Joe Jeannette on Langford and Johnson

Jeanette comes across as a honest guy based on what I have read. Jeanette's chilling quote that Jack Johnson forgot his old friends, and drew the color line against his own people is sad, but true.

Johnson wanted to be the only black heavyweight champion in history.

 

I am no expert on Langford ,Jeannette, or any other boxer,but, from what I have read ,Jeannette's assessment of Langford is on the money, he had just about everything,except size.
Jeanette said Langford improved ,and grew physically he did indeed, he was 156lbs when he fought Johnson ,but Johnson, himself was 185lbs, both men added poundage, around 20lbs apiece would be the optimum for both.
Langford was a veteran of over 50 bouts when he fought
Johnson ,considerably more than Jack.

Langford improved ,but so did Johnson.
I don't believe Johnson was scared of Langford, he signed to fight him for $30,000 , but Woodman could not raise the money.

Johnson had no illusions about Sam, he knew he would have to be in absolute top shape to contain him and, after 1910 he was never anywhere near that .
I think Johnson viewed Langford as a high risk ,with a comparatively small reward.

Just in passing Langford regularly consorted with prostitutes , as did Sullivan, and Corbett, travelling around the country with them ,none of them were ever castigated for it.

Jeannette, and McVey ,married white women ,no one made a song and dance about it,because they were 1. Both low profile,and 2. Not the Heavyweight Champion.

I don't believe Jim Jeffries was ever physically afraid of any man.

I do believe he was mortally afraid of losing his title to a black man ,and,thereby his whole raison d'etre.

 

I'm believe that post Jeffries Johnson knew he was no longer williing to pay the price needed to tackle Langford however I dispute the rest .. Johnson remaind friends with Sam McVey who worked his corner for the Willard bout ... Johnson also paid for his funeral ... as to why he drifted from Jeanette, who knows ... they seemed friends in that old footage as old men ..

 

Ive always wondered if the story that Johnson paid for McVey's funeral was true. McVey died in late 1921. Johnson had just been released from prison six months earlier and was struggling to make ends meet.

 

"Just in passing Langford regularly consorted with prostitutes , as did Sullivan, and Corbett, travelling around the country with them ,none of them were ever castigated for it."

Do you have a reliable source for this comment in regard to Langford?

 

In the case of Sullivan and Corbett the Mann act came way after their time.

Lots of people consorted with prostitutes. The law was worded specifically against interstate transportation against prostitution. It was written not to attack Johnson (as some like Max Kellerman have claimed) but to combat white slavery (prostitution, and human trafficking) which if you read enough of the papers of that era you will see was a major concern. As the owner of a ***** house and someone who regularly travelled with prostitutes Johnson was guilty under the very letter of the law. Furthermore, you can split hairs over who was prosecuted and who wasnt, and the motivations, but you cant simply arrest people because they have a reputation. You have to have evidence to try a case or you are wasting time and money. I dont think anyone disputes that Johnson was a ***** monger, or that he was guilty in the eyes of the law. What most people dispute is whether or not he was convicted because he was a vocal famous black man or because he was guilty. I find that logic a bit odd because most of the time if a star gets busted for a crime and let off easy people howl with indignation that the star gets favorable treatment.

 

without having copies of payment who knows but they clearly appear to be friendly for the Willard bout ... to have him in his corner is serious ..

 

McVey lived with Johnson and his wife for a time ,and they spent a lot of time in each others company.I don't think anyone will find anything derogatory that Johnson said about either McVey or Jeannette. Johnson however, was never very complimentary about Wills.
A sparring partner of Johnson's, I forget which one, said that Johnson borrowed the money to pay for McVey's funeral.
I think Baron Willkins the saloon owner loaned him the money.

 

Not much. Delaney and Jeffries had a falling out before 1904. In Jeffries return match in 1910, Delaney was hired to be in Johnson's corner for the fight.

As we know Jeffries offered Johnson a fight on the spot in a bar in the early 1900's when Johnson asked Jeffries for a boxing match. Johnson chickened out. If Jeffries was remotely afraid of Johnson this would not have happened.

Since this a Jeanette thread, I thought I would add his thought on the 1910 fight. Jeanette said the only way Johnson wins is if Jeffries enters the ring bound with balls and chain on his arms and legs. Obviously Jeanette incorrectly assumed that the real Jeffries would show up, not the 300+ pound 35 year old who had not boxed in nearly 5 years.

 

Hmm. A black man assaulting a white man under the influence of alcohol in the early 1900's in a public place. I wonder how that would have turned out in court?

 

Jeffries did fight Griffin, who had recently defeated Jack Johnson in 1901 in a 4 round match. Griffin was of course black. Jeffries won easily, flooring Griffin several times. Had Jeffries somehow been knocked out, Griffin is the new champion. So your claim that Jeffries was mortally afraid of losing to a black man can be be taken as a given.

The facts are Jeffries was never offered a big purse to fight Johnson, and the power in boxing did not want the match. So neither did Jeffries. As Jeffries told Johnson in the early 1900's when he asked for a fight, " You can't draw flies " In 1910, Jeffries to many was still the champion, and he went through with the fight. Again, if fear of loss to a black man was A-1 on his mind, he does not return 5 years past his prime to fight one in the ring in a very visible match.

 

Nm

 

I think you will find this is the Jeffries, that Johnson faced in Reno. 227lbs, after training for a year.That is 13 lbs less than he weighed ,when he fought the hapless Finnegan ,4 years previously

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