If Sam Langford had been Champion,instead of Johnson ,would he have fought all the black fighters that Johnson avoided ,once he became Champ? In particular, would he have defended against Johnson? Thoughts please?
I don't think so. It wasn't just Johnson's fault that he didn't fight other black fighters (except for Battling Jim Johnson). A lot of people just didn't want him to fight other black fighters. If Lanford was the champion it would be the same.
I think he would have fought Johnson, not sure about the others. Jack represented the black man white America feared. He played on it and it worked for him. I think regardless of the champion being black, white or otherwise, many people wanted to see Johnson beaten.
Langford would have fought a T rex on short notice with no neutral corner rule, but then so would Jack Johnson before he won the title. You just can't be sure how or if, having that big money title in his grasp would have changed his approach. On the other hand, Langford seems to have genuinely loved fighting, so I suspect that he would have been a precocious champion.
I dont see how they could have avoided a Johnson Langford match in those circumstances. Firstly, Johnson wouldnt have been as hated as he is now. Secondly, there would be much more interest because unlike Langford, Johnson had actually comprehensively defeated Langford already. Also dont forget, unlike Johnson Langford did lose fights during this period, so dont be surprised if, for example, Gunboat Smith pops up as a world champion. I think it changes things significantly but Johnson finds a way to reach the top, no matter what.
