Sylvester Stallone to make documentary about boxing champ Jack Johnson after presidential pardon

Sylvester Stallone said on Wednesday that he plans to make a biopic on Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight champion.
Stallone announced plans for the film as he launched Balboa Productions, which will focus on film and television projects. The film about Johnson will be fast-tracked through Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures (MGM), The Associated Press reported.
Johnson, who died in 1946, was posthumously pardoned by President Trump last week for what the president called a “racially motivated injustice.”
Johnson had been arrested under the 1910 Mann Act for driving across state lines with a white woman.
{mosads}
Stallone was instrumental in securing the pardon for Johnson. He had long sought to bring Johnson’s case to Trump’s attention and lobbied for the act of clemency.
Johnson claimed the heavyweight boxing championship title from 1908 until 1915.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.