Great unknown

WEYMOUTH FALLS, Nova Scotia -- There are two words that never should be associated with the late Boston-area boxer Sam Langford.

Who's he?

Ever heard of him? Ever hear boxing historians speak of the early-1900s fighter widely considered the greatest boxer never to hold a world title, despite besting most of the great pugilists of his day from lightweight to heavyweight over a career spanning more than 20 years? How about his revolting, racist nickname -- ever hear of the Boston Tar Baby?

His nickname alone should have kept Langford's name popular in boxing circles well after his death in Cambridge Jan. 12, 1956, less than two months before his 73d birthday. Yet it also speaks volumes about the time in which he fought: Langford was a black boxer who competed during a period when black fighters didn't often receive championship bouts.

Even when a black fighter was champion -- and the great Jack Johnson was heavyweight champ during Langford's heyday -- other black fighters struggled to get a title shot.

In fact, the two fought in Chelsea in 1906, with Johnson prevailing in 15 rounds. Johnson won the title two years later and refused to fight Langford again, saying that no one wanted to see two black fighters square off for the title.

Thus, even Boston-area fighting gurus speak little of a man who ran away from his home here at age 12 to escape his father's physical abuse. Langford eventually made his way to Boston and worked odd jobs while taking up boxing, won his professional debut at 16, and within three years beat world lightweight champ Joe Gans in a non-title fight.

"Sam Langford was designed to be a fighter; his body was perfect for it," said Kevin Smith, boxing historian and founder of the Historical Society for Black Prizefighters.

"Langford was compact with long arms, a short, thick neck, huge shoulders, and a tremendously powerful squat in legs," Smith added. "What Langford didn't lack was the ability to reach men because his arms were long enough. What he gave up in being compact wasn't much because of his extra reach."

Elected into Ring Magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame in 1955 (the first nonchampion to be so honored), the 5-foot-8-inch Langford fought at weights from 138 to 204 pounds, yet he was often 30-40 pounds lighter than his opponent.

Cyberboxingzone called him "a boxer-puncher supreme." BoxRec lists his record as 195 wins (130 by knockout), 46 losses, and 41 draws, although some of his draws are listed as "prearranged."

Langford was reputed as having very fast hands, a quick jab, and an ability to punish opponents with either hand. He was also a fighter confident in his ability to back up lofty claims: Among the more popular stories involved a bout when Langford walked out in the eighth round and touched gloves.

"What's the matter, Sam?" the fighter asked. "It ain't the last round."

" 'Tis for you, son," Langford replied, before delivering a devastating right hook.

"When you consider that in terms of his experience and record, I mean the guy fought for 25 years, how great he was -- and, in my opinion, he was one of the top three fighters ever -- it's a travesty that people do not remember him," said Smith. "People like to do lists, and when boxing writers name their top three fighters, probably nine or 10 wouldn't even name him.

"But if you knew the great ones of his generation, you would know he fought them all and beat them. He beat Joe Gans in 1903 and then in 1922 he beat Tiger Flowers. He was great enough to beat two Hall of Fame fighters who fought in two completely different generations 20 years apart."

Tracing his moniker
As for the nickname, the stories vary, and it reflected the descriptive license sportswriters had during that period. Smith said prior to Langford's fight against middleweight champion Joe "Barbados Demon" Wolcott (reportedly the only time Langford competed for a world title), a reporter went to Manchester, N.H. (where Wolcott was residing), and toured the mills to see which fighter garnered the most support -- the champion or the challenger.

"There were a lot of black workers in those mills," said Smith. "The newspaper writer went up there to get the take of the black fans' perspective. He ran into a group of girls who said, `Our baby is going to win. Our baby, Sam Langford.' This writer, when describing this conversation, came up with `The Boston Tar Baby,' and it stuck."

Dr. Henry Bishop, curator and director of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia, said Langford's original nickname was "The Boston Terror."

"But during one of his fights, a boxing reporter wrote, `He might be the Boston Terror, but he looks like a Boston Tar Baby to me,' " Bishop said. Langford was also referred to as a "Prehistoric Creature" and a "Skilled Black Jungle Man."

Still, there was no doubt that he put trepidation in fighters in each division in which he fought. Los Angeles Times reporter Harry C. Carr wrote in 1910 that the other nicknames Langford was given should be shunned for "Young Man The Sight Of Whose Fists Gives Prizefighters The Shivering Willies."

Many reporters of his day considered Langford among the best to step into the ring. Boxing guru Bert Sugar is among those of the current day who hail Langford.

"When I wrote about the greatest fighters of all time, I had him as No. 8," said Sugar. "To give you an idea of how great he was, he was a middleweight fighting heavyweights.

"He once went to Jack Dempsey's manager and he was told, `Sam, we're looking for someone easier.' He chased Jack Johnson, but Johnson said that nobody wants to see two black fighters fight for the championship. He was a great fighter that never gets his due because we're in a world where everyone loves championship rings, and he never held a championship [in the United States or Canada]."

Langford continued to fight well after he began losing his eyesight. By the time he competed for the championships of Mexico and Spain in 1923, he was completely blind in one eye and nearly sightless in the other. Yet he still won both titles.

"He was able to tell where his opponent was in the ring by listening to his feet move," said Stephen Counts, curator of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame, where Langford was among its original inductees. "He knew that most fighters stopped moving to throw a punch so he was able to defend himself just before the punch was thrown."

Surgery didn't help. He was knocked out in 1926 by a little-known fighter, and that convinced him to retire. A lavish lifestyle during his heyday -- and no title fights -- meant Langford squandered much of his earnings by retirement.

That led to a broken-down existence sadly experienced by many fighters to leave the ring.

Faded memories
By 1944, Langford was sightless and alone, living in a Harlem, N.Y., tenement, when reporter Al Laney tracked him down while researching an article on old-time black fighters. Publicity from the article prompted Langford fans to raise a trust fund, and the fighter lived out much of his life in relative comfort.

If you hadn't heard of Langford, take note: Even along the one-paved-road village where he was born, Langford's legacy could stand a touch up.

Make that a trimming: Cross into Weymouth Falls, and you'll see a small weather-beaten sign off to the side of the road in high grass commemorating Langford: "Weymouth Falls, birthplace of . . ." You'll need to pull back the grass before the sign to see his fading name.

Langford grew up in a rural area of the province; to this day, many residents with high school diplomas soon depart to large cities such as Halifax or Toronto. Some seldom return. Langford is said to have returned only a couple of times, after he made it big in Boston. The empty home where he resided still stands.

Only one of Langford's living blood relatives still resides in the village -- Paul Pleasant, 52, who is the grandson of Walter Langford, Sam's brother. He never met his now long-forgotten uncle.

"He was here before I could remember," said Pleasant. "They used to say he was a great fighter. There was a lot of talk about him for quite a while. I can remember when my grandfather used to talk about him a lot. There was once a big write-up about him, but they got it from the States, it wasn't from a paper here."

Rekindling legacy
After his death, Langford was honored by Weymouth Falls, which in 1972 erected a plaque in his memory at its community center, which would ultimately take his name. In 1986, his grave site in Cambridge was given a proper headstone. The following year, the Canadian Broadcasting Company produced an hourlong drama on his life.

But Pleasant said it has been years since Langford's name has been mentioned in the media. Even the community center and former school that bears his name is closed.

"It's been closed for about eight or nine years," said Pleasant. "It was a school, and then they turned it over into an outreach club. They used to have bingo here and all kinds of things going on. Every month they had something going on here, and that's what kept it going. Nobody bothers with it now."

Bishop's mother, Mimie, 92, still lives in Weymouth Falls less than a mile from where Langford was born and is among the few who can still remember him returning to the area.

"I think he was married then," said Bishop. "He visited his brother Walter and stayed there with them and used to visit around. A very, very big man with big, wide shoulders, always talking and smiling. A lot of people that remember him from when he was small were glad to see him come back."

Henry Bishop said the community center that bears Langford's name is in the process of being reopened, and there is talk of a film about his life that is under way in Canada. He said he hopes that will spread the name of a fighter whose accomplishments are virtually forgotten.

"You have to remember, Sam Langford was never considered a heavyweight and he was considered a glorified middleweight, yet he was knocking out fighters," Bishop said. "He was like Roy Jones taking on John Ruiz in his day, but in those days, boxers were better conditioned and absorbed more punishment because more was allowed.

"He became a survivor of the highest level and a great inspiration for the underdog in both Nova Scotia and all of Canada."