Sam Langford vs Ali,Louis,Lewis,Foreman,ETC.

I know Sam is great. I can see how he'd give a guy like Baer or even Dempsey trouble, but I honestly don't think he'd stand a chance against a guy like Holmes or Ali. Call me crazy, but the one that intrigues me is Langford vs. Foreman, does anyone think Sam is savvy and experienced enough to get inside and roll with Foreman's wide blows and stop him late via bodywork or get a UD?

 

Just for the record, Sam was blind in one eye, and well past his prime when he fought and lost a 4-round decision to Meehan in March of 1919. In fact, he fought the last third of his career, over 100 fights blind in one eye.

He was also in very poor condition by the time he fought Meehan. The San Francisco Chronicle report of the fight ran under the headline 'Meehan Wins Fight Between Two Fat Men, Sam Langford Has Eaten Too Many Greasy Pork Chops to Scrap Any More'. Harry Smith, who wrote the article said that no bear that ever went into winter quarters was as fat as Sam Langford, and that there was nothing resembling speed in his movements. It was Smith's opinion that "all that he ever had in the way of fighting machinery, even the cleverness, the ring generalship was missing."

 

Bummy Davis did you know Dwight Qwawi weighed moore than Sam? Did you know you can actually find fight footage of Qwawi? Did you know that everything you here about a fighter doesnt have to be true? Did you know Qwawi and Sam fought in different eras? Did you know the heavyweight minimum is 205 pounds for a reason? Because size matters and all of the fighters you name would beat the balls off of Sam.

 

:good:good

 

Sam Langford at his peak could potentialy beat any of those men on the day.

Thats how good he was.

 

Ali by Decision ....

Louis could go either way

Lewis by decision or TKO

Foreman by KO

Size matters ...

 

Sam Langford obviously didnt read your posts!

 

Langford gets knocked out 4 times in a row.

 

Ali/Langford
Louis/Langford
Lewis/Langford
Foreman/Langford
Frazier/langford
Holmes/Langford
Liston/langford
Schmeling/langford
Baer/langford
Jeffries/Langford
Dempsey/langford
Walcott/Langford

 

I'm ahuge Langford guy but some match ups are too much ... they do have weight divisions for a reason and styles make fights ...

 

I appreciate Langford, but using logic I say he doesn't beat any of the Greats mentioned here....well, any of them that were in their prime past 1960 say, i.e the Liston Era onwards.

He'd be able to beat guys like Tommy Morrison and Frank Bruno maybe due to his power, but I honestly find it hard to pit Langford against any of these guys.

 

In the early 1960’s Langford’s long-time manager, Joe Woodman, had this to say: “You ask me what Sam Langford would do if he were in his prime, in the ring among the heavyweights of 1963. Well, to discuss what Sam would do with the contenders appears to be superfluous. What would he do with Liston? Now, I am not one of those old timers who can see nothing brilliant in boxing of today. I know that Liston is a terrific hitter. But how much do we really know about Sonny?

I can tell you this. Liston would be outmaneuvered by Langford. The Sam who stopped Joe Jeannette would be too much for Sonny on the mental and ring generalship side. Langford could hurt you terribly with very short punches. I remember the amazement of the reporters the night he stopped Jeannette in ten in Syracuse. They never before had seen such devastating short punches.”

Harry Wills (6’ 3” & 210-230 lbs) once told a man: “I was knocked out three times in my career (`102 fights). I was knocked out by Paulino Uzcudon and twice by Sam Langford. I know what Uzcudon hit me with, but I never saw the punches Sam used to knock me out. I was leading on points each time. The first time in 1914. I was having it easy. Sam was in a bad way. His eyes where bleeding and the last thing I remembered was that I had him against the ropes about five feet from his corner. It must have happened right there.

Then, maybe a couple of years later, I had Sam in awful trouble about the 18th round. I was going after a knockout; he was out on his feet. And then I don’t remember anything after that. Sam was a marvelous fighting man.”

Years later, Flynn would relate that Sam was the hardest hitter he ever faced. “I fought most of the heavyweights, including Dempsey and Johnson, but Sam could stretch a guy colder than any of them. When Langford hit me it felt like someone slugged me with a baseball bat. But strangely enough it didn’t hurt, it was like taking ether, you just went to sleep.”

Personally, I think the guys on the list in the beginning of this thread that would give Langford the most trouble are the ones who are a lot taller and could keep him off with a good strong jab, guys like Ali, Foreman, Holmes, and Lewis, although I could envision Langford catching Lewis and taking him out with a punch like he did to Wills on two separate occasions, or like Rahim did to Lewis in the one fight. Langford versus Joe Frazier in their respective primes is a fight I'd love to see. What a brawl that would be.