Sam Langford met Battlin KO’ Jim Johnson

Mardi, Décembre 12, 1916, Sam Langford a défendu le “Colored World Heavyweight Boxing Championship”, qu'il a remporté contre Sam McVea en février 1916. Entre 1904 and 1919, les meilleurs boxeurs afro-américains, ou des Canadiens noirs comme Langford, étaient coincés à se battre pour “Coloré” Championnat.

Si un combattant blanc les combattait, it was only to develop their own reputation to fight the current champion. Peter Jackson was the uncrowned champion of his era. “Gentlemen” Jim Corbett fought Jackson to prove himself worthy to fight John L. Sullivan. When Corbett won the title from John L. Sullivan, cependant, he refused to “cross the color line” and fight Jackson.

Sam Langford and other great fighters suffered this same fate even after the first African-American champion Jack Johnson won the world title in 1908. They were forced to fight each other for little money. Consequently, they fought far more often than they should to keep from starving while less talented fighters made more money.

Langford fought on average one or two fights a month through out 1916. In December 1916, Langford was matched with Battlin’ Jim Johnson in New York’s Future City Athletic Club. Jim Johnson was a competent fighter but lost to all the best African-American fighters.

Johnson had the size and age advantage. Johnson stood 5’11’ et pesé 218 livres. Il a également été 4 years younger at 29 vieux ans.

Langford, who fought as low as welterweight (147 livres), stood 5’06” et pesé 210 kilos pour ce combat. Cependant, Langford’s skill level far surpassed Jim Johnson’s.

Johnson was game and tried to strike Langford with some heavy blows. He ended up hitting a lot of air and very little of Langford. Langford would move slightly out of the way and counter with his much faster strikes.

Despite Langford’s dominance, the match was headed for a twelve-round draw since decisions were not allowed in New York at the time. Langford ended Johnson’s hope of hanging on for the final bell, when he hit Johnson with a left to the belly. As Johnson’s diaphragm collapsed and he showed obvious signs of distress, Langford ended his night with a right cross to the jaw.

Langford continued fighting until 1922, when he was almost 40 vieux ans. He never secured a fight with Johnson or his successors. La “color barrier” was used to protect the champions from the most dangerous contender at the time.

Langford, who was born March 4, 1883, in Nova Scotia lived until a couple months before his 73rd birthday on January 12, 1956.

Ironically, Jim Johnson did secure a title fight with Jack Johnson. In the first title fight between black fighters, Johnson fought Jack Johnson. Jack Johnson was in exile in Europe at the time. Newspapers reported that the draw looked to be an exhibition between the two men.

Jim Johnson was going to fight Sam Langford once again in Lowell, Massachusetts in late 1918 but the Spanish flu pandemic caused the fight to be delayed. On his way to the site, Johnson contracted the Spanish flu and spent several days in a Danville, Virginia hospital. Johnson died from the flu and resulting pneumonia on November 6, 1918.

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Sources: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Janvier 4, 1916, p. 16 and St. Louis Star-Times, Décembre 13, 1916 édition, p. 13

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