Boxing Historian Chronicles Career of Sam Langfordby Jeanne Whithead/Digby Courier (Canada) October 23, 2008
"In 1903 at age 17, Sam Langford was a professional boxer, earning purses of hundreds of dollars. When not in the ring, he strolled the streets of Boston wearing fancy clothes and diamonds. Not bad for a boy from the Maritimes, who five years earlier was earning five dollars a month in the woods of Nova Scotia.
Boxing historian Clay Moyle chronicles Langford's career in his 400-page book 'Sam Langford, Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion'.
Nova Scotians will be pleased that the story begins at the beginning - with Langford's birth in Weymouth Falls in 1886. Moyle follows the lad as he runs away from home at age 12 to Digby, then to Grand Manan and on to Cambridge, Mass., as a 15-year old.
After being fired from his job at Cambridge brickyard for fighting during work hours, Langford moved to Boston where he was 'discovered' by flight club owner, Joe Woodman.
Moyle's history is a detailed account of Langford's career as a professional boxer.
Among the highlights: in 1903, Langford defeated lightweight champion, Joe Gans in a 15-round decision. Weighing in at 136 pounds, Langford was four and a half pounds heavier than Gans, and was denied the lightweight title because the lightweight limit was 135 pounds.
Langford was always eager to improve his abilities and he didn't hesitate to ask his opponents for tips that would make him an even better boxer. He took their advice to hear, and progressed from being an untrained 'natural' to being one of the most skilled boxers in the world.
By age 21, Sam Langford, a middleweight, had gone the distance ith highly regarded heavyweight Jack Johnson, and though promoters were keenly interested in having him fight out of their clubs, the best fighters in America steadfastly avoided him.
A married man with expensive tastes, Langford did the only reasonable thing. He sought matches abroad and in 1907 created a sensation in England, returning home $4,600 richer less than three months later. In the years that followed, he also fought in Australia, France, Canada and Mexico.
Even for those who may not be enamored with the boxing world, the Sam Langford book is a pleasurable read. This is because Moyle is a skilled writer - and because we all love stories of little guys who overcome obstacles to achieve their dreams.
A historian, Moyle includes just the fact that he was able to unearth and verify. This means that the book is lacking details of Langford's personal life. That would have made the book more satisfying for the average reader."
Friday, October 24, 2008
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