Was Sam Langford the most complete heavyweight ever?

Think about it.

He basically had everything.

He could out box the best boxers, and out punch the best punchers.

He was an all time great finisher.

He had excellent mobility.

His chin was like an anvil

His ring intelligence was through the roof.

His only, repeat only weakness, was the fact that he was 5’ 6’’

If he had been born 6 feet tall, but otherwise had the same characteristics, he would have been virtually unbeatable. Then again, perhaps his short stature forced him to become such a perfect fighter.

Either way, he is about as close as we have ever come to the complete heavyweight fighter.

 

Joe Louis. He also got outboxed thoroughly by the best defensive boxer for his time and years to come in Jack Johnson.

 

The height ruins it. He was exceptionally skilled and talented but I can't get past the height.

 

if you had said most complete fighter period, i might have to say yes. but oddly, at heavyweight his weaknesses (ie: size and RELATIVE vulnerability) were at their most salient. at 150-180, he was invincible and may not have lost to any fighter in history...even greb. but past 180, he could be knocked out and was beat by fighters whose biggest (and only) advantage was often size.

i can't ignore this: he wasn't complete at heavyweight. he was a middleweight competing far above his weight class whose size allowed lesser fighters to outbox or knock him out, even around his prime.

 

Louis for me. You mention his weakness for adapting, the truth is his style always paid off in the end as noone could handle his educated pressure behind the jab over 15 rounds.

The only man i'd pick to beat Louis is Ali and that's because Ali is too quick and wouldn't get knocked out.

Langford is exceptional stylistically speaking but due to his height I think a great jabber with a solid chin will always be favoured to beat him.

Give him another 8 inches in height and a pinpoint jab and i'd probably agree with you.

 

Well how many heavyweights were one flaw away from being invincible? If Ali could.punch hard he would've been unstoppable? Who's beating an iron chinned Lennox Lewis? A 6'3" Marciano or Tyson? If a young Foreman was a 15 round fighter how long until someone beat him? Or a quick Liston? Complete means Jofre or Robinson or Leonard who almost literally had everything you want.

 

End thread!

 

i don't think you can call any small guy the most complete hw ever. i love guys who overcome limits but those limits still exist.

 

I think he was the best pound for pound fighter ever but not the most complete heavyweight ever because of his size ... he really wasn't even a heavyweight ...