BoxRec

My top ten greatest heavyweights of all time :
argue all u want but if ur arguement is completely stupid, than dont post here at all. i want some intelligent responses.

1. Joe Louis- the man had it all. powerful left hook, powerful right hand, and a stinging jab thats really underated. The night he beat schmelling, he broke schmellings BACK by using his fists!!! he was amazing in his peak and knocked out everyone and had the most title defenses. Even when he was aging, he beat a tough walcott twice (though walcott deserved the first) and he could slug it out with nayone and box with anyone. he was a little off balance and it showed cause he was knocked down by some bums. But all and all, this was the king of the heavyweight division.
2. Muhumad Ali- first of all, I think the only man that would have beat him would have been marciano and possiby louis though ali might have outpoitned louis. Ali would woop everyone else and whats all this talk about being suscetible to a right?? everyone knows ali was a sucker to a left hook. all his knockdowns were left hooks. Ali is the fastest of them all and a master boxer and incredible nature tools and talent and a great chin and heart of a warrior
3. Rocky Marciano- I said enough about this ferocious fearless and indestrutable italian machine.
4. Prime Tyson- when mike tyson hit u in his prime, peopel did funny things. look at berbick and tubbs. That shows power. when rooney had him he moved his head alot which prevented taking blows. and he had one of the quickest pair of hands ever with brute power and one punch KO power. he was the baddest man on the planet and i think he would have taken out both hoylfeild and lennox. the only reason he became beatable was his life fell apart and everyone around him died., king brainwashed him.
5. Foreman- that night he annilaited frasier, everyone thought we were seeigng the birth of a new long reigning king. Well foreman was one of the strongest and hardest punchers, and more than that intimidating. u have to be a tough guy to last more than two rounds with this guy. Foreman;s problem was stamina, mental problems, and he had rpoblem with boxers but anyone who came in on him even moorer lol was KOed.
6. Frazier - Perhaps the most dramtic left hook ever. His problem was he was a one handed fighter. but he proved himself when he beat Ali that night. Ali though not at his peak was still in his prime and frasier showed he was a legend that night. after alie win, he was never the same again he left everythingo n that night. and he grazed a left hook at foreman in their first fight and if that was the the peak joe he might have landed and taken foreman out. Frazier had amazing stamina and condition. what a warrior.
7. johnson - the best defensive heavyweight ever. He was a big strong guy who really toyedwith most of his oponents. I wish h could have been more agressive and foguht better class oponents but he showed when he tried he was unbeatabl e of that era and i would have loved to see him fight today. I still beleive he took a dive against willard. and he showed when he wantded to he could put kecthell out jsut like that. He would hav e beaten a prime jeffries also.
8- Holmes_ one of the best jabs ever. he really one most his fights by heart. he had a lot of heart rising from brutal knockdowns or close fights to win them. He is a master boxer who could never be counted out until the final bell. I believe he beats a guy like foreman.
9. Lennox- have to include this guy. a big strong guy who unlike most big guys is coordinated and shows great boxing skills when he trains. problem is WE NEVER KNOW WHICH LEWIS WILL SHOW UP? if the one that fought oliver mcall shows up, hes screwed. if the one who fought ruddock shows up hes dangerous with good power and boxing skills though a bad jaw. when he comes prepared, hes tough to beat.
10. Liston- The scariest of them all, oponents were beaten before the ygot into the ring. his jab was eqaul to most guys power punches. his jab knocked guys teeth out and he had amazing power. his problem was he was slow and didnt have a lot of heart. Listons best night was when he left cleveland williams yellingi n pain holding on to the rope because liston hit him so hard. He was a torubled man and not that smart and ali beat him mentally more than physically.
HM : walcott- this man was the cutest and smartest fighter ever. He had that weird shuffle and he made an experience joe louis look silly in the first fight and scored 2 KD on louis but came on the wrong end up a bad desicion. he was on his way to beating louis the 2nd time when he made the mistake of trading punches with louis and was KOed. He kocked out charles with one of the most devasting left hooks ever. Walcott fought better when he was older and his peak fight was when he gave maricano the tought fight of his career. Walcott had 20 year old legs that day. Walcott was musclar, a visiou left hook, incredible smart defensive fighter whos is incredibly underated.

1) Joe Louis
2) Muhammad Ali
3) Jack Johnson
4) Larry Holmes
5) Sonny Liston
6) George Foreman
7) Rocky Marciano
8) Lennox Lewis
9) Joe Frazier
10) Sam Langford

Good list man, u got most of the same guys as me and i see u also have joe louis at # 1. though I rate Sam Langford as a middleweight cause hes only 160 lbs. he is one of the best middleweights ever but not heavyweight. Though langford gave some heavyweights trouble, cause hes so skillfull. when ur giving up that much weight and size to a guy liek johnson whos just as skilffull but is stronger and faster 220 lbs and langfords only 160, Langford cant possibly beat them. Langford is pound ofr pound one of the best, but hes really a middleweight not a heavyweights, his best wins were at middleweight. their comes a time when giving up to much weight and strentgh takes a factor and this is one case. so sam langford should be in the top 3 middlweight list.

Lanford did not fight but a few years at middleweight. I don't recall of the top of my head, but Langford was not at the middleweight limit at any time after around 1911, maybe 1912 and his weight shot up quick, but he was fighting almost entirely nothing but heavyweights by 1911. He had very good wins at every weight he fought at and while I rate him a lot higher at Light Heavyweight, he was still a very formidable heavyweight opponent and could have competed in any era...he would reign in todays heavyweight market! Below are summaries of some of his earlier fights that paraphrased from newspaper accounts, which I probably have newspaper clips and reports for around 85% to 90% of Langford's career in a scrapbook that I put together! I will be adding summaries until I finsh all of the reports that I have, but right now I am working on Terry MCGovern's career, so Sam has been delayed.





1907
Jan 31 vs. Kid Williams: The bout took place in Rochester, NY. Dukelow, manager of the Rochester club introduced Langford’s opponent as Sailor Burke, one of the few that knocked out Joe Grim, and Langford’s manager agreed in that the opponent was Burke and the audience knew no difference, but it turned out to be a “Kid Williams.”

Apr 22 vs. James "Tiger" Smith: The bout took place in London, England at the National Sporting Club. Announced as for the “Middleweight Championship of England.” The bout was also for a purse of $2.000 and was scheduled for twenty rounds. The weight was set at 158 pounds. From the start it was apparent that Langford had the edge over his English opponent and Smith was so badely beaten in the fourth round that the result was virtually a knockout. Police Gazette

Jun 3 vs. Geoff Thorn: The bout took place in London, England at the National Sporting Club. Thorn was once a sparring partner of Bob Fitzsimmons, but that was about the only good thing that could be said of him in this bout. The bout itself garnered little interest from the public as Londoner’s had thought that “Tiger” Smith was a “world-beater,” and Sam took care of him so easily that Thorn couldn’t possible offer much…they were right. Langford had hoped to land a match with Gunner Moir, England’s Heavyweight Champion, but the bout never materialized. Police Gazette
Aug 27 vs. Larry Temple: The bout took place in Chelsea, MA at the Winnisimmet Athletic Club. In his first bout since returning back to the United States, Sam was easily the better of the two fighters. It was a bit of a surprise that Temple lasted the limit as Sam had at least a ten pound advantage in weight. Sam went right after Temple from the opening bell, but Temple showed tremendous gameness and an ability to absorb punishment. In every round, Sam landed rights and lefts to both the body and head and on a couple of occasions staggered his opponent. In the ninth round Temple landed a hard right that temporarily dazed Langford, but he recovered quickly and continued to pepper Temple without any return fire. Police Gazette

Sep 25 vs. Jim Barry: The bout took place in New York, NY at the Sharkey Athletic Club. The club was packed to the doors. Barry had won quite a few bouts around New York during the past few months with ease and he figured to give Sam a good go. After feinting for a minute, Barry dropped Langford hard with one of the first punches he threw. Sam was seriously hurt and just did make it to his feet at the count of nine. Barry tore into Sam, who was practically helpless and landed lefts and rights until the bell rung ending the round. The crowd was in a frenzy. In the second round, Jim went at Sam with a vengeance, but he missed badly with his first punch and went down from his own force. Barry landed a hard right to Sam’s jaw and it looked as though it would only be a matter of time. Langford was limping from a possible sprain and it seemed that he could hardly protect himself when out of nowhere Langford’s long black arm shot out with the speed of a dart, landing flush on Barry’s jaw and bang…Barry hit the floor with a fearful thud. He rolled over and got onto all fours, peering open-eyed at the carpet as though in search of something. He was thoroughly unconscious of what was going on and probably would not have regained his sense had a spray of water from a water bottle, thrown by his seconds, hit him fairly between the eyes. Barry gasped and reached out like a drowning man and suddenly his deadened senses returned and he stalled and covered up until the bell came to his rescue. Barry never fully recovered and although he fought courageously the remainder of the bout, Sam’s right hand kept him at a respectful distance, but Sam still punished him severely throughout the final four rounds. Police Gazette
Oct 15 vs. Jim Barry: The bout took place in Chelsea, MA. Langford set a fast pace and puzzled his opponent all the way. Although Sam administered much punishment, Barry fought back gamely and was milling hard at the final bell. Langford was by far the better at long range, but Barry held his own on the inside and threw a lot of leather at Sam’s body, but Langford managed to block the biggest percentage of shots. The Milwaukee Free Press listed Langford’s opponent as “Dave Barry,” but the Milwaukee Evening listed “Jim Barry” of Chicago. (Source)

Nov 12 vs. “Young” Peter Jackson: The bout took place in Los Angeles, CA at the Pacific Athletic Club. The bout was one of the hardest fought contests ever seen at the Pacific AC. The men fought a battle which would have unanimously been accepted as a draw. A steady rain of punches were exchanged throughout the fight, but Langford began to assert his dominance after the fourteenth round. It was still a very close fight in which both men did much more slugging than had been expected. (Source)

Dec 17 vs. Jim Barry: The bout took place in Los Angeles, CA at the Pacific Athletic Club. Barry, who only had a few days of training, was in no shape to put forth a serious effort, and after two rounds had passed, in which Barry attempted hard to floor Langford, he was pretty much through as a threat in the match. Langford landed shots that looked and sounded good, but the effect that they had on Barry was lacking in power. Sam had earlier tried to entice both Joe Thomas and Stanley Ketchel for a match of ten rounds a piece on the same day, and it would be a pretty fair assumption that Langford was holding back against Barry. The fight was the first to be held under the new law now operating in Los Angeles, which provides for a limit of ten rounds with six-ounce gloves. The new law also provides that “No Decision” be given if both fighters finish on their feet. Langford clearly out-pointed Barry. This was the third time that the two had met, so the Oct. 15 bout was probably Jim instead of Dave! Police Gazette


1908

Jan 14 vs. Jim Barry: The bout took place in Los Angeles, CA at the Pacific AC. Barry outfought Langford for a better part of the bout, which was a “No Decision” affair scheduled for ten rounds. The men never slowed down from the start to the finish. Langford outfought his opponent in the clinches, repeatedly sending in hard shots to the kidneys following with one to the head. In the eighth round Barry knocked Sam down with a clean straight right hand to the jaw, but Langford’s cleverness saved him from being knocked out. Barry was highly praised for his efforts. Had a decision been given, Barry would have been entitled to the win. Police Gazette. The Evening Wisconsin stated that the bout ended in a draw and that it was a popular decision, but many felt that Barry had the better of the mill.

Feb 10 vs. Black Fitzsimmons: The bout took place in Boston, MA at the Roanoke AC. Sam put it all over his opponent in what was scheduled to be a six round contest. In the fourth round, Fitzsimmons was in such bad shape that referee Moore stopped the contest and declared Langford the victor. The two men were evenly matched in weight, but that was all that was even. Fitzsimmons hardly landed a blow, while Sam bombarded him all over the ring, knocking Fitzsimmons down time after time. Fitzsimmons always got up for more, but at the start of the fourth round he was so groggy he fell all around the ring, so Moore did the humane thing by stopping it. Police Gazette

Mar 3 vs. Joe Jeannette: The bout took place in Boston, MA at the Armory AA. This was the fourth meeting between the two. Langford had the advantage in the early rounds, particularly in the first when he hit Jeannette with a left to the jaw that dropped Joe to his knees. When he arose, Sam went after him like a tiger, but Jeannette clinched until his senses had cleared and came back strong. Jeannette did not get going until the fourth round, when he gave Sam all that he wanted. Every round was full of action as the men pummeled one another unmercifully for twelve rounds after which referee Sheehan declared the fight a draw. The Evening Wisconsin


1909

Mar 17 vs. Jim Barry: The bout took place in Philadelphia, PA at the Washington Sporting Club. Toward the end of the second round, Barry caught Sam coming in with a hard shot to the head which sent him rolling on his back. Jim became overly excited and was too wild in trying to land a finishing punch and Langford was able to make it out of the round without any further damage. The third round showed both men landing as they had several spirited exchanges. Sam had a little the better of it in the fourth round and once staggered his game opponent. It was an exciting round as on a couple of separate occasions the men stood slugging toe-to-toe exchanging leather to the body and head. The fifth round was pretty much a repeat of the fourth with each man landing his fair share of punches, shots of which would have no doubt finished lesser men. The sixth and final round was also a hot one with Langford getting in the better work landing more often and with better success than his opponent. Langford was awarded the newspaper decision. Philadelphia Newspaper Clip

Mar 29 vs. Morris Harris: The bout took place in Brooklyn, NY at the Clermont Avenue Rink under the auspices of the Marathon Athletic Club. Harris was floored three times prior to round seven. Harris was dropped for a three-count in the first round. In the third, a short left to the jaw sent the Philadelphian down for a four-count. A hard right in the fourth round again dropped Harris for another four-count. Sam’s famous left hook lifted Harris off his feet and laid him, none too softly, on the canvas ending festivities. Police Gazette

Apr 3 vs. John Willie: The bout took place in Philadelphia, PA at the National Athletic Club. Langford was aggressive from the opening gong and landed almost at will. After sparring a few seconds in the second round, Langford saw an opening and sent over a short right, which did not travel more than eight, or ten inches, and down went his opponent. Willie fell flat on his face and although he was able to rise to one knee, he did not make it to his feet before ten had been counted. Willie had to be led to his corner by his seconds. Police Gazette

Apr 14 vs. Jim Barry: The bout took place in Albany, NY at the North End Athletic Club. Due to a small attendance the men at first refused to go on. Among those at ringside were several members of the legislature, who contributed sufficiently to a collection that was taken up to induce the men to fight. The bout was a farce. Langford at no time showed any interest in really defeating his opponent. Instead, he taunted Barry and stalled throughout the entire bout. Neither man suffered much punishment, nor did either really exert themselves until the last round when they put up a lively mix-up. At the end honors were even. Police Gazette

Apr 17 vs. Al Kubiak: The bout took place in Philadelphia, PA at the National Athletic Club. Kubiak never had a chance and Langford punished him severely throughout the match. Only Kubiak’s gameness and endurance permitted him to last the six rounds. Sam was aggressive from the start and forced the fighting in every round. Kubiak did his best work in the closing rounds, and although he was beaten and tired, Al continued to come back at Langford, but Sam was far superior to his opponent in every aspect of ability. Police Gazette

Apr 27 vs. John "Sandy" Ferguson: The bout took place in Boston, MA at the Armory AA. Ferguson had an advantage in weight (25+ pounds), height and reach and was the aggressor throughout. He landed often to Langford’s mouth and nose during the first four rounds. Sam started to pick things up and showed better form landing stiff lefts to Ferguson’s nose and he was landing a nice one-two combo, left to the body and head quite effectively. The boxing was lively in the next four rounds with Langford doing the better work. In the tenth and eleventh rounds, Sandy hooked, jabbed and countered well, but Sam fought back effectively. They mixed it up pretty good in the twelfth and final round. Both were in excellent condition physically going into the bout. Referee, Eugene Buckley declared the bout a draw, although several people who witnessed the fight felt that Sam won easily and the decision was hooted. Police Gazette

May 24 vs. William "Iron" Hague: The bout took place in London, England at the National Sporting Club. Prior to the contest, Bettinson, matchmaker of the National Sporting Club, announced that on account of Jack Johnson forfeiting to Langford, the bout would be for the Heavyweight Championship of the World, hence by grace of the National Sporting Club and the London Press. The purse was $9,000. A considerable amount of money was wagered at 2 to 1 and 5 to 2 in favor of Langford. Before the fight Langford tipped the scales at 158 and Hague came in at 196 pounds. Hague was also four inches taller. In the opening round Langford crossed a hard left to the mouth, bringing first blood. From that time until the final count it was only a question of how long Hague could last. Hague was very slow throughout the bout and his best work was done in the second round, but Sam was in control at all times. Some hard shots were exchanged by both men. A hard right from Hague partially closed Langford’s right eye. In the fourth round Sam’s superior skill and activity were shown ina marked manner. He seemed to be all over the Englishman, who simply just took his beating. The end came soon. Langford sent in three quick left jabs, followed by a crushing right that landed on the point of the chin and Hague dropped where he was counted out. With the victory Sam won the Heavyweight Championship of England. Police Gazette

Jul 13 John “Klondike” Haynes: The bout took place in Pittsburgh, PA at the Bijou Theater. Klondike took a nine-count six times throughout the bout and Langford was down twice. If a decision had been rendered, Langford was surely the winner. Klondike took a terrible beating and fouled Langford several times to avoid being knocked out. Milwaukee Free Press
--According to Boxrec, Langford claims World 'colored' Heavyweight title after Jack Johnson refuses to meet him. Langford reported to have had the better of fight by Pittsburgh Post.

1910

Jan 10 vs. Aaron “Dixie Kid” Brown: The bout took place in Memphis, TN at the Phoenix AC. According to Boxrec, the bout was for the Colored Heavyweight Title. Langford knocked out the Kid in the third round of what was to have been an eight round fight. Kid spent most of the time on the floor, taking nine-counts on almost every blow that hit him. Atlanta Constitution

Mar 17 vs. "Fireman" Jim Flynn: The bout took place in Los Angeles, CA at the Vernon Arena. Scheduled for 45 rounds. After the KO, Flynn was placed slumped and dazed on a stool in his corner, while his seconds spent some time attempting to revive him. He eventually got to his feet. Milwaukee Free Press

Apr 27 vs. Stanley Ketchel: The bout took place in Philadelphia, PA at the National AC. "Sam Langford, of Boston, defeated Stanley Ketchel of Grand Rapids in a six round bout at the National Club last night. Forty-five hundred enthusiastic pugilistic fans were gathered last night to see what promised to be the best contest held in Philadelphia this season, and they were not disappointed. They saw two perfectly trained athletes, endowed with science, strength and bull dog tenacity, pummel each other for eighteen minutes , with the honors finally going to the colored man. For several years various clubs throughout the country have tried to match these champions, but it remained for Philadelphia to land the contest and the diversity of opinion as to the result will furnish food for thought for many moons. It was a daring risk for the club to take since it had been freely reported that the two men had agreed to box an "intelligent" bout with the view of holding a longer fight in California, but those at ringside last night were perfectly satisfied that they had seen the most interesting bout of the year. It is a question, however, whether Langford really tried his hardest all the way, or whether he pulled up a bit in the last two rounds when he knew he had taken the sting out of Ketchel's punches. He was too unconcerned to be going at top speed and many good judges are of the opinon that the white man will be his voctim of they ever meet in a long contest. The scene inside the clubhouse was one to be remembered. The high admission fee, ranging from two to ten dollars, kept out the noisy element, and there were many wll known faces to be seen there. Lawyers, doctors, professional and society men of all grades, working men and "sports" mingled freely and there was the best of feeling existing. All were there to see the contest and it was a good-natured crowd. Everything was taken in good spirit and the slightest incident was sufficient to raise a laugh. This was demonstrated when one daring individual wearing a silk hat and white spats-climbed on the edge of the ring to make it to the opposite side of the house. He was marked in a second and a heary laugh went around the club. With the utmost nonchanlance the wearer of the "plug hat" continued his walk and finally the crowd gave him a rousing cheer for his nerve. That was the way it went all hands were in good humor and waiting for the big noise. LANGFORD APPEARED FIRST: After three preliminaries had been waded through, the crowd settled down to the main event and a tense feeling spread over the multiitude. A wait of fifteen minutes and then the stockh figure of Sam Langford was seen making his way down the aisle. He climbed into the ring and took his seat amongst the storm of cheers. The colored man was not any too comfortable , and he bit his lips nervously while waiting the arrival of his opponent. When Ketchel came into the ring he shook hands smilingly with Langford and each examined the others gloves. The test was satisfactory, and Ketchel went to his corner while the crowd yelled its sympathy and support. It did not take long to adjust the gloves, and yet it was apparent that the "Michigan Assasin" was just as nervous as Langford. He sat with a serious look in his face and it was a positive relief for both men when Jack McGuigan, the referee called them to the center for final instructions. They shook hands again while listening to the referee and went back to their corners to await the sound of the gong. All the time the crowd was holding its breath and critically looking over the two men. There did not seem to be anything in their condition which could be taken exception to although Langford appeared to have an advantage in weight. Then the bell rang. It sounded louder than a bugle call and the two men sprang to the center of the ring with guards up and watching for an opening. Their faces denoted the the physical strain under which they were laboring, but with the first lead they seemed to come to themselves and were like seasoned warriors. They warily moved around a few seconds and then Kethcel opened the proceedings with a light left to the chest. From this stage their minds concentrated on their task and most moves were carefully figured out. Indeed so careful were they that the crowd was dissatisfied and some thought it was to be a fake. Jeers and hisses were (unreadable word), but the men paid no attention that and went about their business in (unreadable word) fashion. They were quick on their feet, and took no chances in getting a punch to the jaw. (unreadable word) at the same time they tried all their wiles to make each other open up. Most of Kethcels leads were swings for the head and he failed to do any execution with them. Langford would step just out of reach or jab with a left to the face and thus prevent Ketchel from landing. When the bell rang no damage was done., although Langford had deonstrated that he was the cleverer and had the better left jab. The milling warmed up in the second round and Ketchel managed to get home with some body punches which caused Langford to be more careful. The latter also did some telling work with his left and honors were about even. KETCHEL SHAKEN UP: In the third round Langford took a decided lead and gave the spectators a taste of his real quality. He shook Ketchel badly with swings to the head and the Michigan man was forced to clinch frequently to escape punishment. Langford was cool as a piece of ice and his seconds did not bother him with advice during the round. They realized that he was adopting the best tactics and were satisfied to depend on his judgment. the bell found Ketchel rather weary and the crowd better pleased. The fourth round was really the turning point in the contest. Langford saw that Ketchel was losing his steam and he mercilessly followed him up, landing telling left jabs and right body swings . Twice he shook Ketchel with jaw punches and brought blood from the mouth and nose with well-timed jabs. Ketchel tried to bore in, but his efforts seemed half-hearted and some of his punches were a yard wide of their mark. Notwithstanding his advantage Langford did not try to take any liberties and was content to make every blow tell. Ketchel looked very tired, and when he missed his swings, it needed an effort to get back into position. Ketchel mad ehis best showing in the fifth round, but it looked as though Langford was letting up his work. Ketchel played both hands to the body and although they did not have much steam, they landed. Langford mad elittle attempt to block the body blows when at close quarters and smiled to his seconds while Ketchel was sending his punches to the body. The colored man kept cool and was comparitively fresh when he went back to his corner, but Ketchel on the other hand appaeared to be tired out, and it was harder for him to get set for his blows. Encouraged by his success in the preceding round, Ketchel tried to cut out the pace iin the last session and he bored in all the time , but the sting had gone from his blows and they didn not bother Langford in the slightest. In fact, Langford's easy work mad eit appear as though he was not trying to do any more damage and he contended himself with jabbing, while Ketchel was wildly swinging both hands in a frantic endeavor to connect with a vital spot. When Ketchel was trying to land his punches to the body, he would jump in the air, and it looked to the casual observer as though the punches were landing with great force, but there was little steam to them and Langford was holding safe. To sum it up Langford was much the stronger and cleverer and his jabs had a disconcerting effect on Ketchel. The latter took all kinds of chances and landed some good body blows but he was also swinging wildly and at times Langford was many feet away when the punches were started. The colored man looked to be in pretty good shape at the close, but was tired and wild and the sound of the bell was a welcome interruption." Ketchel received $9375; Langford $5625. Philadelphia Evening Bulletin (Report typed out by Monte Cox)

Nov 10 vs. Jeff Clark: The bout took place in Joplin, Missouri. Sam Langford won over Jeff Clark of Joplin in the second round of what was to have been a ten-round bout here tonight. The fight was stopped when Clark was all but out. Before he would fight Langford insisted that the ring be reduced to sixteen feet square. From the tap of the gong Langford rushed, showering short jabs to the body. The force of his onslaught rendered Clark powerless and he was knocked to the floor for the count of eight three times in the first round. He came back gamely, but after two minutes of the second round, after he had gone down twice, the referee stopped the fight, giving Langford the decision. According to Boxrec, for the “Colored” Heavyweight Title. Indianapolis Star

1911

Jan 10 vs. Joe Jeannette: The bout took place in Boston, MA at the Armory AA. The crowd that packed into the club house was the largest ever up to that point. Jeannette took some heavy punishment, but spectators left feeling that the bout had not entirely been on the level and felt that Langford could have put Jeannette away had he wanted to. A right and left to the jaw dropped Jeannette in the first round. From then on, Langford was the aggressor, banging lefts and rights off of his opponent while Jeannette did the best that he could just to cover up. It was evident that Sam pulled a lot of his punches, but he never let up on the amount that he threw. According to Boxrec, for the “Colored Heavyweight Title.” (Police Gazette)

Jan 16 vs. Fred Atwater: The bout took place in Utica, NY at the State Armory. Atwater was the bigger man, but had no chance against Sam. Langford played with his opponent for the first two rounds. In the third round a heavy right dropped Atwater. The bout was so one-sided that it was stopped in the third to save Atwater from being knocked out. Washington Post

Feb 21 vs. Bill Lang: The bout took place in London, England at Olympia. Langford was a 3to2, and 3-to-1 favorite at ringside in the betting, but that did not discourage and Aussie admirer of Lang to drop $5,000 on the man that papers had termed “The hope of the white race.” Every seat in Olympia was full, from the $3.00 seats to the $50.00 box seats. Lang was floored four times throughout the bout. In the second round, Langford really turned up the heat and pressured Lang, slugging him repeatedly. A viscous right dropped the Australian for a nine count, but it was the end of the round and Langford was not able to capitalize. Langford picked back up right where he left off in the next round. He showed no mercy for his outclassed foe. A sharp left, followed by a hard right sent Lang sprawling to the canvas again. He made it up as the count reached eight, and again, the bell saved him. With his face swelling and covered in blood, Lang made a stand in the fourth round swapping Langford punch for punch, but it was a short-lived stand as Langford quickly asserted his dominance. Sam came out for the fifth round with bad intentions in mind. A crushing right to the body put Lang down for the third time, but again the stubborn Aussie was up when the count reached nine, but was almost instantly dropped again…the gong again saving him from being counted out. In the sixth and last round, Langford missed a hard right and slipped to the floor. While Sam was on his knees, Lang punched him with a hard left in the back of the head and the referee immediately stepped in and awarded the fight to Langford. Attendance was estimated at 8,000 that came out to witness the bout that was scheduled for twenty-five rounds. The purse was $15,000. Police Gazette

Apr 1 vs. Sam McVey: The bout took place in Paris, France at the Cirque de Paris. It appeared that Langford had the better of the fight, but the decision was a well received “Draw.” Langford was outweighed by at least twenty pounds, and was also the shorter of the two by around four, or five inches. According to Boxrec, for the “Colored Heavyweight Title.” Atlanta Constitution

Jun 16 vs. Tony Caponi: The bout took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Langford had a little the better of the milling. Langford was an aspirant for the “Heavyweight Title,” Caponi was an aspirant for the “Middleweight Title,” and it was clearly visible that Langford was much the heavier of the two. Both fighters landed some hard blows throughout the ten rounds. In the middle of the bout, Langford pushed Caponi through the ropes and at that time the police captain told the two fighters that he did not want to see a knockout, and it was evident that Sam took heed to the captain’s statement and most agreed that Langford did not give his all. Around 3,000 fans were estimated. Milwaukee Evening

Jun 29 vs. Jack Fitzgerald: The bout took place in New York, NY at the National Sporting Club. Fitzgerald, a Philadelphia “White Hope” went out in the fifth of a scheduled ten round bout. After the first round it was just a question of how long Fitzgerald would last. Langford merely toyed with his opponent until the fifth round. A hard shot put Fitzgerald down for a nine-count and on rising a left hook to the jaw knocked him out. The Atlanta Constitution

Aug 9 vs. “Farmer” Jim Smith: The bout took place in New York, NY at the Atlantic Gardens Athletic Club. Every time that Langford landed and punch, Smith was lifted clean off the floor and deposited to another part of the ring. Nothing that the larger Smith landed did any damage whatsoever and only once, or twice did the shots even make Sam blink. A terrific right uppercut floored Smith in the fifth round and he barely made it to his feet just as the count reached ten, but he was clearly in no condition to defend himself and referee, Joh wisely stopped it awarding the win to Sam. By the end of the fourth round, Smith was sporting two bad cuts on his face. In the fifth round, Langford came out with intentions of ending the affair and unmercifully pounded Smith to the body, which slowed Smith down and Langford shot a hard right uppercut which dropped the Westchester man flat on his back. Did this bout occur at the Fairmont AC? Police Gazette

Aug 15 vs. "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien: The bout took place in New York, NY at the 20th Century Athletic Club. Sam had at least a ten pound advantage in weight. A hard left hook had O’Brien practically out on his feet and referee, Charley White prevented O’Brien from being knocked out clean when he halted the fight in the middle of the fifth round. None of O’Brien’s punches had enough steam to bother Sam the least bit, while Langford’s punches were of the “sledgehammer” order. O’Brien’s career record going into the bout was 98-5-16 (54 KO) in 183 total bouts. Milwaukee Evening

Aug 24 vs. Tony Ross: The bout took place in New York, NY at the National SC. Ross was clever, which made it difficult for Sam to land anything solid until the sixth round. In the sixth, Langford let fly a devastating left hook that landed flush on the jaw and Ross dropped to the floor as if he had been shot. Casually, Langford turned and walked back to his corner without looking back as he knew that Ross would not be getting up. Milwaukee Evening

Sep 5 vs. Joe Jeannette: The bout took place in New York, NY at Madison Square Garden. Langford had been expected to knockout Jeannette, but Joe showed no fear of the “Boston Tar Baby,” and fought a fast and clever fight landing sometimes better that Sam, but Langford still had a shade the better over Joe. The Milwaukee Evening article stated that the bout would be for the “Light Heavyweight Championship.” According to Boxrec, for the “Colored Heavyweight Title.” Milwaukee Evening

Oct 6 vs. Tony Caponi: The bout took place in New York, NY at the 20th Century Athletic Club. Unlike their previous fight earlier in the year, Sam was at his best this night and Caponi was so outclassed and beaten that referee, Charley White called a halt to the fight in the third round to save Caponi from unnecessary punishment. Tony was floored three times while the contest lasted. In the first round, Sam stuck out his jaw and Caponi landed a hard left, but Sam just laughed it off, which had to be discouraging to Caponi. The first time that Caponi went to the floor, Sam landed a left and right to the jaw, but Caponi made it to his feet before the count of ten. The second knockdown was from a left to the body followed with a right to the jaw, but again Tony was up at the count of nine. In the third and final round a right to the jaw put Caponi to the floor for another nine-count and referee White stopped the one-sided massacre. Police Gazette

Dec 26 vs. Sam McVey: The bout took place in Sydney, NSW, Australia at Rushcutter’s Bay Stadium. Infighting was not allowed, which no doubt played the biggest part in the decision against Langford as Langford was one of the best at infighting as it was his style of fighting. The decision in favor of McVey was not a popular one with those whose witnessed the bout and they expressed it with boo’s and jeers. Newspaper reports were greatly in favor of Langford, as the report from the much respected Sydney Referee attested to. McVey had the advantage in only two, or three rounds. From start to finish, Langford pressured the bigger McVey. McVey apparently injured his right hand early in the bout and rarely used it throughout the twenty rounds. Referee, Snowy Baker had been a much respected official, but the Referee held nothing back as to what they now thought of the referee that they had once very much admired. At the end both men visibly showed the effects of the fight. Langford’s lips were cut and his right eye was nearly closed. McVey was battered viscously about the body and was bleeding from the mouth and nose. The only knockdown of the fight was the result of a hard left hook that McVey landed flush on Langford’s jaw, but Langford was up in an instant. The contest was regarded as an elimination fight to determine who would next fight Jack Johnson for the “Heavyweight Championship of the world.” Tommy Burns, who was at ringside, stated that the decision was awful and was without a doubt the worst that he had ever seen. A crowd estimated at 28,000 saw the fight and betting was 4-to-5 in favor of Langford. According to Boxrec, for the “Colored Heavyweight Title.” Milwaukee Evening

Heres my list ^_^

1) Muhammad Ali
2) Joe Frazier
3) Mike Tyson
4) George Foreman
5) Chris Byrd
6) Larry Holmes
7) Rocky Marciano
8)Lennox Lewis
9) Jack Johnson
10) Joe Louis

thanx barry except, when he fought Johnson he wewighed 156. he was 23 then and by the time he was 30 his weight was up to 185. so i believe in his prime he was a middleweight or lightheavyweight and is one of the greatest of all time at those weights. I just dont think he physcially could take a guy liek joe louis, whos an ideal strong tough big heavyweight.

Red, i thought ur list was decent until i read u had joe louis all theway down to 10!!! hes # 1 on most lists. and i am hoping chris byrd is a joke cause i wouldnt put him in my top 100 list.

to tell ya the truth i dunno many heavywieghts but my #1 is ali!!!

I'm still not entirely sure on mine, but this is what is looked like last time I updated it:

1 Muhummad Ali
2 Joe Louis
3 Larry Holmes
4 George Foreman
5 Rocky Marciano
6 Gene Tunney
7 Joe Frazier
8 Lennox Lewis
9 Jack Dempsey
10 Mike Tyson

Funny, I thought I had Louis at No1, I'm still not really sure.

Heres my list....

1. Muhammad Ali
2. Jack Johnson
3. Larry Holmes
4. Joe Louis
5. Sonny Liston
6. George Foreman
7. Joe Frazier
8. Jim Jeffries
9. Gene Tunney
10. Rocky Marciano

Here my revised list, I decided to add Jack Dempsey on after watching some
fights and reading more on him. Though He did not fight harry wills, I have no doubt in my mind he would beat Harry. I ALSO want to keep this thread moving and want to here more lists especiialy from GRIMM.

MY LIST:
HM : Lennox Lewis- dangerous when he shows up to fight
Jersey Joe Walcott- smartest champ with great shuffle @ power left hook

10. Sonny Liston - Incredible power, scared everyone, great jab, strong
9. Larry Holmes- one of the best jabs, a lot of heart, good boxer
8. Jack Dempsey- nasty left hook, lots of power, heart, and hes fearless
7. Jack Johnson- defensive mastermind, also a powerful right uppercut
6. Joe Frazier- what a left hook, incredible stamina and body punching
5. George Foreman- amazing brute power,verystrong, dangerous early on
4. Prime Mike Tyson- amaing quick hands, one punch power, great peek a boo style. fights like a warrior in his prime. Intimidates everyone
3. Rocky Marciano- Suzie Q, amazing stamina and heart, never gives u room. Tough to hit cleanly in his crouch. Great Chin. Never lost.
2. Muhammad ali- greatest boxer and showmen, great chin. azaming foot and hand speed. great jab. master at physcology
1. JOe Louis- Grimm i know hes ur favorited fighter, u agree hes the best?? - Can Knock u out with both hands. one of the best left hooks and right hand. powerful jab. true champion. excellent boxer. most title defenses ever. avenged only (prime) loss with brutal KO 1.


Power's list top 5 best :
1. Cooney- So big and strong and flabby, amazing power to KO joe louism jack dempsey and rocky marciano those small heavyweeights.
2. Larry Holmes- beat increible men like aldrefo evaneglist, and tough tough leroy jones, not to mention his war with lorenzo zanon and renaldo snipes. 6'4 would tower over a small weak heavyweeight like marciano and dempsey.
3. Ken NOrton- jacked, most powerful heavyweight of all time. More power than dempsey marciano and frazier. he had alie knocked out in all their 3 fights and beat a peak ali nearly three times!!!! lost to a super larry holmes whos so big and strong
4. alfredo evangeslita- took a prime ali 15 rounds and fought him tough, this guy beat some good guys like lucie rodriguez and jean pierre coopman.
5. Lucie Rodriguez- hey this guy managed to get a title shot againt GIANT larry holmes in the toughest era of heavyweeights ever. he fought huge powerful strong men that would have topped walcotts, louis, dempsey, ezzard. he nearly won the fight vs holmes, he landed a good punch in the 2nd round to win a round on one judges scorecard.

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:My top ten greatest heavyweights of all time :
argue all u want but if ur arguement is completely stupid, than dont post here at all. i want some intelligent responses.

1. Joe Louis- the man had it all. powerful left hook, powerful right hand, and a stinging jab thats really underated. The night he beat schmelling, he broke schmellings BACK by using his fists!!! he was amazing in his peak and knocked out everyone and had the most title defenses. Even when he was aging, he beat a tough walcott twice (though walcott deserved the first) and he could slug it out with nayone and box with anyone. he was a little off balance and it showed cause he was knocked down by some bums. But all and all, this was the king of the heavyweight division.
2. Muhumad Ali- first of all, I think the only man that would have beat him would have been marciano and possiby louis though ali might have outpoitned louis. Ali would woop everyone else and whats all this talk about being suscetible to a right?? everyone knows ali was a sucker to a left hook. all his knockdowns were left hooks. Ali is the fastest of them all and a master boxer and incredible nature tools and talent and a great chin and heart of a warrior
3. Rocky Marciano- I said enough about this ferocious fearless and indestrutable italian machine.
4. Prime Tyson- when mike tyson hit u in his prime, peopel did funny things. look at berbick and tubbs. That shows power. when rooney had him he moved his head alot which prevented taking blows. and he had one of the quickest pair of hands ever with brute power and one punch KO power. he was the baddest man on the planet and i think he would have taken out both hoylfeild and lennox. the only reason he became beatable was his life fell apart and everyone around him died., king brainwashed him.
5. Foreman- that night he annilaited frasier, everyone thought we were seeigng the birth of a new long reigning king. Well foreman was one of the strongest and hardest punchers, and more than that intimidating. u have to be a tough guy to last more than two rounds with this guy. Foreman;s problem was stamina, mental problems, and he had rpoblem with boxers but anyone who came in on him even moorer lol was KOed.
6. Frazier - Perhaps the most dramtic left hook ever. His problem was he was a one handed fighter. but he proved himself when he beat Ali that night. Ali though not at his peak was still in his prime and frasier showed he was a legend that night. after alie win, he was never the same again he left everythingo n that night. and he grazed a left hook at foreman in their first fight and if that was the the peak joe he might have landed and taken foreman out. Frazier had amazing stamina and condition. what a warrior.
7. johnson - the best defensive heavyweight ever. He was a big strong guy who really toyedwith most of his oponents. I wish h could have been more agressive and foguht better class oponents but he showed when he tried he was unbeatabl e of that era and i would have loved to see him fight today. I still beleive he took a dive against willard. and he showed when he wantded to he could put kecthell out jsut like that. He would hav e beaten a prime jeffries also.
8- Holmes_ one of the best jabs ever. he really one most his fights by heart. he had a lot of heart rising from brutal knockdowns or close fights to win them. He is a master boxer who could never be counted out until the final bell. I believe he beats a guy like foreman.
9. Lennox- have to include this guy. a big strong guy who unlike most big guys is coordinated and shows great boxing skills when he trains. problem is WE NEVER KNOW WHICH LEWIS WILL SHOW UP? if the one that fought oliver mcall shows up, hes screwed. if the one who fought ruddock shows up hes dangerous with good power and boxing skills though a bad jaw. when he comes prepared, hes tough to beat.
10. Liston- The scariest of them all, oponents were beaten before the ygot into the ring. his jab was eqaul to most guys power punches. his jab knocked guys teeth out and he had amazing power. his problem was he was slow and didnt have a lot of heart. Listons best night was when he left cleveland williams yellingi n pain holding on to the rope because liston hit him so hard. He was a torubled man and not that smart and ali beat him mentally more than physically.
HM : walcott- this man was the cutest and smartest fighter ever. He had that weird shuffle and he made an experience joe louis look silly in the first fight and scored 2 KD on louis but came on the wrong end up a bad desicion. he was on his way to beating louis the 2nd time when he made the mistake of trading punches with louis and was KOed. He kocked out charles with one of the most devasting left hooks ever. Walcott fought better when he was older and his peak fight was when he gave maricano the tought fight of his career. Walcott had 20 year old legs that day. Walcott was musclar, a visiou left hook, incredible smart defensive fighter whos is incredibly underated.

That's one dammin' hellin' list right there.

1.Joe Louis
2.Mike Tyson
3.Muhammad Ali
4.Larry Holmes
5.George Foreman
6.Evander Holyfield
7.Rocky Marciano
8.Jack Johnson
9.Jack Dempsey
10.Joe Frazier

Our lists are similar, we have all the same guys except holyfield. I have liston instead. and we have a little different order. I like how u realize how good a prime mike tyson is, and how joe louis is the greatest heavyweight of all time. I think holmes and holyfield are to high but overall u have nearly all my fighters on there and u dont neglect the smaller deadlier heavyweights. So overall, i think its a good list and i give u props.

I'm tired of people constantly bringing up the size issue, fighters have their advantages and they use them. If you are short you fight low or use good head movement or footwork, if you are a tall fighter stay on the outside and fight.

You can benefit from being short just as easy as you can benefit from being tall. Boxing is not basketball.

1. Joe Louis
2. Ali
3. Tyson
4. Marciano
5. Sonny Liston
6. Larry Holmes
7. Evander Holyfield
8. George Foreman
9. Riddick Bowe
10. Lennox Lewis

1. Ali
2. Johnson
3. Louis
4. Holmes
5. Tunney
6. Dempsey
7. Foreman
8. Marciano
9. Frazier
10. Liston

Off the top of my head, with two "twikings":

1. Jack Johnson
2. Joe Louis
3. Muhammed Ali
4. Larry Holmes
5. Jack Dempsey
6. Sonny Liston
7. George Foreman
8. Joe Frazier
9. Mike Tyson
10. Rocky Marciano
(Next 5, in no particular order- Max Schmeling, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Gene Tunney, and Harry Wills).

good list zslayton. wow sherlock. i cant believe u have holmes that high especially AHEAD OF ALI?? and u have johnson at # 10???? and langford in ur top 10 but no marciano?????? u also dont have tyson high enough.

I know its ur opiniion and NOT MINE but go do some revising.

1-Joe Louis
2-Muhammad Ali
3-Jack Johnson
4-Larry Holmes
5-Rocky Marciano
6-Sonny Liston
7-George Foreman
8-Joe Frazier
9-Lennox Lewis
10-Evander Holyfield

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:good list zslayton. wow sherlock. i cant believe u have holmes that high especially AHEAD OF ALI?? and u have johnson at # 10???? and langford in ur top 10 but no marciano?????? u also dont have tyson high enough.

I know its ur opiniion and NOT MINE but go do some revising.

Ali and Holmes should be flipped, my mistake. I always feel Johnson was the greatest and will always be my #1. Tyson will always be my favorite fighter, but his accomplishments are not up their with the rest of my top ten. I have always loved Tyson, but what could have been is not enough for a higher rating.

And sorry for your namesake and no harm intended, but I have always thought Marciano overrated. Yes, he did retire undefeated, but life and death struggles against a 39 year old Walcott(still good at 39 though) and Ezzard Chrales (a natural middleweight) and an old Archie Moore are not enough for me to rate him in my top ten. Just not enough fights against younger (mid 20's, early 30's aged) contenders, like Hurricane Jackson, Nino Valdes, or retiring before facing an up and coming Floyd Patterson.

But those are my opinions, and may be wrong, but I stick by them.

sherlock. you have the knowledge, but how can you say wins over Louis, Walcott, Charles, and Moore are not enough to rate the Rock high. I am not big on Marciano either, but those wins alone put him in the top 10 all time and pretty high on the list.

zslayton wrote:sherlock. you have the knowledge, but how can you say wins over Louis, Walcott, Charles, and Moore are not enough to rate the Rock high. I am not big on Marciano either, but those wins alone put him in the top 10 all time and pretty high on the list.

Yeah, I probably am showing a little bias, I've never been a big fan of Marciano. I'll do a little twiking.

no SHERLOCK. i UNDERSTAND YOUR REASONS and some people just dont like certain fighters.

NOw, hurricane jackson was way to inexperienced and would have been knocked out. so was floyd. BUt NINO VALDEZ WASNT. Valdez was a top contender and almost faced marciano, BUT nino fought archie moore in a 15 eliminator and archie easilyoutboxed him for 15 rounds. now just because VALDEZ IS A BIG 6'3 MAN, MARCIANO WOULD GET MORE RESPECT FOR BEATING A PRIME BIG FIGHTER OVER A 42 YEAR OLD CHAMPION WHO IS THE BETTER FIGHTER THAN NINO??
ARHCIE MOORE WAS THE BETTER OF THE TWO AND RIGHTFULLY DESERVED THE CHANCE. HAD MARCIANO FOUGHT NINO, MARCIANO PROBABLY EVEN AT 32 WOULD HAVE HAD A MUCH EASIER TIME WITH NINO THAN WITH MOORE. MARCIANO FOUGHT THE BEST TRHEY HAD TO OFFER.

the only opponent i didnt agree with is don cockell. people disagree with me but I FEEL COCKELL WAS A BUM simpl due to the fact he got KOed by middlewight Randy Turpin. I WISH MARCIANO FACED VALDEZ OR SATTERFIELD INSTEAD.

Here is my list...

1. Ali
2. Foreman
3. Louis
4. Marciano
5. Frazier
6. Liston

I'm not going to pretend I know every heavyweight ever and I only feel comfortable placing those listed.

I'm currently watching my way through 20 'Boxing Classics' DVDs so hopefully I'll find a place for some of the other legends i.e. Dempsey .etc.

Great question by the way 8)

Just off the top of my head:

1. Muhammed Ali
2. Joe Louis
3. Sonny Liston
4. Jack Johnson
5. George Foreman
6. Joe Frazier
7. Rocky Marciano
8. Ezzard Charles
9. Jersey Joe Walcott
10. Joe Palooka