Langford was on the floor quite a bit , keeping him there was a different matter. Schmeling gave Baer a helluva fight while it lasted.
Manhandled by Baer? Schmeling was arguably leading on the scorecards heading into the 10th and final round
You said," someone of Blackburn's stature",. Point being, what does that have to do with him being an accurate predictor of hypothetical fights?
This would be a very good match. I would go with Langford here. Sam was hard to stop, and dangerous for 15 rounds. Langford might be down on points, but I think he would close the show before the final bell.
Because he considered Sam the greatest fighter of them all and found plenty to critique in Schmelling. That's good enough for me. I'll also throw in Joe Woodman and Gunboat Smith who would aslo consider Max German mincemeat for Sam.
Langford may be the greatest p4p of them all,does that necessarily mean he beats very good heavyweight champions? Joe Woodman was Langford's manager, hardly an objective opinion. Smith said he did not know who would win a fight between Langford and Johnson[ "In This Corner"]. A great fighter's opinion should carry some weight but,as I have shown , [ Corbett,Langford,Jeannette, Louis, Holmes ], it is definitely not infallible . Langford may have well beaten Schmeling, but ,imo ,it is certainly not a given.
I'd pick Max Schmeling. He knocked out Joe Louis who, I believe, was as good or better than Sam Langford and on the same level as a puncher. And with superior physical tools. He also beat the crap out of Mickey Walker, who was a tremendous fighter of about Langford's size. Schmeling was methodical. He is underrated. American critics never really gave him credit, didn't like his style. People still make to many alibis for how Louis lost to him. Jack Blackburn was an expert, but I suspect he picked Sam Langford to beat everyone that came after. Didn't he say Langford would beat Louis ?
Blackburn would probably say that Louis equaled or surpassed Langford somwhere between the two Schmeling fights.
"Probably" ? Or actually, does it even matter what he said or would have said ? Obviously he's not an impartial observer, and anyway I think everyone would agree with him that Langford and Louis were amazing fighters, whoever he picks. But anyone who would take seriously any suggestion from Blackburn that Schmeling was some sort of second-rater is on the wrong track entirely.
Incidentally Jack Blackburn was a drunk. Have you got any interesting quotes from him on Schmeling's abilities ? I'd like to see his critique.
If Schmeling boxed he might decision him ... it is a pick em fight ... Sam could be outboxed by much bigger guys but only monsters could outslug him ...