Who Is The Best Black Heavyweight Never To win the Crown?

Wills is without question the most accomplished in my opinion, and therefore should rank the highest at heavyweight (although Sam is clearly greater in a p4p sense). Who was the best is a different matter though, hard to say since I havent seen that much of them. Wills dominated his series with Langford, but how close to his best would you say Langford was? I suspect Langford would always find Wills to be hell because of that reach and good jab, but Sam did KO him in their second match after all. Langford is clearly superior to Jeanette and McVea in my opinion.

 

Sam Langford for me, closely followed by Harry Wills.

 

Razor Ruddock

 

Joe Calzaghe.

 

With his two knockout victories over Wills, and the fact mileage was the determining factor in Harry's sequential dominance, Langford has the most impressive record as black heavyweights go.

The real unknown is Peter Jackson who was praised to high-heaven but had an injured waltz with Corbett and never got to face Sullivan.

 

I think you pretty much nailed all the big names who fall in that category

 

Archie Moore

 

Good candidate. But should he really rank higher at heavyweight than Wills and Langford?

 

I'm not sure.
Deserves to be in the discussion though. :good

 

Fair enough. :good

 

Archie Moore had a pretty solid ten years or more campaigning against heavyweights, lost only to Marciano, Patterson and Ali in the open division. He also beat plenty of decent light-heavys who might have been HW contenders if they were around in the days of Sam Langford or Peter Jackson.

 

Very true. He was an exceptional p4p fighter.