If Sam's in shape and prime, gotta favor Sam. Sharkey too easy to score on. Will be an exciting fight.
Sharkey will push the issue and do his share of damage but will ultimately relent to Langford's mule-kick punches.
Sharkey was considered to be a physical marvel back then, a beast. And despite the popular (mis)conception, he did develop some semblance of a defense as his career progressed, learning how to duck and slip a bit. The newspapers are clear that this was the case and lauded him for it. These were the same newspapermen that hated him and shredded him and his rough ways regularly in print. So I'll trust any compliment they give him, no matter how begrudgingly. In other words, Tom Sharkey was no Willie Pep, but make no mistake about it, he wasn't Joe Grim either. He learned a bit of defense. Langford was not as tricky as Fitz and would be forced to take a lot more punishment. Tom overpowers Langford in the early rounds, flooring him and bulling Sam around in what the newspapers used to describe as his "terrible rushes". But Sam would eventually time those rushes and ding Sharkey with perfect counters. The rushes would come at a less-cyclonic rate as the rounds mounted and the cumulative effect of Langford's shots took their toll. Sharkey had a deadly sock and his jaw was made out of concrete, but I can't see him charging a precise and powerful puncher like Langford for 15 rounds and surviving. My guess is that Langford would stop him somewhere in the mid to late rounds.
