Sam Langford vs Mike Tyson

I am trying to figure out a scenario in which Tyson could win, not Langford.

Langford at 185 lbs vs Tyson at 220 lbs.
Sam at 5' 7.5 inches, 74-inch reach. Tyson at 5' 10 inches, 71-inch reach.

"With Johnson and many white fighters refusing to fight black men, Langford and the other elite black heavyweights fought each other repeatedly. Langford fought Harry Wills 18 times, Sam McVea 15 times, Joe Jeannette 14 times, and Battling Jim Johnson 11 times.

In the early 1920s, when Langford was half-blind, he went to Jack Kearns, the manager of World Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey, and asked for a shot at the title. Kearns said, "Sam, we were looking for somebody easier."

In his autobiography, Dempsey wrote, “There was one man...I wouldn’t fight because I knew he would flatten me. I was afraid of Sam Langford.” "

• Nat Fleischer ranked Langford as the seventh greatest heavyweight of all-time in 1958.
• Charley Rose, in the 1968 edition of The Ring Boxing Encyclopedia and Record Book, ranked Langford as the greatest heavyweight of all-time.
• Herbert Goldman ranked Langford as the second greatest light heavyweight of all-time in 1987.
• The Ring ranked Langford as the third greatest puncher of all-time in 1997.
• Historian Tracy G. Callis ranked Langford as the fourth greatest fighter of all-time in 1998.
• The Associated Press ranked Langford as the ninth greatest heavyweight of the 20th century in 1999.
• Langford was voted Nova Scotia's top male athlete of the 20th century in 1999.
• Writer Kieran Mulvaney ranked Langford as the tenth greatest fighter of all-time in 2007 and wrote that Langford was "almost certainly the greatest fighter never to win, or even fight for, a world title."

 

Tyson's natural size and speed are the difference here.Late ko.
Irrespective of who rated what,where .
Which modern writers/experts put Langford in their top ten at heavyweight? Because that is where this is going to be fought!
Clay Moyle ,the foremost expert on Langford states his best weight was 175/180lbs

 

Langford in his prime:

1914-11-26 : Sam Langford 190 lbs beat Harry Wills 210 lbs by KO in round 14 of 20

• Location: Arena, Vernon, California, USA
• Referee: George Blake

• Langford defends World Colored Heavyweight Championship claim.

"With a left swing to the jaw, Sam Langford of Boston knocked out Harry Wills, the giant New Orleans negro, in the fourteenth round of a scheduled twenty-round fight this afternoon at Vernon. Both men were knocked down repeatedly, Langford himself taking the count four times in the first two rounds. Langford early in the fight hurt his left ankle as he fell to the mat in a vicious breakaway. Wills' effective straight-arm drives gave him an apparent even break in most of the rounds, but Langford fought with a superior knowledge of the game that gradually wore out Wills. As the soreness left Langford's injured ankle, his footwork improved and the twelfth, thirteenth and fourteenth rounds showed Langford winning. His speed, judgment and force then enabled him to play with Wills. The final swing was delivered after a torrent of blows had left Wills staggering." Indianapolis Star

 

I would bet my house and everybody else’s house on a Tyson Ko.

 

Thats alot of houses

 

Don’t worry bud, your house would be as safe as houses with this bet.

 

Langford was not in shape at190lbs and that story about Jack Kearns saying," we were looking for somebody easier "came from Bert Sugar , never the most reliable of sources.
The fight you refer to is their second encounter when Wills was just 22 years old. it was promoted by Tom McCarey and was the 1st time in7 years that two blacks headlined a fight there.The previous fight being Langford v Young Peter Jackson.
Rd1 Langford was floored twice soon after the opening bell,he then dropped Wills for a count of 4.According to Langford, Wills floored him 6 times in that opening round.At the end of the round Langford wobbled towards Wills corner only to be steered to his own by the referee George Blake
.Langford was down again in the 2nd and stalled his way through the round. Back in his corner he kicked the stool away and stood leaning on the ropes.He later said"I figured if I ever sat down I wouldn't get up again".
For the next 11 rds they swapped big shots with Wills in the lead Langford looked about done at the end of the 13th rd.In the 14th Wills came out to finish it throwing haymakers,which missed after a minute they fell in a clinch, separating Langofrd spotted an opening and threw a huge left hook that landed flush on Wills jaw, Wills had a delayed reaction to the punch he stayed upright at first ,but then stumbled backwards against the ropes swaying there helplessly his arms at his sides.
Sam moved in, threw another big left hook and Wills fell to be counted out. Langford stopped at Jack Doyle's, a famous bar in Vernon and bought the house a round of drinks. Langford was described as," carrying surplus weight around his mid -riff," for the fight and looking like," he had only trained half- heartedly."Though he had fought just a week earlier.This photo shows the fighters.
I think the contrast in condition is easy to see. But you aren't arguing with me just Clay Moyle.

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Just info...not argumentative....compadre.

 

Nor me, just reiterating that Langford was not in top shape at 190lbs despite some good results when he was carrying surplus flesh.Later in his career ,when he realised he was never going to get a title shot he became disillusioned and trained sporadically.
I highly recommend Clay Moyle's biography of Langford ," Sam Langford Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion".Thoroughly researched and well written!

 

Thanks friendo.