A question to those who say Tyson was the lineal champion going into the Spinks fight

I've long thought that Langford's best claim to a legitimate world champion was in the light heavyweight division myself.

He received support in the press for being so and also had fights advertised in the press as being for the light heavyweight championship. He also had the support of the IBU at the time too, as being the rightful champion in that division.

Couple quick sources for the IBU backing in the late months of 1913;

http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19131107.2.107

and;

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...&dq=international+boxing+union+langford&hl=en

There were reports that the rematch between Langford & Flynn in 1910 was to be for the light heavyweight championship, which Langford ended up winning in the 8th. Here's one that I could find easily enough without spending too much time looking;

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/l...ightly+light+LANGFORD+heavyweight+FLYNN+Flynn

Just a few of the other mentions I wrote down some years ago;

"Joe Jeannette and Sam Langford have been matched for a ten-round bout at Madison Square Garden for the title of Light Heavyweight Champion of the world and a purse of $10,000." - AP Aug 28th, 1911

After the fight some were saying this;

"There was little disagreement today among the experts as to the justification of Sam Langfor's claim to the light heavyweight championship." - Lincoln Evening News, Sept 5th, 1911

"The light heavyweight title rightfully belongs to Langford. Sam has defeated every man of his weight in the world. Jack O' Brien was the last challenger that Sammy sent to slumber." - from a report (whether AP or what have you...I didn't note) found in the Alaskan Citizen, Dec 4th, 1911

"Langford was hailed as the light heavyweight champion." - Colorado Springs Gazette, Jan 15th, 1910 (wrote "Dixie Kid" besides that, so I imagine that was his opponent that time without looking it up)

Quite a few others like that, but there's some examples. I can also clearly remember the canceled fight between Langford and Ketchel from the fall of 1909 being advertised as a light heavyweight championship bout, but, for the life of me, I haven't been able to find the source since the orginal reading. Earliest mention I've found of Langford getting support as light heavyweight champion was in this article from Feb 14th, 1909;

http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/l.../ed-1/seq-6/;words=heavy+Heavy+Light+Langford

 

Cheers, McGrain.