Best heavyweight Jim Jeffries could beat?

Langford was about 20 and very light. He wasn't an accomplished heavyweight and if you look at his record a year before ( 1905 ) and the next fight after ( Jackson knocks him out ) the best conclusion is he was not only young and very light for a heavyweight, he also wasn't much of a force in the division vs the experienced over 170 pounds.

Langford was a gutsy guy. His manager tried to get a fight with Johnson later, but Johnson never dared to accept terms. His manager famously advertised that Langford would fight any many in the world except for Jeffries. Not sure of the date, but it shows the respect that Langford had for Jeff.

 

Agreed.

Since he was only just testing out the waters at heavyweight, I do not regard this as one of Johnson’s better wins.

I give him a lot of credit for beating Tommy Burns though.

 

How do you think Tommy Burns would fare against Tony Tucker? Trevor Berbick?... Hell, Mitch Blood Green?

 

I concur, Langford was too light to be considered a major factor in the heavy division at that time.:good

 

I would not expect him to beat guys like Tucker or Berbick, but I would be prepared to pick him over Mitch Blood Green.

 

Johnson agreed to fight Langford but Woodman ,Langford's manager could not come up with the binding cash look it up!. The challenge Woodman threw out on Sam's behalf ,which you love to quote, was made in 1904,when Langford could make still make welter weight! Not surprising therefore that he excluded the 218lbs Jeffries! You do talk sh*t!

 

Originally Posted by Mendoza View Post
Langford was about 20 and very light. He wasn't an accomplished heavyweight and if you look at his record a year before ( 1905 ) and the next fight after ( Jackson knocks him out ) the best conclusion is he was not only young and very light for a heavyweight, he also wasn't much of a force in the division vs the experienced over 170 pounds.

Langford was a gutsy guy. His manager tried to get a fight with Johnson later, but Johnson never dared to accept terms. His manager famously advertised that Langford would fight any many in the world except for Jeffries. Not sure of the date, but it shows the respect that Langford had for Jeff.

You make it sound like Johnson tried to fight Langford as champion. You're a fraud. Woodman did his best. Johnson kept moving the goal posts. There are several press clippings of offers between 30-100k for Johnson to fight Langford, Jeannette, and McVey as champion. We've been over this ad nausea. You'll never learn, and this point maybe you shouldn't.

Now let's stick to the thread title if possible.

 

You diverted the thread ,not me.
Johnson's asking price for a championship defence was $30,000 it's very well documented.
Woodman could not come up with the binding cash,which is also well documented.
Johnson signed to fight Jeannette twice,[again well documented],the authorities vetoed both promotions. Johnson was getting $30,000 for defending against the likes of Jim Flynn because white HONKIES like yourself
had no interest in seeing him defend against another black man.

They wanted a WHITE champion.
Tex Rickard,Barney Curley,and Jim Coffroth all said there was no money in pitting a black champion against a black challenger.
Curley said, "they would not draw flies". Take that hood off and "smell the coffee".atsch

 

The problem with this thread title is the word “could”.

It is much easier to argue that somebody is unlikely to beat a given opponent, than that they could not beat a given opponent.

How do you prove that a man like Jeffries could not theoretically beat somebody?

 

If you want to get that literal, Jeffries is dead for starters....

 

Good point, but my point still stands!

 

Muhammad Ali.

 

I think the best fighter he could beat would be either Louis or Langford.

 

Jeffries never faced a precision combination puncher like Louis.I think Louis would chop him to bits before stopping him.Thirty nine years old Fitz two years retired,smashed Jeffries face in ,cutting him above and below both eyes and breaking his nose,before the 12 years age difference and the huge weight disparity became too much for him.
Louis would systematically dissect him.Langford at around 180/185would give Jeffries all he wanted if 185lbs Sharkey could give Jeff life and death.Sam sure could!

 

Beating an older Fitzsimmons is basically his ceiling unless you consider Willard a better heavyweight.