సామ్ లాంగ్ఫోర్డ్ KOs బాట్లిన్’ జిమ్ జాన్సన్
మంగళవారం, డిసెంబర్ 12, 1916, సామ్ లాంగ్ఫోర్డ్ సమర్థించారు “Colored World Heavyweight Boxing Championship”, అతను ఫిబ్రవరిలో సామ్ మెక్‌వియా నుండి గెలిచాడు 1916. మధ్య 1904 మరియు 1919, అత్యుత్తమ ఆఫ్రికన్-అమెరికన్ బాక్సర్లు, లేదా లాంగ్ఫోర్డ్ వంటి నల్లజాతి కెనడియన్లు, ఒకరికొకరు పోట్లాడుకుంటూ ఇరుక్కుపోయారు “రంగులద్దారు” ఛాంపియన్‌షిప్.
ఒక తెల్ల యోధుడు వారితో పోరాడితే, 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. సుల్లివన్. When Corbett won the title from John L. సుల్లివన్, అయితే, he refused to “cross the color line” and fight Jackson.
The Great Sam Langford from the Public Domain
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. డిసెంబర్ లో 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’ బరువు 218 పౌండ్ల. He was also 4 years younger at 29 సంవత్సరాల వయస్సు.
Langford, who fought as low as welterweight (147 పౌండ్ల), stood 5’06” బరువు 210 pounds for this fight. However, 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.
Jim Johnson’s 1913 Passport Photo from the Public Domain
Langford continued fighting until 1922, when he was almost 40 సంవత్సరాల వయస్సు. He never secured a fight with Johnson or his successors. ది “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.
Did Sam Langford get a raw deal? ఎందుకు ఎందుకు లేదు? మీరు ఒక వ్యాఖ్యను వ్రాయవచ్చు లేదా దీని గురించి లేదా ఏదైనా పోస్ట్ గురించి దిగువ వ్యాఖ్య విభాగంలో లేదా నాపై ప్రశ్న అడగవచ్చు ఫేస్బుక్ పేజీ లేదా ట్విట్టర్ ప్రొఫైల్.
Sources: సెయింట్. లూయిస్ పోస్ట్ డిస్పాచ్, జనవరి 4, 1916, p. 16 మరియు సెయింట్. Louis Star-Times, డిసెంబర్ 13, 1916 edition, p. 13
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