Rare photo of Langford at the Jeffries camp for Johnson

When boxers describe a fighter to another fighter usually they'll mention that the person is left handed or right handed, then whether he is tall or short for his weight class, if color is mentioned at all it is a low priority. When a man is in training, getting hit everyday, he is probably going to respect the guys he is working with, regardless of color. People were probably the same in those days. If they sparred with each other or just watched the other guy train/spar/fight, there was probably mutual respect.

 

Can you provide some examples?

 

Langford was also a Canadian and Jack Johnson was a black southerner. Langford was less directly involved in American racial dynamics especially southern ones.

Langford was the other HW champ at this point too he was a big deal in the boxing world by mid 1910 he'd just beaten Stanley Ketchel. Jeffries and Corbett probably knew that Langford was better than them and Johnson. On Langfords end, Langford unlike Johnson was from the next generation and had grown up when Jeffries was champ.

Jeffries words and actions on race are all over the place at various points of his career.

 

Sam picked Jeffries to beat Johnson, didn’t he?

That was likely sufficient recommendation to invite Sam into the camp for the band wagon jump.

It seems for those picking Johnson, that was certainly sufficient reason to bar or reject said pundits from Jeff’s camp - see Sullivan and Ketchel.

Just imo, as far as picking Jeffries, Sam likely knew better, or at least should have, especially given that he had already faced Johnson himself and would’ve observed Johnson’s own development and increased size since their 1906 fight.

As to being PC relative to the era, Sam also claimed he would fight any man but Jeffries in the well known advert contrived and put out by his mngr Joe Woodman -

AS IF Sam had to prelude Jeffries - Jeffries had already well and truly preluded himself from engaging any black challengers. Any sentiment barring Jeffries was obviously superfluous, driven by another agenda.

Logic dictates that Sam merely omitted Jeffries to afford due (expected) respect toward the White Champion and gain favour.

Sam’s well proven propensity to fight anyone otherwise (including the much larger and more experienced Johnson) also suggests that he would’ve certainly fought Jeffries if given the opportunity.

Woodman also falsified Sam’s performance in the Johnson fight - claiming that Johnson was decked twice - when in fact it was Sam who was dropped twice and who absorbed a terrible beating over 15 rounds.

It seems Woodman’s fabrications took reasonable hold - the claim that Sam did very well vs Johnson appears to have hung around for quite a few years/decades - a story still being faithfully related in 60s/70s boxing mags.

Sam was also likely not too enamoured of Johnson anyway, especially if it was becoming clear that Jack was going to run exclusively with white challengers, so an enemy (or near enough to) of Johnson would likely constitute as default friend of Jeffries and Co.

I’m sure there are a few who have read the rumour that Langford was also brought into camp to box Jeffries prior to Reno in order for Jeff to test the waters - and that Sam KO’d Jeff inside of 4 rounds.

Not at all saying it is true but it was a story put out there I believe -

Interestingly, in one of his own memoirs, Jeffries himself said that, prior to Reno, he had planned to have a serious in camp match against Armstrong to gage if he really had anything left - and if Armstrong had KO’d him - he would’ve pulled out of Reno.

Jeff gave a reason as to why that match didn’t come about - I can’t quite recall why - perhaps his handlers thought it too risky being so close to actual fight time.

As to racist comments, without being apologetic, I think Jeffries might’ve been a victim to some extent - some journalists taking free licence to “speak” on Jeffries behalf in their articles.

In print, it seemed that Jeffries was far more “gabby” than he was described as being in real life.

The papers obviously did same with Johnson, messing with the way he actually pronounced his words and exaggerating an actual but not so pronounced lisp.

From the recordings we have we know Johnson was highly articulate and spoke very well.

 

I could give you quotes from Moyle's book,but it would be better if you bought it.

 

Good post Pug, Jeannette also picked Jeffries to beat Johnson.
I believe Johnson actually knocked Langford down 3 times.Woodman said that quote some years prior to the Reno fight,when Langford was much lighter.

 

that's almost like one of those famous country landscape portraits, a good picture for blowing up & framing for a Wall of Fame room.
Nice.

 

Hi Guys.
I am a tad confused ( I know, I know ) the photo is of Jeffries, Corbert, and Langford agreed, but the other man to the right of the screen doesnt look like Sullivan ? by 1910 John L was grossly overweight, not as tall as that man, and sported a big white moustache, thinking most have seen the still and moving shots of Sullivan meeting Corbert squaring up for a few seconds, then shaking hands with his old foe, with Jeffries in the middle of both, do I need a visit to Specsavers, or am I very perspective !
stay safe guys, chat soon.
Mike.

 

I thought the same thing too, though I wasn't overly concerned about it, bar that it is a great picture... would be nice to know for clarity sake though, with you there.

 

I think its Bill Lang, not Sullivan.

 

Goes with what I said.

Are there real racists out there? Absolutely.

Are athletes racists? I just don't see it. Internally, perhaps not spoken aloud, I'd expect Jeffries to look at out of shape lazy ****s insulting men like Johnson or Langford and think "he's a lot more man than you are, Cletus". Jeffries and Johnson would have had a lot more in common than Jeffries and some white bartender, if we are being real.

 

"Ya'll some racist white boys, but man... I really hate that ***** Jack Johnson" should be the caption.

 

LOL that's great.

 

The only boxer who I can think of that was an avowed racist was Young Stribling. He was after all from Georgia. No I'm not going to scour the internet for quotes but he certainly refused to fight blacks and not just to protect a belt.

 

He messed around with white prostitutes, trash talked white fighters in the ring to the point of calling the rounds and spots he would knock them out. I dont know, Ive never read anything about him going out of his way to "step off the pavement to give whites the road and walk in the C*** walk gutter" other than just being genial, which seems like that was his nature and not an affectation.