Sam Langford .The Sawn Off Colossus.

I'd probably agree, but at the same time we have seen James Toney with decent success at HW and Langford's style is better suited to HW division than Toney's.

 

Huge fan of Sam. Love Jack, Joe J., Sam McV and Harry too .. fascinating group of fighters ..

 

LMAO.

 

Very true. Johnson fought him early on and later wanted nothing to do with him after he knew he prob lose same thing modern guys like Floyd and Canelo have done.

 

You do realize just how different the two eras are?

 

Do you realize that Jack Blackburn taught Joe Louis everything that he knew?

 

That looks like a wash. Back to the drawing board.

 

Boxrec lists Sam as 166 lb v Lang 203 lb. (37 lb pull). That’s pretty much what I’ve read elsewhere with only a few lbs variance either side in some cases.

Anybody think Sam could take Johnson as at that time or at least be far more competitive than in 1906?

As at 1911, Sam being 10 lbs heavier than when they actually met but Johnson himself putting on another 22 lbs of rock solid muscle by 1910.

Sam would be facing an even greater weight pull than the first fight but perhaps better advantaged by the gaining of greater relative experience than Johnson since 1906.

 

That has no bearing on my point at all. My point is if you took Langford as he was have him wear our gloves today he’d be heavily handicapped
The way he fought like a lot of guys then required the free thumbs and inside fighting of the day something they couldn’t do now, that’s all I’m saying I’m not implying old timers were less skilled I consider Louis the most technically perfect fighter ever, it’s just too different to learn mid fight he’d need some education and wouldn’t even be a heavyweight now.

 

Spot on .. Blackburn was a master and he blueprinted Joe Louis .. I just don't buy the argument that ALL the fighters from that era only threw two punch combinations , etc .. there were absolute greats from earlier eras , guys like Gans, Blackburn, Johnson and many others .. I hear many say Johnson would be exposed because his style of catching punches wouldn't work on volume combo punchers that supposedly didn't exist in his era but watch Jack against Willard .. when motivated even at 37 he threw many blazing combinations that were astonishing .. are we to believe he invented that on the spot ? Not me ..

 

It’s strange how of all the points they could make it’s that there defence is weak. They’ve been parrying, catching and dodging punches with gloves a fraction of the size of the ones we wear today it would only exemplify there defence.

 

Sure, weights were often self provided or estimated by third parties. Do you doubt the weights being near enough for all intents and purposes?

Yes, Adam’s book details certain whys and wherefores re why a Johnson v Langford didn’t come to pass. I’m not contending that.

As to Langford having more fights. were they against the same level of quality and related volume that Johnson had engaged to date? Isn’t there a suggestion that Johnson also had more bouts that weren’t necessarily recorded? Fair to say perhaps that Johnson was at least more physically developed, taking Sam at 23 v Johnson 28.

Johnson was certainly that much physically less robust when he himself faced Choynski in 1901 at about age 23.

These are not at all rhetorical questions, just throwing some considerations out there.