Sam Langford

[robert.snell1]

Sam Langford ( the Boston Terror)

Heavyweight

1883 – 1956

won 200 ( 133 ko ) lost 46 draw 40 - 1902 - 1926

The following information about Sam Langford ( old tham) is taken from an article written in 1944 it tells I think a lot about the character of the man.

By 1944 he was blind and broke with a regular daily routine. Gets up early and 2 small boys would take him to a local place for breakfast, back in his room by 10am where he would listen to the radio till late afternoon when he would go out to eat again.

The reporter said of him that he was intelligent and extremely amiable man, eager for company and delighted someone had taken the trouble to look him up. He had a fine memory and remarkable store of stories which he told with a hearty chuckle.

“ He bears no malice towards no man, despite the fact he was pushed around no little in the days when he was the dark terror of the prize ring and the champions and many other fighter with a reputation studiously avoided him”

One of the best stories is when he came out for the 4th round in a 10 round bout and touched the gloves with his opponent, who tried to tell Sam it wasn’t the last round. “Oh yes it is,” Sam replied, and it was.

When word got around about his situation a group of guys got together to promote a fund for Sam and funds began to come in for him.

A 1956 article by Red Smith refers back to the above 1944 report by which time Sam had died. The original articles paints a picture of Sam as a tragic figure. This he says was not the case as Sam said “I fought maybe three, four hundred fights and everyone a pleasure”

To skip back a few years, 1925 to be exact, we find Sam broke but with no regrets. At that time he was getting by as a shadow boxer and instructor. Sam said he was “ done for by wine and women” , “ I’d be fighting yet if I had watched my step, but I had a good time while it lasted, why worry”


Sam was very proud of being born in Boston “ I’se an Irish niggah born in the top floor of Boston”


What a guy

[silkov]

Nice one Rob!....

[enrique]

ACTUALLY SAM WAS CANADIAN BORN BUT HIS CAREER WAS BASED OUT OF BOSTON WHERE HE WAS KNOWN AS THE BOSTON TAR BABY.

[robert.snell1]

I wonder how many people called him that to his face ?

[enrique]

EVRYBODY. THAT'S HOW THE PAPERS OF THE TIME DESCRIBED HIM. IT WAS A DIFFERENT ERA BUT SAM HAD GREAT CLASS, WAS A GREAT FIGHTER AND BEAT A LOT OF GOOD FIGHTERS -WHITE AND BLACK- SO HIS FAME HAS OUTLIVED HIS NICKNAME AND NOW MOST PEOPLE THINK OF HIM AS AN UNCROWNED CHAMP.

[robert.snell1]

I have been looking up quite a few newspaper articles about sam in the last few weeks and he was some fighter that is for sure. as you say the newspapers of that era were not bothered how they described " non white" boxers.
i will be putting together some of the material in the near future as i think it will be of interest.

[enrique]

LANGFORD WAS THE BEST OF THE BLACK FIGHTERS OF THE ERA -WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JACK JOHNSON WHO BEAT SAM ON POINTS- AND IF YOU LOOK AT HIS RECORD HE FOUGHT JEANETTE, MCVEY, TATE, YOUNG PETER JACKSON AND OTHER BLACK FIGHTERS OVER AND OVER, EIGHT, TEN TIMES, EVEN MORE. THIS ROUND ROBIN OF GUYS NOBODY ELSE WANTED TO FIGHT WAS CALLED "THE CHITTLING CIRCUIT." SOME HISTORIANS MENTION JIM BARRY AS BEING BLACK BECAUSE HIS NAME APPEARS SO OFTEN IN LANGFORD'S RECORD, BUT BARRY WAS A TOUGH WHITE COWBOY FROM MONTANA WHO HAD A PROPENSITY FOR DRUG ABUSE. HE FOUGHT SOME TOUGH GUYS AND WON HIS SHARE OF FIGHTS. BARRY, WHO DIED IN A BAR FIGHT IN PANAMA, SHOULD BE CREDITED WITH NOT DRAWING "THE COLOR LINE' SO PREVALENT OF THOSE DAYS...

[robert.snell1]

LANGFORD WAS THE BEST OF THE BLACK FIGHTERS OF THE ERA -WITH THE EXCEPTION OF JACK JOHNSON WHO BEAT SAM ON POINTS- AND IF YOU LOOK AT HIS RECORD HE FOUGHT JEANETTE, MCVEY, TATE, YOUNG PETER JACKSON AND OTHER BLACK FIGHTERS OVER AND OVER, EIGHT, TEN TIMES, EVEN MORE. THIS ROUND ROBIN OF GUYS NOBODY ELSE WANTED TO FIGHT WAS CALLED "THE CHITTLING CIRCUIT." SOME HISTORIANS MENTION JIM BARRY AS BEING BLACK BECAUSE HIS NAME APPEARS SO OFTEN IN LANGFORD'S RECORD, BUT BARRY WAS A TOUGH WHITE COWBOY FROM MONTANA WHO HAD A PROPENSITY FOR DRUG ABUSE. HE FOUGHT SOME TOUGH GUYS AND WON HIS SHARE OF FIGHTS. BARRY, WHO DIED IN A BAR FIGHT IN PANAMA, SHOULD BE CREDITED WITH NOT DRAWING "THE COLOR LINE' SO PREVALENT OF THOSE DAYS...

you are clearly something of a fan of Langford so i hope i can produce some material which will be some interest. I am more interested in the the lives and attitudes of the time rather than the relative skills of boxers. i leave that debate to others who have more knowledge.

[Luckett]

Concise biographies on 75-100 of the best known American boxers (native or adopted) of 1000-1500 word length are available in the AMERICAN NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY, published about five years ago by Oxford University Press. It is a 25-volume work and additional articles (added since publication the 25-volume set) are available online in libraries that subscribe to their service. You will find ANB in many libraries. An article on Sam Langford is available there but I don't suppose that Ted (Kid) Lewis would be there. Articles have references.

[robert.snell1]

thanks for that . I have just checked and the cost is £60 for a year. I do not think it will be available via my local UK library. However I shall give them a ring and find out. Online information with regard to UK newspapers is non to good when compared to the large amount available on North American publications.

[KOJOE90]

Nice article, Anyone one know what Sams vision problems was caused by? Cataracts, Gluecoma?

[robert.snell1]

thank you. I assume it was a result of the boxing and sam himself said " if only I had taken better care". The articles which I have read so far just point out he had problems and this led to being blind.
I am seeing what else is available on him today so that I can add some more material as I go along.

[kovit]

I want to ask you something, can anyone know if Sam Langford have a long reach of 76"? Please find out.

[robert.snell1]

Some of the following information was taken from an article written in 1935 when Sam was aged 49
Boston Tar Baby Recalls some of his biggest bouts

A squat black man wide of shoulder but fumbling his way, a cap drawn down low over his sightless eyes followed a piloting friend into the sport dept. It was Sam Langford, the Boston tar baby, once as great a ring warrior as the heavyweights knew.
He came for a check for $25 which a Baltimore admirer from the old days sent him in care of the Associated Press after leaning that “Tham” was having a tough time. “Mighty nice ah still got friends”

It was the same amount Sam had received for his very first fight in Boston in 1901 when he knocked out Jack Vickers. He fought for seven years with one eye – which know one new – after Fred Fulton landed a right to his temple in 1917. A cataract has blinded the eye Fulton left him.
Sam had made hundreds of thousands of dollars and got as high as $10,000 fro flattening Ian Haig, Champion of England in 1909.

“First thing I learned was you didn’t break no knuckles hittin’em in the body. So I hit’em there. They sure come down when you hit’em right”

The toughest fight was , in 1914, with Harry Wills ( the black menace ) who he floored three times in the 1st , three in the 2nd again in the 3rd and with a ko in the 14th. Sam said “ Ah sure was glad to get rid of that man that night”

The greatest fighter of them all in those days was another Negro, Joe Walcott, the Barbadoes demon who never weighed as much as 150 pounds yet knocked out good heavyweights.

“ Fifteen rounds I fought him in a draw in Manchester in 1904 and man could he hit. He hit me on the chin with a right in the sixth and for three rounds I couldn’t swallow. I saw him hit a heavyweight one punch in the liver, and that mans side turned chalk white, then red as if you painted it”

“Walcott could take these heavyweights today and lick’em laughing , he’d tear the body out of a man as big as Carnera”

The last heavyweight fighter Sam was able to see, due to his eyesight, was Jack Dempsey and he said of him “ Dempsey could punch with anyone he never needed to have no fear of Wills, one round maybe two was all it;d take him”. Dempsey in his prime and Walcott at his best – there in Sam’s mind would have been the greatest punching duel of all time

He was asked “ But wouldn’t Walcott at even 150 have been to small for the man mauler ?”
And replied “man, that Walcott wasn’t to little for nobody”


More to follow

[robert.snell1]

I want to ask you something, can anyone know if Sam Langford have a long reach of 76"? Please find out.

thats a good challenge - I bet my good friend Mr Silkov will beat everyone in answering that one.

Any takers

[barry]

I've been putting together scrapbooks of some of my favorite fighters of all-time, of which Langford ranks right at the top. Right now, I have around 500 to 700 pages of articles, newspaper clips, photo's etc., on Langford. The is no question about his skill and power as his record shows, but he was certainly one of the best characters to ever step through the ropes. I love reading over old ancedotes about Langford and I'll try to post a few of my favorites in the next couple of weeks. The Denver Post, September 30, 1915 listed Langford's reach at, 79".

[barry]

I already had this one typed out:


MEMORIES
By Nat Fleischer



Sam Langford was a great fighter, but something less than a great second. Sam was seconding another fighter during a scrap held in the bull ring at Juarez one Sunday afternoon. When the fighter came back to the corner, his manager said:
“You’re getting’ hit with a left hook. Watch out for his hook punch. He’s hittin’ you all the time with a left hook.”
This infuriated Sam.
“What do you tell him that for?” he asked. “Doan tell he’s gittin’ hit wit’ a left hook and doan even know about it. Anytime a man gits hit wit’ a left hook and he doan know it, den he wants to git out of the boxin’ business and git himself a job on a farm.”
The fighter went out again. When he returned after the next round, his manager said: “Take it easy. You’re tired. You’re very tired.”
Again Sam blew up.
“What you tell him foh he’s tired?” Sam asked in disgust. “If he’s tired, doan HE know it?” The manager argued. Sam responded by chasing him out of the ring.
The fighter got back again after the next heat and found only Sam waiting for him.
Sam sponged him off but said nothing. He watched him awhile.
Finally the fighter asked:
“What should I hit him with Sam?”
Sam didn’t answer.
The fighter was getting anxious.
“Sam,” he pleaded, “will you tell me what to hit him with?”
“Yeah,” Sam retorted, “I’ll tell you what to hit him with. Sho I will.”
“Well,” said the fighter as the precious seconds ticked away, “what should I hit him with?”
“Hit him with SUMPIN, “ Sam said, “hit him with SUMPIN’!”


The Ring
March 1950
Pg. 25-21.

[robert.snell1]

I love reading this type of thing, some collection you have .

i will send you some copies of what i have which is about 40 or so pages .

[Eric the Viking]

He fought for seven years with one eye ? which know one new ? after Fred Fulton landed a right to his temple in 1917. A cataract has blinded the eye Fulton left him.

Too bad they apparently didn't have cataract surgery in those days - or perhaps it was simply too expensive for someone like Sam?

Are there any good extant biographies of Langford?

[robert.snell1]

Sam Langford was one boxer for whom confidence came easily. Before the start of one match he addressed the crowd "You'll pardon me gentlemen if I make the fight short. I have a train to catch." He then knocked out his opponent in the first round and promptly left for the station. (He caught the train).

[barry]

I don't know of any Langford biographies. I think that Nat Fleischer covered his career pretty good in the "Black Dynamite" series, but I haven't had the opportunity to read it. Health and Strength magazine put out a magazine "The Life and Battles of Sam Langford," but again, I haven't had the opportunity to read it.

[robert.snell1]

with the amount of information that people have using this site we may be able to write our own book ?

failing that idea, a good swop of photo's would be a good start

[silkov]

Great thread Rob!... Langford is a fascinating fighter and character!.

[klompton]

An acquintence of mine is working on a Langford bio. It should be very interesting.

[robert.snell1]

I take it this is for publication ?

If so i think it shows what interest there is in Sam. What would he have thought of this after so many years.

maybe we could come up with some "Sam like" comments on that ?