Langford - Jeannette - Full Clip-Real Speed

"Hope this lays to rest the knockdown of Johnson myth."

Yep, but it doesn't do anything to diminish my lack of respect for the man for dodging Langford when he was clearly the #1 contender for the title for a number of years after maturing into a light-heavyweight. It seems pretty clear to me that despite beating the tar (no pun intended) out of Langford when he was a 20 year old middleweight, he had no desire to tangle with him once Langford had become a light-heavyweight. I'm not saying Langford would have beat him, just that he deserved the opportunity.

 

Thanks for the sources guys


Cmoyle, the fight just didnt make sense. Like he grant said, there was too much risk riding on way too little reward. Remember the time period. in THEIR eyes, two black men fighting for the HW title would officially mean their beloved sport went to ****. The fact that there was a champion was horrible enough, but then to symbolically hand over the sport to the black race, which is the way they saw it, would be unheard of.

I dont think anyone in their right mind would take that fight.

 

This applies to both the middleweight [Ketchel],and Light Heavy champs [O Brien] too, does it not?
I AGREE WITH YOU ONE HUNDRED PERCENT.:good

 

I was hoping for your in put here ,thank you.
Of course,Johnson scaled 185lbs to Langford's 156lbs.
[I mention this to anticipate Mendoza].
So Johnson had a 29lbs advantage.
Still not as big a discrepancy as the
47lbs Jeffries had over Fitz
Or,the,
30lbs over Corbett
63lbs over Choynski
32lbs over Sharkey :good

 

And what exactly has Jeffries to do with this discussion? Please don´t turn this perfectly good thread not in another mcvey-Johnson-Mendoza-Jeffries lovefest.

 

What it has to do with it, is the weight discrepancy between Johnson and Langford is ALLWAYS mentioned , by Johnson's chief hater ,but conveniently omitted , is the weight discrepancy between the fights I mentioned ,you asked, I answered.END OF.
Please don't post, saying Langford was green either.Langford had 50 fights under his belt when he met Johnson ,which is more than Jack had.
Lets say both were short of their peaks.Langford was likely best around 170/175lbs, Johnson said his best shape was for Jeffries, 208lbs, so, 14 to 19lbs for Sam,23lbs for Jack ,is that about right?

 

Thanks for posting this fight. Greatly appreciated by all. Not often you get to see two of the very best of that era duke it out.

I'm still of the opinion that this version of Sam had a very good chance of beating Johnson. No middleweight, like Sailor Burke. A powerful 175-180 pounds of bone and muscle. Johnson was afraid, plain and simple. Being black had nothing to do with refusing a rematch. Sure didn't stop Johnson from fighting Jim Johnson.

As for Jeannette, who was a feared opponent in those days, obviously had a very healthy respect for Langford's power. He was the Black Bob Fitzsimmons as far as recuperative powers goes, rising after those three knockdowns.

.

 

You do realize that 3,000 pounds sterling offered by the National Sporting Club was then the rough equivalent of $15,000 US (at 5USD to a pound)? Which, in those days was a big whack of moolah!

.

 

Take out passage on a liner to the UK and back to the States,would it be such a big purse?
You are wrong on the exchange rate by the way.
Tommy Burns was offered £ 7 ,500 to fight Johnson by McIntosh he accepted ,as well he might, because it was the record purse then ever paid for a fight, its equivalent in dollars was $30,000, if it had been $5 to the £ ,it would have been $37,500.
Burns was offered £2,500 to fight Johnson at the NSC London with the winner to to receive £2,000,the loser £500.Burns wanted £6,000 win lose or draw,Johnson agreed just to get a chance at the title.
the NSC said no deal.

 

This fight was signed before Johnson won the title and fell through because he won it.

While it would have been a fair offer for Johnson to fight Langford while he was a mere contender, it was below the going rate for a champion to risk his title against a dangerous challenger. Burns got $30 000 for fighting Johnson for example.

Of more historic significance are the larger purses offered up for a Johnson Langford fight, later on in Johnsons career in Australia and Russia.

 

Concrete proof that these purses were a reality, has never , to my knowledge, been confirmed.
How many big fights did McIntosh stage after the Burns Johnson one?
Who in Russia, was willing to put up the money for such a fight?
A country which had no pro boxers,and was in a state of near dissolution.
Johnson was supposed to get $14,400 for the Moran defence.[neither got paid].
He received $24,000 for defending against Ketchel ,[Ketchel $6,000]

Only $30,000 for defending against Willard in 1915.
And, these were White challengers.is it likely promoters would offer substantialy more for him to defend against another black , several years previously?:think

 

Thank You, proves the old timers had it going on, better than the herky jerky film we see gives the younger folks a bad idea of how good the old guys were.

 

Johnson had big money offers, 30k, 50k, and 100k to fight Langford, Jeanette and Mcvey. I can send you the news reads if you wish.

Any one of those three men from 1909-1915 would easily have been Johnson best title opponent.

 

I always hear boxing historinas saying that dempsey in real time against willard looks amazing, surreal better than the herky jerky version that everyone has seen. could anyone do that for this fight film, really want to see it.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eha9nEcrMqQ[/ame]

 

So in addition to only being 156 pounds, as you saying Langford was only 20 years old when the match happened? Wow--This match means very little to those who research the particulars. Johnson should have finished the 20 year old 156 pound Langford, but then again he was given an incentive to stop a young Peter Jackson, who was also much smaller and failed to do so.

On film vs Jeanette and Lang ( which happened when Langford was a prime heavyweight ) , I believe Langford looks better than Johnson did in any of his filmed fights.