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Seller's Description:
Second printing with revisions 2008. iv+430 pages. Illustrated. Cloth. Near fine in dustjacket. At the time of Sam Langford? s induction into the Boxing Hall of Fame (October 1955) he was the only non-champion accorded the honor. This detailed biography tells Langford? s life story and helps explain the circumstances behind that unique entry into the Hall of Fame. Many ring experts considered Sam the greatest pound-for-pound fighter in the history of boxing, but he was fighting in an era when? the color line? could be drawn to prevent a fight between men of differing races. His was the era of? The Great White Hope? , and his biography brings into focus how other societal fights were being fought outside the ring during that era. Under different circumstances Langford might have been a champion at five different weights: lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight. Although he stood no more than 5? 7? tall and weighed between 170-180 pounds in his prime, Langford often fought and defeated bigger and heavier men. During Langford? s lifetime, Jack Johnson won the heavyweight championship, the first black man to do so. Langford then pursued the title for several years, goading Jack Johnson in as many ways possible but never successfully booking Johnson into a fight for the title. In the meanwhile, Langford was a prodigious fighter, taking part in over 600 bouts. He travelled the world as a prizefighter, earning reputations as a top competitor and, remarkably given the challenges he faced, a playful and generous man. His biography is rich with lively stories and humor. In 1999 Sam Langford was voted Nova Scotia? s top male athlete of the twentieth century. Many boxing titles in stock, please ask for our list, or link.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Size: 6x2x9; [The Boston Bonecrusher] Hardcover and dust jacket. Good binding and cover. Shelf wear. Some foxing to edges. Pages unmarked. Sam Langford was one of the greatest fighters in boxing history. Born in Weymouth Falls, Nova Scotia on March 4, 1886, the 5' 7" dynamo migrated to Boston, Massachusetts, and engaged in close to 300 officially recorded professional contests from 1902 to 1926. He was an exceptionally courageous and intelligent fighter with long arms and an impressive upper torso. He also packed a tremendous wallop in both hands and knocked out many of the much larger and talented boxers of his day. In 2003, Ring Magazine's writers listed him second on their list of the 100 greatest pound for pound punchers of all-time. Despite his obvious qualifications Langford never received an opportunity to fight for a world championship. There were two reasons for this, first he was black and it was convenient for many of the top white contenders to draw the 'color line' to avoid facing him, and second he was too good to risk one's crown against. Time after time after becoming the first black heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson refused to fight Sam, eventually admitting that he had no wish to risk his title against Sam.