Background
Sam Langford was born on a farm in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia, the third son of Robert Langford, a river driver, and Priscilla Robart. His parents were Canadian citizens
Sam Langford was born on a farm in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia, the third son of Robert Langford, a river driver, and Priscilla Robart. His parents were Canadian citizens
He never attended school.
Langford ran away on a lumber schooner to Boston in 1899. After working as a stevedore and drifting around, he became a janitor at Joe Woodman's Lenox Athletic Club, a Boston boxing gymnasium. He went from janitor to sparring partner, to amateur boxer, and finally made his successful professional debut against Jack McVickar in January 1902. He quickly proved his extraordinary talent by defeating lightweight champion Joe Gans in an "overweight for the class" bout in 1903. The victory over Gans and a hard-fought draw with world welterweight champion Joe Walcott in a nontitle fight in 1904 established Langford as a prime contender. Indeed, his rise to prominence was so spectacular that he frightened off many potential adversaries and often was forced to fight opponents much heavier than himself.
Langford's best-known fight was a fifteen-round decision he lost to future heavyweight champion Jack Johnson at Chelsea, Massachussets, in 1906. Langford, who was badly outweighed, was soundly defeated, but his astute manager, Joe Woodman, spread the story that Langford had knocked Johnson down and been robbed of the decision. When the genial Langford became a ring favorite in England, this false account received wide currency and was frequently published. Johnson never did give Langford a rematch despite much public clamor for the match after Johnson became champion. Langford remained bitter toward Johnson throughout his life, claiming ironically that Johnson, who was also black, had "drawn the color line on him. "
Langford made several appearances in England between 1907 and 1913, including a victory over the English heavyweight champion Ian Haig. His best-known English fight was with Bill Lang, which was one of the first occasions in which a fight was a "society affair, " attended by both men and women. In an effort to get matches, Langford fought in England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Argentina. He would fight his way across the United States, stopping in any town in which he could arrange a bout. To get a match he was often forced to "carry" an opponent, and frequently he bet his share of the gate on himself.
At the turn of the century talented black fighters had great difficulty in obtaining matches with white opponents and consequently fought one another frequently. Of these black fighters, Langford was the smallest in size and greatest in ability. Langford remained a top-rated heavyweight until 1917, when he sustained eye damage in a fight with Fred Fulton. Despite several operations and a rapid decline in his prowess, he continued fighting until 1928. His last major triumph was a victory in 1923 over the Spanish heavyweight champion Andre Balsas in Mexico. It is said that he was virtually blind at this time.
Joe Woodman, his lifelong manager and friend, quit in 1919 after unsuccessfully pleading with Langford to retire. (Woodman took the standard 25 percent manager's fee but never had a contract with Langford. ) After a futile attempt to run a Boston gymnasium, Langford moved to New York City. As his eyesight continued to fail, he became dependent upon friends and relatives for subsistence. A baseball game for his benefit was held in Yankee Stadium in 1935, and New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, hearing of his condition, obtained a position for him on the New York City Hall custodial staff in 1937. By 1942 he was completely blind.
In 1944 Al Laney, sportswriter for the New York Herald Tribune, discovered him poverty-stricken in Harlem and wrote a moving article about his plight that was given national circulation. This resulted in the creation of a Sam Langford Fund. In 1947 he returned to Boston, where he lived with his daughter, who eventually became his legal guardian. He died in a Cambridge nursing home. Langford was forced for economic reasons to fight far too often and far too long, with obvious consequences to his health. This sad finale to an outstanding career was not atypical for talented ring sluggers of the early twentieth century. In particular, the great black athletes of this period suffered from racial prejudice during their careers and from a lack of other skills to aid them after retirement.
Langford was remembered by boxing writers as "the greatest fighter who never fought for the championship" and, pound for pound, may have been the greatest fighter who ever lived. His official ring record lists 252 bouts, but he fought well over 600. Among the most memorable of Langford's many fights were series of epic battles with Joe Jeannette, Harry Wills, and Sam McVey, other topflight black heavyweights of the time. Langford was enshrined in the Ring Boxing Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1955. In 1999, Langford was voted Nova Scotia's top male athlete of the 20th century.
Langford was married to Martha Burell Langford on December 7, 1904. They had one daughter.
