El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-09-16
Champion Has Advantage in
Height, but Langford Has
Best Chest Expansion

New York. Sept 16.-Can Sam Lang
ford by any possible manner wrest
the worlds heavyweight championship
title from Jack Johnson? This is the
perp1exing question that is worrying
the fighting rraternities on both con-
tinents. The plain fact that these
black men SO far overshadow their
rivals at present that they are the
only gladiators fit to battle for the
title. forces the issue.
Sitting it down finer, can good
little man beat a good big man? His
tory answers emphatically-no Never
theless, in this particular case, many
close and smart students Of the sport
feel that precedent will be reversed.
johnson Great Fighter.
All acknowledge that Jack Johnson
Is a great fighter, though skeptics
claim that in beating Jeffries he licked
only shell Of great man. Everyone
who has seen Sam Langford at full
great fighter. Whether he can upset
tradition and cold calculation Is the
burning sport question.
Scanning the measurements of both
men, figures favor Johnson greatly. His
height gives him an advantage Of ga
inches. When facing a smaller man.
Johnson has only to throw his body
back and the smaller man suffers great
disadvantages Attacking a smaller ri
val, he towers over the latter and
makes useful advantage of his length.
In agility he is no mans understody,
and for cleverness he stands supreme.
If he and Langford meet in the middle
of ring In Gotham there viii be
startling surprise for the spectators.
long can the little man stay?" Cold
facts make it appear suicidal for Lang
ford to battle Johnson. But IL Jack
Johnson will face him, Langford Will
portunity.
Langford Barrel Chested.
A comparison of the measurements
s ga one part Of the 5o1 Rnf be
palm. That is the chest Under normal
conditions he measures "A inches
around the upper trunk while Johnson
shows only SO, an advantage of five
inches for Langford Ring history
shows that the majority OF great fight
ers possessed abnormal chests. During
a long and strenuous encounter the
organs hidden there perform the real
functions Of the battle. The vast lung
power stands for endurance That word
means everything.
go inches, while Langford slides the
tape to 33 inches. These figures prove
that except for the length of the torso
Langford has sturdfer body than his
rival
In the length Of reach both men can
stretch ~ inches. and the other por-
lions of the arm and leg vary so
slightly that there is really no differ
ence.
johnson Is Heavier.
Coming down to the weight, Johnson.
when down to fighting trim, tips the
beam around 200 pounds. Langford now
does his best work aSound $50 pounds.
So in this respect there is not such a
huge difference. when one figures that
in the heavyweight division weight cuts
little figure.
Breaking away from anatomical,
which favors the present champion, one
naturally turns to the records of both
4s~rl,% 49,
really be used as a criterion of the
respective prowess OF both fighters.
When Sam McVey faced Johnson. it
took the latter 20 rounds to knock him
all that Langford could do was to get
a draw. McVey was as good as John
son Counting experience) when they
met. and when he clashed with Lang
ford the latter was under no particular
handicap. On this one fight the scales
sway toward Johnson
LanEfOrd'S Record Better.
But take Langford.s complete record
and compare it with Johnson's. Lang
ford figures far and away the best.
This black tornado won most of his
Johnson generally gathered his VIC
tories by outpointing his man. johnson
took II rounds to beat Flynn into help
lessness. Langford just used one punch
claimed by the Lang rord camp to am
ply prove that Langford is a better
puncher than his rival.
Here's a pertinent question: Does
Johnson like the gaff? Nobody knows.
There never has been a fight in which
the champion had to take real punish
ment When he met Ketche1, the latter
dropped Johnson The middleweight
champion was a good hitter, but he
could never equal Langford in strength
and power of delivery in his blows
Should the pair clash Johnson's
method of fighting would be the same
as of oid-feinting and then counter
ing inside Langford, fighting his regu-
lar battle would keep bearing in, try
ing TO land on the body Can Johnson's
cleverness. jabbing ard chopping keep
from that center Of attack? That is a
question Langford, built as he is, with
all his drive strength stored within a