Rank these 1910's heavyweights

[davie]

Of the victims of the colour line and challengers for the coloured heavy weight champion of the world, rank these guys at heavy weight 1-4
Joe Jeannette
Sam Langford
Sam McVea
Harry wills

[Ezzard]

Langford is number 1, McVea is number 4...

Jeanette and Wills not sure...

[SaadOffTheDeck]

They all fought so many times I'd have to look at their records. Wills is #1 though.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- Langford is the no brainer #1, nobody else even close. Both Wills and Jeannette said so, rating him over Johnson and everyone else, and I said so, so there.

Jeannette over Wills who wasn't much of a factor at the start of the decade. By the time he gained some traction, Jeannette and Langford were still superior. He doesn't start to ease them out until 1916, which of course is a shame since right around 21-23 is when he was peaking for Dempsey. I don't blame the politicians for their fear of race riots, and of course Rickard was the only one who could promote such a big, controversial fight, but he was gunshy after the Jeffries/Johnson riots. The money men and the politicians just weren't there for that fight. Nonetheless, Rickard later arranged an eliminator between him and Tunney to challenge the returning from Hollywood Dempsey, and for some reason Wills declined and the rest history.

McVey a buddy of Johnson, not quite in the same class as above, maybe influenced due to living the high life with Johnson, a sad premature death put him under too early. R.I.P.

[Ambling Alp II]

Very close.
Would go with:
1. Langford
2. Will
3. Jeannette
4. McVey

Langford barely over Wills, Wills barely over Jeannette, and Jeannette barely over McVey. Certainly arguable.

Langford was the best early in the decade, then he started getting old and Wills started getting better after getting experience.

McVey is underrated. He is not very far behind them. Gave them all a lot of trouble in several fights and won some.

[davie]

I wondered how this would pan out.
I specified at heavyweight because if we were to rate them over all Langford strolls it. But even at heavyweight alone most seem to rate him 1st despite the repeated losses to Wills.
Interesting.

It's a period of boxing history I'd loved to have been around to see

[SaadOffTheDeck]

I wondered how this would pan out.
I specified at heavyweight because if we were to rate them over all Langford strolls it. But even at heavyweight alone most seem to rate him 1st despite the repeated losses to Wills.
Interesting.

It's a period of boxing history I'd loved to have been around to see

Yeah, makes no sense to me. Wills is definitively above sam at heavyweight. He beat him like 19 times.

[pound per pound]

Of the victims of the colour line and challengers for the coloured heavy weight champion of the world, rank these guys at heavy weight 1-4
Joe Jeannette
Sam Langford
Sam McVea
Harry wills

Langford is #1 for sure. After that, it gets somewhat sticky as Wills pretty much took advantage of an older field
Wills #2
Jeannette #3
McVea #4

[HomicideHenry]

It'll be unpopular but Wills over Langford at heavyweight, then Langford, then McVey, then Jeanette. Langford, without question in my mind, was the greatest boxer of all time. He defeated virtually every worthwhile fighter from 135 to 200 pounds. The p4p best ever. He, in my view, could have beaten every heavyweight of his time save for Wills and Jefferies. Wills was just too big, too skilled, and Jefferies was just superhuman in his prime, was unbelievable the amount of punishment and conditioning he had.

McVey was a powerhouse, plain and simple. The only man I know of, who KNOCKED OUT a prime Joe Grimm. The same Joe Grimm who couldn't get stopped by the likes of Johnson, Fitzsimmons, Burns, Langford, etc. and McVey defeated a solid mix of whites and blacks. Joe Jeanette, I think was better than thought, but it seems when the rise of black athletes came he was already on the downside. His time was more of the Denver Ed Martin's. I could be wrong though.