July 6, 2009 - Cambridge Chronicle
The Greatest Boxer You Never Knew Hails From Cambridge by Jessica Bal

Cambridge - Sam Langford fought hundreds of matches in his 24-year career, consistently beating competitors much larger than himself in five weight divisions. Several leading sportswriters called him the best boxer that ever was. Yet at the time of his induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955, he was the only non-champion included among the ranks.

Clay Moyle's book, "Sam Langford: Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion," attempts to grant Langford some overdue recognition. Langford, known as the "Boston Tar Baby," was a Cambridge resident.

When asked why no one had tackled Langford's biography before, Moyle cited two main reasons. For one, the research was a daunting task. Moyle, who lives in Washington state with a family and a full-time job, spent about seven years writing and scouring old newspapers to complete the book.

Langford's story was also neglected because he was never a world champion. White contenders refused to fight him because of his skin color, and other African American boxers claimed he was "too good." Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight champ, never gave Langford a chance at the title, and many argue that Langford would have won.

Moyle, who is a member of the International Boxing Research Organization and an avid boxing memorabilia collector, came across bits and pieces about Langford in boxing books and became intrigued. "The more I read, the more impressed I was," he said. "He's a real colorful character, and I liked everything about him. I thought there was a real story there." The biography is Moyle's first book.

For Moyle, first-hand accounts of Langford were hard to come by. Near the end of his research, however, he finally tracked down the boxer's great-granddaughter, Cambridge native Carol Doyle.

Though Langford was originally from Nova Scotia, his wife and daughter settled on Howard Street in Cambridge. When Doyule was just 5 and 6 years old, she spent every Saturday with her grandmother and great-grandmother at their home. Doyle remembers Langford's visits to the house as special occasions, ones that changed the atmosphere completely.

"He filled the room," she said. "There was something literally special about this man, but I couldn't understand it at the time. I could sense it though." She remembers details like the smell of his cigar smoke and the feel of running her hands through a bucket full of buttons while her grandmothers told her of Langford's travels and accomplishments.

When she met the pugilist as a girl, Doyle could only manage a meek hello, and watched the mysterious giant from a distance. Moyle's book helped give her the voice she needed to inform others of Langford's skills. "I wanted to let my sons know that he wasn't a figment of my imagination," she said. "He was there. All of his greatness and accomplishments existed."

Her son, Brendon Foster, recalls the first time he saw one of Langford's fights on a YouTube video. "It made me tear up," he said. "The crowd...and everything...that really brought it home. I thought 'that's my great-great grandfather about to fight." Foster has a three-year-old son, named Brendon Langford Samuel Foster.

Last month, Doyle finally met the man who wrote her great-grandfather's biography. The two attended the Boxing Hall of Fame annual induction ceremony, where Doyle received an award in Langford's name from former Australian Boxing Hall of Fame President Arnold Thomas. Langford fought in Australia from 1912 to 1913, and was inducted into Australia's Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004. At the time of the induction, the Hall of Fame was not aware that the boxer had any living descendants, so they kept the award in Australia. Moyle's book acted as the critical link to Langford's great-granddaughter.

For Doyle, the presentation of the award was especially poignant. "Sam's spirit had been around an awful lot for the last few years and I wondered what I could do," she said. "Little did I know that across the states was Clay Moyle, researching, writing, and relentlessly trying to find me. It just all came together.

Doyle, who has lived in Cambridge all her life, wears her roots proudly-and literally-with an "Entering Cambridge" bracelet adorning her wrist. Close to the bracelet is her wedding ring, encrusted with a diamond originally belonging to a pair of earrings that Langford gave to his wife years ago.

For more information or to order a copy of Sam Langford: Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion, visit www.samlangford.com