A breakdown of all Langford world title claims at all weight classes

A thorough review of Langfords World title claims. This is motivated by the chorus of people saying Langford in "best fighter to not win a world title threads".

1)MW 011907-021908/061908 NSC/Commonwealth. Langford beat Tiger Smith in April but boxerlist says Langford won both titles in a MW title in a fight boxrec doesn't list. Whether that fight happened or not that will be listed as Langfords earliest claim. The 111906 fight between Langford and Young Peter Jackson would have been the win that would have preempted recognition at that time. And Langford and Jacksons fight the following year would have been Langfords only would be title defense(fight scheduled for over 10 rounds).

2)HW 051909-041911 NSC. Langford is stripped in April 1911. In his time holding this title Langford won 9 fights scheduled for over 10 rounds. 6 "colored" title defenses and 3 against white opponents. 7 of his 9 wins were stoppages. With a 20 round draw against McVea at the end. This totals 10 title defenses.

The Schreck, Ketchel fights despite being scheduled for 6 rounds were very high quality wins that you could argue should count as defenses if Johnsons O Brien and Ross fights are. Same for the Jeff Smith KO in a 10 rounder. Titles didn't change hands in shorter decisions but at the same time a dominant KO or win over a P4P great like Ketchel are duly noted.

3)LHW 081911-021913 Lineal title. Beats O Brien never fights at the weight class again. Langford is the 4th straight LHW title claimant to bolt the weight class after winning a title joining O Brien, Jack Twin Sullivan and Arthur Cripps. A situation not unlike Bridgerweights predicament today.

Before winning the title Langford had 2 likely LHW wins against Jack Fitzgerald and Tony Caponi. Boxrec doesn't have the weights but adjacent fights support that Langford had a brief LHW campaign in the summer of 1911. Langford weighed 178 and likely missed weight in what was meant to be a 3rd LHW tuneup.

4)LHW 051913-121919 IBU Did not fight at LHW during his reign. This title is either A)recognition of Langfords prior lineal status in opposition to NYSAC and ABA who debuted LHW titles around this time. And/or B)some sort of clerical error confusing his status at LHW and HW.

5)HW 121913-021920 IBU. This claim pretty much ended in 061917 the latest when he lost to Fulton which was Langfords first stoppage loss since 1906. Langford went 12-4-4 in fights scheduled for over 10 rounds in this reign(121913-061917). 10 KO wins out of 12. 4-0 against white opponents. 6-0-1 before his first loss to Jeanette in 041915. Then knocked out Wills in 0216 and went 2-0-2 before losing to Tate 011917 who he'd knockout before the Fulton loss. So either 7,11 or 20 title defenses.

Europe was a little distracted and couldn't react to any of Langfords losses or much of anything for that matter. Sources below show the IBU HW question wasn't settled until 1920 including ex post facto recognition of prior champions.


Supporting sources
https://titlehistories.com/boxing/world/unlineal/unlineal-world-h.html
https://titlehistories.com/boxing/eu/ebu/ibu-lh.html
https://titlehistories.com/boxing/eu/ebu/ibu-h.html
https://openboxing.org/light-heavyweight/
https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn9106...1-6rrPYHtcJzPJVyv11sz35h0lN5DnAc87Hq80KgzfkRw
https://boxerlist.com/boxer/sam-langford/9300

Boxrec isn't listed because I can assume you can use that one yourself.

Langford also might have a claim at WW but that's based on a fight he didn't win against a guy 6 inches shorter than him so I don't list it. People didn't believe in titles switching hands by decision back then.

Langfords "colored", Australian and Mexican titles aren't listed here because they weren't world titles though all but the Mexican one was worthy of that. There's also overlap with his "colored" world title claims except the early MW one. The Australian title was in the gap between title claims but 9 of Langfords 12 fights down under were rematches with McVea and Jim Barry and 2 of the other 3 were rematches with Porky Dan Flynn.

 

Here's a corresponding map of Langfords title fights

0904(WW) Barbados Joe Walcott D Langford
1106 Langford v Young Peter Jackson
0407 Langford KO Tiger Smith
1107 Langford v Young Peter Jackson
0509 Langford KO Iron Hague
0909 Langford KO Dixie Kid
1109 Langford KO Klondyke Haynes
1109(6R)Langford KO Schreck
0210(10R)Jim Flynn v Langford
0210 Langford KO Nat Dewey
0310 Langford KO Jim Flynn
0410 Langford KO Jim Barry
0410(6R)Langford v Ketchel
0910 Langford v Jeanette
1110(10R) Langford KO Jeff Smith
0111 Langford v Jeanette
0211 Langford KO/DQ Lang
0411 Langford D McVea
0811 Langford KO Jim Barry
1113 Gunboat v Langford(Gunboat Smith was the consensus top white HW at this time regardless of the clown belt that some promoters created)
1213 Langford v Jeanette
0114 Langford KO Curran
0614 Langford D Jim Johnson
0814 Langford KO Cotton
1014 Langford KO Colin Bell
1014 Langford KO Gunboat
1114 Langford KO Tom McMahon
1114 Langford KO Wills
0415 Jeanette v Langford
0615 McVea v Langford
0715 Langford KO Jack Thompson
0915 Langford D McVea
1015 Langford v Jim Johnson
0116 Wills v Langford
0216 Langford KO Wills
0516 Langford D McVea
0816 Langford D McVea
1216 Langford KO Jim Johnson
0117 Langford v Jim Johnson
0117 Tate v Langford
0517 Langford KO Tate
0617 Fulton KO Langford