Sam Langford: 1886-1956. Born in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia on March 4, 1886, the 5’ 7” dynamo migrated to Boston, Massachusetts, and engaged in close to 300 officially recorded professional contests from 1902 to 1926. At only 5 ft. 7 inches and weighing 185 lbs, he fought greats from the lightweight division right up to the heavyweights, beating many champions in the process. He is widely regarded as the greatest fighter in history never to receive a title shot. He had huge shoulders and massive back muscles and was renowned for his quick hands, debilitating left jab, crushing hook, powerful right cross, and smashing uppercut. His official record stands at: won 179 (KO 128) + lost 30 (KO 9) Drawn 40 His Newspaper Decisions were: won 32 : lost 14 : drawn 15. Unheard of these days, but common during the early 20th Century, a newspaper decision might be made after a no decision bout had ended. A no decision bout occurred when--by law or by pre-arrangement of the fighters--if both boxers were still standing at the fights conclusion and there was no knockout, no official decision was rendered and neither boxer was declared the winner. But this did not prevent the pool of ringside newspaper reporters from declaring a consensus result among themselves and printing a newspaper decision in their publications. Officially, however, a no decision bout resulted in neither boxer winning or losing. Langford defeated such men as Joe Gans, Harry Wills, Kid Norfolk, George Godfrey, Philadelphia Jack OBrien, Joe Jeannette, Sam McVea, Ed Gunboat Smith, Willie Lewis, George Elbows McFadden, George Gunther, Young Peter Jackson, Jack Blackburn, Larry Temple, Dixie Kid (Aaron Brown), Fireman Jim Flynn, Jeff Clark, Bill Lang, Tom Bearcat McMahon, Jack Thompson, John Lester Johnson, Dan Porky Flynn, Ed Bearcat Wright, Theodore Tiger Flowers and Big Bill Tate. The Great Jack Dempsey paid him the highest compliment when he wrote in his autobiography, “The hell I feared no man. There was one man, he was even smaller than I, I wouldn’t fight because I knew he would flatten me. I was afraid of Sam Langford.” Langford at times often found fights hard to come by and it was reported that many of the boxers who agreed to fight him often considered him so dangerous they would request assurances that he be merciful in the ring. Because the pool of his potential opponents was so limited, Langford at times held back in hopes of a rematch. As a result he fought Joe Jeannette 13 times, Sam McVea 13 times, and Harry Wills 18 times. By the end of his career, Langford could barely see. His eyes failing, Langford would fight on the inside so he could feel his opponent and know where his arms were. At the end of a round, hed use the ropes to feel his way back to his corner. Doctors twice tried to restore his sight, but by the mid-1930s, Langford was totally blind. He retired at 43. In 1944 Al Laney of The New York Herald Tribune decided to write a story about Langford, but he had trouble finding him. Langford was finally found living at a rooming house on 139th Street in New York City blind and penniless. Laneys story was published, a fund was set up for Langford. As a result, he lived relatively comfortably for the rest of his days. Sam Langford passed away on January 12, 1956 aged 72 at a private nursing home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was inducted into the IBHOF in 1990. Sam The Boston Terror Langford was one of the best and most courageous fighters that has ever lived.
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 17:50:37 +0000