of the most eagerly anticipated boxing matches of all time, with betting odds significantly favoring Jeffries, who had come back from retirement for the fight. It was highly significant in the history of race relations in the U.S., and led to the Johnson–Jeffries riots in which more than 20 people died. Jeffries on July 4, 1910, US Independence Day. The Fight of the Century or the Johnson–Jeffries Prize Fight was a boxing match between the first African American World Heavyweight Champion of Boxing Jack Johnson and the previously undefeated World Heavyweight Champion James J.