Did Langford beat Ketchel in spite of his wearing the cuffs?

Although I love the old time fighters I'm not really that knowledgeable about them, so just been reading up on this & there's an article on this site that says Damon Runyon was convinced it was a taster for a later fight for big money so it was in essence a glorified exhibition. So you could say Ketchel may have been unmotivated & disinterested, but on the other hand it suggests that Ketchel wasn't actually aware of the arrangement, in which case sounds like Langford did indeed beat Ketchell.

 

Put it this way, I think Langford could've sparked Ketchel fairly easily. When you consider when Johnson 'willed' himself to drop Ketchel he did. And I believe Langford to be a bigger puncher than Johnson, easily.

I don't know enough about the circumstances. Regardless of the very informative quotes McGrain, I don't want to comment further on the 'Boxing Politics' of that time :good

Good read though mate.

 

I would be cautious about drawing an interpretation that Langford wore the cuffs.

Perhaps he did but some acounts also suggest that Ketchel got his respect with a few shots.

I do know that I would not care to be in Ketchels shoes if the San Francisco fight had emerged.

 

I once read a lot on this fight and surmised the following;
1) It was a exhibition with a bigger fight in mind
2) A draw was a reasonable decision, with the edge to Sam
3) Langford would win a "real" fight
Just IMO

 

I'd like to see a breakdown of this fight featuring only the elite boxing writers of this era and get rid of all the wire service accounts, A.P.-U.P.-I.N.S.

 

Apr 27, 1910 – Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Langford 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 Ketchels 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 made little 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 made it 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)

 

Sam Langford: (1st Part)
“Remember the time I fought Stanley Ketchel over in Philadelphia? That’s a long, long time ago. Ever since everybody has been wondering was I trying, wasn’t I trying, or what was I doing with that boy anyway? I guess some folks was so curious they went to fortune tellers to find out. They went to the wrong place. They should have consulted little Thammy. He’s the only one that knows.”

“I never did tell the real story of that fight. But now that I’m an author, and cause authors simply got to tell the truth, I’m going to be a little George Washington, yes indeed. I’ll tell you about it. Here are the inside facts about that Kethel fight:”

The bout drew $18,750 and set a record for the city of Philadelphia up until that time. Since Ketchel had been guaranteed 50% of the gross, he received $9,375 for his end, while Sam of course took a lot less as was often the case in this era when black figthters had to make tremendous financial concessions. Sam however, did collect $5,000 for his end which was big money for him, and most any other fighter in those days. Ketchel proved himself a wise business man gambling on 50% of the gross for his take instead of agreeing to a guaranteed flat fee of $7,500 by the promoters before hand. He correctly forecasted that the contest between the two would draw more than any previous bout held in the city.

“It went 6 rounds, no decision, remember that? Was I trying to put that boy to sleep? No, I wasn’t, not for the first four rounds. After that, well, I’ll tell you about it. That Stanley boy had been cutting up a lot of duds along in 1909, and 1910 and pretty soon folks began to say they guessed he could lick me. I guessed the other way and then some promoter in Philadelphia matched us for April 17, 1910.”

“I said to myself: “Little Thammy, my boy, this child may be downright tough, so don’t you go frisking around with him, you just go right out and lump him, what’s what you do.” A couple of day’s before our fight a telegram came asking would I meet Ketchel out in the Pacific Cost in May or June, providing no one was knocked sort of dead in Philadelphia. Right then and there I did a little agreeing WITH MYSELF, and nobody else. Stan was a great card on the Coast and they liked me at least a little bit out there and I knew an open air fight would draw $50,000 anyway. And that meant money for Little Thammy if nobody got knocked dizzy in Philadelphia.”

“I agreed with myself like this: “Tammy, he’s tough, and so are you. He can’t hurt you and you might hurt him to sleep if you ain’t careful. So you make it a good fast fight and draw it fine and then everybody out on the Coast will want to see the return match. When you fight him there you can step right in and knock that boy loose from his intelligence and get yourself a lot of money and the title.”

(( This agrees with Nat Fleischer’s version, who said that in all, it was a very tame affair, and extremely disappointing to those who were lured to the ringside in the hope of seeing fistic fireworks blazing, as would surely have been the case had those two celebrated sluggers have been out for blood. He believes Ketchel may not have gone all out either.

Nat Fleischer: “When Sam fought Stanley Ketchel in Philadelphia, a bout I covered, he faced one of the hardest hitters in captivity. Ketchel at the time was world middleweight champion and for many months, Sam and his manager Joe Woodman pleaded with Willus Britt, manager of the champ, to give Sam a shot at the crown. But Britt thought too much of Langford’s ability and settled for a six rounder, no decision affair in the Quaker City.

It was a humdinger, with action aplenty in which Sam handed Stanley a licking in the early rounds but found himself facing a terror in the final two sessions. Some said that Langford let up in his attack in an effort to induce Britt to give him a chance to fight for the title, but it was not so. Langford had spent his energy in the early sessions and as in many of his other bouts, he had to ease up the attack. Though the bout whent the limit, my report gave Sam the advantage by a small margin. Had Sam gone after Ketchel as I saw him fight Philadelphia Jack O’Brien in New York City the following year, he might have knocked him out.” ))

“Well in the first round I went sailing along under wraps. (The first round was reported as being relatively uneventful). I did it, too, in the second. But by that time I found out this Ketchel was a wonder. He was hitting like mules kick and running all over me and I found out before the second round was over that I’d better begin to let loose a little bit.

 

(2nd part)
Ring magazine 1945 published recap of the 1st round: Ketchel sent left to chin. Langford stabbed two jolts to face and left to neck. Ketchel swung right to cheek, but Langford jabbed three lefts to face. Langford jabbed left to nose, left around neck and to wind. Ketchel swung right to heart and left to ear. Ketchel swung left to wind and Sam swung left to ear. Ketchel swung right to ribs and chest at bell.

(In the 2nd Sam received a warning for butting)

Ring magazine 1945 published recap of the 2nd round: Langford swung two lefts and rights. Langford sent both hands to head and made Ketchel clinch. Langford just missed right swing for head. Ketchel swung right to wind, but Langford jabbed two lefts to face. Langford was warned for butting. Langford sent left to nose and jaw. Ketchel swung left to chin, but Sam jabbed left to face. Ketchel drove left to ribs and both hands to head and Langford left to jaw. Langford swung right to body and left to eye at the bell.

So in the third I stepped right into Stanley and that boy stepped into me and we slugged and slammed and punched and did about everything but throw buckets at each other. I won that round and when it was over I figured Stanley wasn’t as happy as he used to be. I had smacked him a few that shook him up. So I said to myself as I sat in the corner after the third: “Don’t be so rough Thammy, or you’re liable to knock your little self right out of that California fight.” (Note: Sam caught Ketchel flush on the nose near the close of the third round and started the blood flowing in a stream. He focused a lot of attention on that nose during the rest of the fight. This tactic seemed to unerve Ketchel, and he swung wildy at times, while Langford was always cool.)

Ring magazine 1945 published recap of the 3rd round: Ketchel put light left to face. Langford swung two lefts and rights to Ketchel’s jaw. Ketchel sent left to body. Langford spun Ketchel around with three lefts swings to jaw. Ketchel drove right to heart and Langford left to ribs. Langford hooked left to cheek and right to heart. Ketchel returned blow. Langford jabbed two lefts to face, left to kidneys and left to jaw, while Ketchel swung right to eye. Langford jabbed two lefts to face. Ketchel drove right to heart and Langford swung both hands to jaw.

“The fourth round bell rang. I put myself under wraps again and was just sort of frivoling around when – well it happened. Stan tearing in, worked his famous double shift. A fearful right hander landed under my heart and a tenth of a second later I thought he had ripped my chin loose with a left hook. I was jarred from top to bottom. No man up to that time had ever hit me a double punch like that. My knees began to lose their strength and the whole building began to whirl around.”

“ Ketchel had hurt me, and he knew it. Then he made the only real blunder of the fight. Instead of forcing me to fight long range, which I couldn’t have done because my legs were wobbling, he leaped right into me, hoping to finish me with short head and body punches. As he came in, I grabbed him. And I held, lawdy me, how I did hold! I hugged that boy tighter than I ever hugged any boy before or since. He was like a wild man, trying to tear loose. But little Thammy wouldn’t let go of that boy, not until little Thammy’s legs got stronger and he was sure that his head was still hanging on his neck.” (A newspaper report of the fight said that just as the bell sounded for the close of the fourth round Ketchel drove a viscious left into Langford’s body and Sam eyes closed and his mouth opened. He was plainly hurt, but what might have proved a dangerous situation for him was averted by the bell.)

“When he came out of that clinch, the danger for me was gone. But I just decided to play it safe the rest of the round with that hammering wild cat. I was right again but I reckoned I’d maybe better get myself about one minutes rest before I got frisky with that boy again.”

“In my corner after the fourth, I said to little Thammy: “Little Thammy, this boy is tougher than a hock shop keeper’s heart. It’s bad business to be wearing wraps around here any longer. Here’s where you forget all about that California brawl and you go out and break his neck, or he’ll be breaking yours. Yes sir, Little Thammy, that just what he’ll be doing.”

(The Milwaukee Free Press’s version of the fourth round differed. Sam started the rushing as the bell sounded for the fourth. Back when the assassin to the ropes. Sam kept rushing. They reported that during the round Sam produced a flow of blood from Ketchels nose with a straight left and that Ketchel appeared to tire during the round. Twice Sam threw rights to the heart followed up by left jabs to the face landing the combinations successfully both times and appearing to shake Ketchel. Near the end of the round Ketchel missed three lefts and Sam hooked a left to his jaw. Just before the bell sounded to end the round, Sam drove a terrible right uppercut to Ketchel’s chin. Stanley was bleeding hard the last minute of this session, but he was fighting back. Near the end of the round he caught Sam with a blow behind the ear that cut Sam and he began to bleed as well. Their reporter gave this round to Sam.)

The Ring magazine 1945 recap of the 4th round: Langford jabbed left to face and wind. Ketchel swung right to ribs. Langford sent two straight lefts to face. Ketchel swung two lefts to body. Langford sent two straight lefts to face. Ketchel drove two rights to heart, and Langford right to cheek. Langford brought claret with left jolt to nose. Sam uppercut with right to cheek. Langford hooked left to eye, right to heart and left to mouth, and shook Ketchel with left swing to nose. Ketchel missed three lefts and Langford hooked left to jaw. Langford drop right uppercut to chin at bell.

“The last two rounds, well, lawdy me, those were rounds. Stanley boy had it all figured he was going to busy up my brains in the fifth. He tore right in and he came so fast that a cyclone couldn’t have gotten away from him. There wasn’t anything for me to do but stand and just slug it with him.”

Near the end of the fifth, Sam stopped and swung his right with everything he had. Had it reached target, Ketchel would have been stopped. As it was, the blow barely grazed Ketchel’s chin. Sam had swung so hard that he fell on his knees and elbows, a ludicrous sight. He had to laugh at his own plight, and then the bell rang. (The Milwaukee Free Press reported that round five belonged to Ketchel. Near the end of the round Ketchel drove two hard lefts to Sam’s wind, causing Sam to slip to his knees as the bell rang.) HUH? Which of these two versions is correct?

The Ring magazine 1945 recap of the 5th round: Ketchel swung right to ear and Langford broke ground. Sam jabbed left three times to face and right to chin. Langford swung a left to face. Ketchel shot left to wind and both to body. Sam crossed right to eye. Ketchel swung right to ribs and around Sam’s neck. Sam swung right to neck and Ketchel two hard lefts to wind. Langford slipped to his knees at the bell.

When the came out for the sixth and final round, they shook hands, and then Stanley resumed the attack he had begun in the fifth session. There was a dangerous element to Ketchels tactics at this point. He was wide open and made no pretence of defence whatsover. He had obviously decided the best defense was a good offense.

(Note: Per a newspaper report, in the sixth round Stanley fought like a demon and outside of an uppercut landed by Sam, Stanley had all the better of it. They shook hands as the round open and then Ketchel swung both hands to the body, followed by several missed swings to the body. They exchanged rights to the stomach. Langford uppercut three hard rights to the chin, but Ketchel shot his right to Sam’s heart. Sam jabbed two lefts to the face and Stanley whipped his left to the wind. Sam jabbed his left to the face and they exchanged left jabs to the face. Langford drove a terrible right to the wind and Ketchel clinched. Sam put his left to the wind and face. Ketchel swung his right to the jaw. Ketchel put two lefts to the wind and a hard right to the same place. Langford swung both hands to Ketchel’s jaw. Ketchel sent both hands to Sam’s body. Each swung his left to the neck. They exchanged lefts to the face. Langford swung three lefts to the head. Ketchel swung his left to the wind at the bell.)

“And that’s what we did. Hot dog, what a fight! There was Stan trying to kill me and there was Little Thammy trying to bounce that boy into a nice, plush coffin and the crowd crazier, and the fighters got crazy, and about a million gloves bouncing off our heads and bodies.”

The Ring magazine 1945 recap of the 6th round: They shook hands and Ketchel swung both hands to body. Langford jabbed two lefts to face and Ketchel whipped left to wind. Sam jabbed left to face. Langford drove right and left to wind. Langford swung both hands to jaw, and Ketchel both hands to body. Langford swung three lefts tohead, and Ketchel left to wind at bell.

“The newspaper boys were divided after that fight. Some thought Stan won, others thought I shaded the
Wildcat.”

 

4-28-1910 – Evening World. (N.Y. paper)
Ketchel Beats Sam Langford In Terrific Finish. Middleweight Champion Knocks Negro Aspirant Off His Feet and Drives Him Around Ring Thoroughly Beaten. By Robert Edgren.
Philadelphia, Pa., April 28 – Stanley Ketchel, middleweight champion, whipped Sam Langford decisively last night at the National A.C., in this town. It was in a terrific two-round drive at the finish that he beat the Negro. Nothing could stop or even hinder Ketchel in those last rounds. He was a red-trunked, blood spattered fury gone mad with fighting.

At the end Langford, his confident grin wiped out, blood running over his black shoulders in a shiny stream from a cut behind the ear made by Ketchel’s good right hand, weary, disheartened, was clinching for his life and trying to hold those arms with which the middleweight champion was delivering such crushing, flail-like blows. In the last round the Negro, fought fairly off his feet, ran around and around the ring, and whenever he halted a second to try to stop the slaughter with wild swings and uppercuts Ketchel was on him in a flash, beating him about until he ran again or clinched desparately.

It was a scene for a painter now – not the painter of mild, gentle landscapes and innocuous still life studies, but a Detaille, a Messonier, a painter of war and blood and carnage.

The great crowd that packed the National A.C. from ring to outer doors was on its feet, yelling in mad excitement. Above the ring the shattered smoke ______hung heavily overhead the arc lights glared down upon the battle. In the corners the seconds crouched, stricken into all _____ by the sight of the terrific ______ in front of them. In the ring, Langford, a large squat, muscular Negro was being hurried back bodily before the swift charges of a smaller, lighter man, white as a statue, except when the blood streaks showed bright crimson.

Langford Sullen, Ketchel Smiling.
At times Langford swung his great arms savagely, but so swift was Ketchel’s attack that the blows missed or only grazed the dancing mark, and then before the black Hercules could recover, Ketchel was on him again, driving him back in a helter-skelter retreat, landing smashes on head and body that sounded above the din – blows that were like muffled hammer beats. At the very start the fight did not have the right look to those who had come expecting to see Langford under a pull. When the men entered the ring Langford sat in his corner with a sullen expression on his face. Ketchel, coming in a moment later, clad gaily in a brown automobile rain coat, hopped lightly through the ropes, to his corner, to sit there with a smile on his flushed face. Ketchel was not nervous and Langford was. Jack _______, the referee, entered the ring after the fighters, and called them up for instructions.

Without much daily the fight began. As the two men came together they both seemed nervous and almost too careful. Ketchel clad in his famous red running pants, was two or three inches taller than the Negro. Langford, in green, looked like a squat giant beside him. Langford was so much bigger, so much broader and heavier that he made the middleweight champion look small and slight. Langford’s weight, one of the club officers told me, was 178 pounds; Ketchel 159. Langford looked far more dangerous than the white man. He had a scowl on his face. Ketchel’s smile had gone now, and he looked grim and anxious.

Ketchel Lands Heavier Blows.
During the first round there were many blows struck, but only one heavy enough to do damage. This was a fierce left in the stomach that Ketchel landed near the end of the round. They clinched often, and broke slowly and carefully.

The second round was no better. Both seemed to fear cutting loose. Langford especially held back his punches and jumped away when he missed instead of rushing in his usual bulldog way. At the end of the second round the crowd was hooting derisively. In the third he cut loose a little, both landing heavy blows. Ketchel missed and left openings which Langford did not take advantage of, but when Ketchel missed he was always shifting about swiftly and keeping in position for his deadly drive with the left.

Once Stanley sent his right to Langford’s body with a terrific drive. A moment later Sam caught Ketchel with a right swing on the jaw that staggered him. Back came Ketchel with a right on the chin that sounded like the pop of a pistol. More fighting, and then, just at the end of the round, Langford swung a right to Ketchel’s jaw and staggered him. Ketchel came back mixing, but was a little wobbly when he went to his corner.

Sam Fought Hard in Fourth.
In the beginning of the fourth round Langford rushed fiercely, beating Ketchel back. He began jumping in suddenly with hard lefts. He seemed able to land whenever he started, but Ketchel was always back with blow for blow. In a clinch Langford twisted around and struck Ketchel heavily in the face three times, starting blood from his mouth. A moment later he got in another hard left and the champion’s nose was damaged. Langford had the best of the fighting now. Ketchel was bleeding quite a little. Near the end of the round, attacking furiously. Ketchel swung a hard right. Langford ducked a little. The blow caught him back of the ear, opening a big cut. The blood ran down over his shoulders. But this was his round.

And now, with the beginning of the fifth, came a sudden surprise. At the end of the fourth Ketchel had gone to his corner unsteadily and apparently weak. But he came up fresh as a daisy and went after Langford full of fight and fury. The Negro stopped his first rush with a straight left. But nothing could hold Ketchel now. He tore in with amazing speed. It was like the last round of the Ketchel – O’Brien fight in New York. Langford tried to stand the white champion off. It was useless to try. Time and again the Negro was forced to break and run, with Ketchel chasing him savagely and pouncing on him the instant he stopped. Langford had a sickly grin. Ketchel wiped it from his face with terrific swings that never missed. Langford tried desperately with swings and uppercuts. But the slight, sinewy middleweight was always coming and his speed spoiled the Negro’s aim. In the last ten seconds of fighting Langford swung his right with all his might. The blow missed Ketchel’s chin by a hair’s breadth and the force of it carried Langford off his feet so that he fell flat on the floor on his knees and elbows.

Ketchel’s Furious Finish
At the beginning of the last round they shook hands and instantly Ketchel tore in again with marvelous speed, flailing away with left and right as fast as he could hit. Langford fairly ran to get away from him, and always, as he turned, Ketchel pounced on him again with furious blows. The crowd was on its feet yelling like ten thousand of Buffalo Bill’s Commanches. In the midst of the uproar Ketchel never stopping an instant, carried Langford back in headlong rushes that ended only when the Negro was flung against the ropes. Ketchel, blood spattered, was a crimson, resistless fury. Every blow of his seemed to land. Time and again thrown off his balance, Langford tried with swishing uppercuts, swung at full arms length, only to graze Ketchel as he leaped in, and when the Negro did land Ketchel did not feel the blows. He never stopped a tenth of a second. He paid no attention to defense. He was fighting in a berserker rage now. Langford began to weaken. He clinched at every chance he had, and hung to Ketchel’s gloves until Ketchel jerked away and came in again slambanging away with might and main. In the middle of a furious attack the last bell rang. Langford went to his corner as if he was glad to get there. Ketchel went reluctantly, looking back as if he’d much prefer to go right along fighting. The crowd, jumping up and down was yelling Ketchel, Ketchel!

There was only one opinion in that crowd. Ketchel had won a mile.

“I couldn’t put him out,” said Ketchel, quietly as he was going to his dressing room. “I tried my best. Next time he’ll have to make weight and then I’ll get him.”

 

April 29, 1910 – Philadelphia Public Ledger – “…Each man got a square deal by the referee; both were paid well for their services. But did the public get value received? The writer has no hesitancy in saying No! The gate was as large, with the exception of a few championship battles, as any 25-round contest held on the Pacific coast. The share of the fighters was greater, for they received an unusual percentage. Hench, each should have fought at top speed for five of the six rounds. That was due the public, which paid from $3 to $10 a seat to witness the go.

Sam Langford fought under wraps. He allowed Ketchel to set the pace, and was content to follow, landing an occasional blow while the latter was going away. He only used his right hand four times in the first five rounds, and would doubtless have maintained that record to the finish had not Ketchel bored in during the sixth round and compelled the negro to extend himself. It was then that Langford showed his hand, when he drove a wicked right hand uppercut home, a blow which could have sent Ketchel to dreamland any time it landed on a vulnerable spot. But the result of Wednesday night’s bout is merely a recital of Langford’s ring record. He is perhaps the most remarkable man in the ring today. There is no man who can so accidentally “pull” his blows as Langford can, and it was this little artifice, which the writer carefully studied, and which fooled thousands at the National Club on Wednesday night, that made the bout look ***** in spots.
…..
Take a glimpse at Langford’s record. It is without parallel in the history of the ring. To begin with, he fought Jack Blackburn five times. Dave Holly four. Then he graduated into the heavier class, meeting George Gunther three times, Young Peter Jackson six times, Larry Temple four times, Joe Jeannette four, and his great return act with Jim Barry nine times. The last time, when he came to the conclusion that the Barry engagement had been worn threadbare, he promptly knocked him out.

Joe Woodman, manager of Langford, was so eager to have a clean sweep so far as the middleweight title was concerned that he told all promoters to get Ketchel at any price. Pay him any percentage and we will be satisfied with the balance. Sam wants the middleweight title and will drop Ketchel inside the six round limit. It is no wonder that the bout attracted a gate estimated to be more than $20,000. It is said Ketchel received about $8,400 of this amount, while the negro and his manager pulled down a little over $7,000. Sufficient money for 18 minutes worth for each man to go at top speed all the way. The only way that Langford can square himself in this city with the sports is to meet Al Kaufman, Battling Jim Johnson or some other good man and let us see the real Sam Langford, the man who caused Jack Johnson to sidestep so quickly that he almost twisted his ankle.

The writer gave the decision to Stanley Ketchel over Langford for what he did in the six rounds fought, not what would be accomplished in eight, 10 or 20 rounds. Ketchel did the leading, carried the fight to the negro, took all the chances and had Langford fought his fight it is not likely that the bout would have reached the limit. Those who know boxing are cogizant of the fact that the man who does the leading, especially in such a wild awkward fashion as Ketchel does, take all the chances. Invite a counter and with little or no defence are apt to run into a jolt. If their opponent is not under “wraps.” Lanford played for the longer fight and the sports of the East paid for the curtain raiser. Last night Ketchel refused a purse of $15,000 to meet Langford, offered by Billy McCarney, who came from California for that purpose. Ketchel said “I have won a popular decision over the negro and I will pass him up at present.”

 

From ‘The Veteran Boxer’ magazine:
After the fight, Sam upset about so many newspaper accounts of the fight stating that Ketchel had come close to dumping him eventually got Sam so steamed that he sat down and wrote the noted sports writer and cartoonist of the New York Evening World, Bob Edgren a letter and here is Edgren’s story of November 3, 1916:

“Sam Langford writes intimating that he held back a K.O. punch in the six-round bout with Ketchel in Philly:

“Dear Mr. Edgren,
I am always glad to see you or any other person giving Stanley Ketchel a boost. He deserves it. Your boost for the late Stanley Ketchel last week read all right excepting for the part where you said he nearly knocked me out in our six-round rumpus in Philadelphia. To be real frank with you, I will say that you are greatly mistaken, for the simple reason that he never had a chance. I could say much more, but rest most assuredly I told you a mouthful.
Respectfully yours,
Sam Langford”

 

• Unknown boxing magazine from the 1950’s or early 60’s article written by a Mike Sherry titled ‘Stanley Ketchel vs. Sam Langford’:
“Cornered in Stillman’s gymnasium recently as he masterminded the training session of his young lightweight Brian Kelly, 83 year old Joe Woodman (pinpoint date of this article by when Joe would have been 83) confessed, “Philadelphia the night of January 27, 1910, was the last place in the world Sam and I wanted to be. But it would have been just plain stupid to be anywhere else.”

“We wanted the San Francisco figt, with Ketchel’s title riding on the line and our hunk of Coffroth’s $30,000,” Woodman grunted.

“Unfortunately Wilson Mizner and Hype Igoe, who co-managed Ketchel at the time, decided on keeping Coffroth guessing in hopes he would raise his bid to $40,000, which was the figure they set for a dangerous threat like my Sam. Igoe told me he would take the $30,000 if Coffroth held out, but that he wouldn’t accept unless I agreed to the Philadelphia six-rounder. Of course I was dead against it, we had nothing to gain except a few thousand dollars and we were risking the big opportunity if anything went wrong. But I had not alterative, Mizner and Igoe held all the trumps, they had the title. All I had was Sam, the greatest fighting man who ever sucked a breath.”

Joe Woodman swallowed hard and continued, “Langford never won a world championship because he never got the chance. Had not time been wasted fooling around in Philadelphia and Coffroth’s proposition accepted immediately, Sam would have been middleweight champion of the world. He could have knocked out Ketchel seven nights a week.”

On the night of the fight, to the experienced reporter’s eye Langford wasn’t fighting to win but rather protecting a future investment. In the fourth round, noticing that Ketchel was more than one foot out of range, Sam shot over a roundhouse right aimed in the general direction of Stanley’s face. But just as Langford started the blow, Ketchel stepped into range and caught it flush on the cheekbone. The middleweight champion staggered and his hands dropped to his sides. Langford’s face took on a worried expression as he leaped forward catching Steve under his arm pits. For fully ten seconds Sam held Ketchel upright and not until his head cleared and his legs became solid again did Langford step away leaving Steve to maneuver under his own power. In describing the incident, Joe Woodman said, “It was like a mother bird teaching her young to fly, she doesn’t let go until she’s sure her baby wouldn’t fall and break his neck.”

The day after the fight newspaper headlines blared a variety of unflattering innuendoes; “Negro Fighter Stalls,” said the Post; “Langford Pulls Punches – Makes No Sincere Effort To Get Back At Ketchel And Eases Up at Finish,” growled the Bulletin; The New York Press summed it up with, “Sam Looks Past Philly and West To California – Refuses To Jeopardize Title Chance.”

There were jeers in the first round, catcalls in the second and cigar butts and newspapers pitched into the ring during the third round. Ketchel and Langford had been justifiably billed as the ring’s two deadliest hitters and those who paid to watch them fight quite naturally expected a reasonable amount of blood and gore. When three rounds passed without even the slightest swelling on either man’s face, the crowd let its feverish disappointment be known in no uncertain tones.

Whatever genuine thrills the fight produced came in the last two rounds when Langford either ran out of gas or deliberately allowed himself to be pummeled for business reasons. Joe Woodman, turned his head and said, “No comment. But remember what I said, Sam could have knocked Ketchel out seven nights a week.”

In the fifth round, blood dripping from his nose, Ketchel chased Langford all over the ring. Toward the end of the round, Langford suddently stopped back peddling, looked carefully at Stanley’s pointed chin and swung a terrific right to his face. Langford missed by half a yard and fell to his knees from the momentum. Tad Dorgan, the great New York Journal reporter openly burst into laughter. He turned to a collegue and said, “Who is Sam trying to kid? He couldn’t miss that badly if he was drunk and had one leg cut off.”

The exhibition ended with Langford standing in his own corner and holding Ketchel’s arms tight to his sides. When the bell rang Sam smiled and whispered into Steve’s ear. “See you iin San Francisco, Mister Ketchel.”

 

The Washington Post – April 29, 1910:
Titled: Kelly Reviews Fight. “Honest John” Talks About Langford-Ketchel Bout.
“Honest John” Kelly, stakeholder for championship fights between heavyweight seekers for the title when John L. Sullivan was scoring knockouts in the ring, came to this city yesterday with pointed opinions from ringside observation on the Langford-Ketchel fight in Philadelphia.

“The fight was a fine piece of up-to-day pugilistic acting,” declared Kelly. “Of course, there was a sensational finish in which Ketchel was effective. I left New York with the hope of seeing a bout between two fellows with such terrific punching powers that a knockout might happen, even with a previous understanding on the question of supremacy. Langford did all he could to help Ketchel make a showing that would leave the winner of the contest in question.”

“A fight for a big purse on the coasts is responsible for the spectacular side of the bout. Those short, snappy punches tha tLangford has delivered against nearly every man he has met in earnest were held back to permit Ketchel to come forth with his swings.”

From New York and Philadelphia yesterday, there were _____ reports of experts opinions and a majority insisted that Ketchel and Langford realized the possibility of financial returns from a longer bout and traded punches in Philadelphia with their eyes on California battlegrounds.”

 

Hats off to you Clay!