Omaha daily bee., 1910-04-24


son didn't know much about Langford ex-
cept that his first name was Sam, that he
was a negro and weiterweight
FiEhs with LanEford.
Many stories have been told Of this John
son-Langford scrap. but there is only one
that is true. Langford stood five feet
seven and one-half inches in his flghtnS
shoes and weighed exactly i3s pounds He
was five inches shorter and nearly sixty
pounds lighter-than johnson. In the first
round there was such an absurd differ
ence in the appearance OF the men that the
crowd screamed and howled. But in the
second round Langford getting in close,
put a great left hand upper cut on John
sons jaw and sent the big fellow to the
floor in a heap There are several reliable
persons available who will insist that while
johnson was taking the count 'nine"
from the referee eighteen seconds of
actual time by the watches OF these men
elapsed. Johnson got up. clinching TO the
gong, and for the rest OF the battle nc
stood Langford off by thrusting out his
long left hand and breaking the force of
many dangerous blows with his right
johnson got the verdict on points but
Boston critics regarded him as something
like a counterfeit
Johnson could never be induced to fight
Langford again. The latter weighs ITO
pounds now ana is a trifle taller. He can
hit harder and knows much more about
the game. He has challenged Johnson re-
peatedly, offering to bet $4,000 on the side,
but all to no purpose These facts are
recited here just to show that Johnson four
years ago was nothing more than a plain,
ordinary, willing heavyweight who met
/ -g.-N.A
terialize. A ten-round draw with Jean
nette wound up the 1906 campaign, the
men coming together in Portland Me
some Minor achievements.
| Peter Felix, who was knocked out by
johnson in a round at Sydney, New South
Wales, in February, 1907, was OF little ac-
count In the following July the ancient
Fltzsimmons, who had been punched into
submission by Philadelphia Jack O'Brien
| on the coast two years before went up
against Fitzpatricks "colored champion"
and was knocked out in a couple of
rounds. Yet this achievement didn't con-
vince the conservative critics that John
son was a first-class heavyweight. On
the contract johnson was termed -four
flusher'' for picking out the freckled Cor
nishman for an easy mark
There was no general comment when
Johnson stopped one Kid Cutler, a pupil
of John l.. Sullivan, in about three wal
lops, but there was a storm of severe
criticism when the big negro allowed
Sailor Burke. middlewieght, to stay six
rounds with him in what was apparently
a bare-faced fraud in the city of Bridge
port. Johnson knocked Burke down a
dozen times while sure thing men ran
around offering to 1 that the Sailor
would be on his feet at the end of the
sixth round. 1t was just money grab
bing frameup, In which Johnson was a
ready participator.
These alleged battles occurred in 1907 be-
fore Johnson wound up that campaign
by knocking out Jim Flynn at Colma in
eleven rounds. Just a year later Lang
! ford put Flynn to sleep in a punch. Then
Johnson began the pursuit of Burns,
which ended in Australia with the fight
that has compelled Jeffries to come back
to the prize ring.
One can take a look at Burns shorl
ring record and be partially convinced