Sam Langford: freak of nature who could beat the big men in any era

Yes, average for a champion calibre fighter. Really, his record reveals no more than that. He apparently was quite good at holding and hitting, though, if you count that as power. He was known more for his quickness, excellent jab and body punching.

 

Someone recently posted a link to some footage of Langord. Do you want to konw what I think? OF COURSE YOU DO. Why else would you come here?

Langford looks a little like a James Toney that has confidence in his power. Maybe that means he hit harder than James. However, I don't think he beats the big men of any era. I take that back. I don't think he beats the Big Man of just any era, but he may very well be able to succeed against some heavyweights.

 

I rate Sam in the top ten of my pound for pound ever. In that, I certainly take in to consideration the era in which he fought. If he were to try that approach versus 70's-00's middleweights, let alone heavyweights, he would get his ass kicked 8 out of 10 times.

Frankly, head to head, I would pick Bob Foster, Nino Benvenuti, Mike Spinx, Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Gerald McClellan, Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Jr. to whip him. But for his time, within the context of the development of the sport, he was a great among greats. Perhaps if he were born and groomed in the modern era, his talents would have been further honed but that is sheer speculation.