Sam Langford Boxing's Greatest Uncrowned Champion

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.