Dublin Herald - Sept. 20, 2008 by Pat Myler

BOXING COLOUR BAR CRUELY DENIED LANGFORD HIS JUST REWARD
NOWHERE in the long list of world champions will you find the name of Sam Langford -- and that's nothing short of criminal.

The title of Clay Moyle's long overdue biography, Sam Langford: Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion, says it all.

If justice had been done, the Boston Tar Baby would have won a world title at any weight from lightweight to heavyweight, probably several, but he never got the chance.

One of Sam's problems was that he was a black man in an era of blatant racism in boxing. The other was that he was too good.

He beat lightweight king, Joe Gans, held welterweight champion Joe Walcott to a draw, and took heavyweight legend Jack Johnson the distance in a hard-fought 15 rounder, but they were all non-title fights.

So prevalent was the 'colour-bar that gifted black fighters like himself, Sam McVea, Joe Jeannette and Harry Wills were forced to fight each other over and over again in order to stay active.

The great Jack Dempsey admitted: "There was one man, smaller than me, I wouldn't fight because I knew he would flatten me. I was afraid of Sam Langford."

In a career spanning 23 years, the only title Langford managed to acquire was the relatively meaningless heavyweight championship of Mexico, and by then he was heading for 40 and nearly blind.

American Moyle, a dedicated and respected historian, has done the sport a genuine service with his thoroughly researched, loving written account of a remarkable man and fighter. To find out how to purchase a copy ($35 including postage (to the U.K.) check it out at www.samlangford.com