Evening star., 1939-01-11
Som Refused to Be Touch
On Scored Adversary

Langford fought once with a badly
scared debutante known as the
Black Wolf of Canada. At the ring
side friend urged Sam to make it
short.
KNOCK him out in one, SAM" he
said. land We'll all go home early"
"Uh-uh," said Langford. The boy
here is just breaking in. This will
be slow and easy"
And it was.
One thing about Sam, though,
Which prevented him from being
model tanker and carrier was his
temper. Every once in while Sam
became annoyed and forgot the
script. Little things like treachery
Iuff1ed him very much Then he
began to swing, and, when he was
swinging, there were few greater
fighters in the world than Sam
Langford.
On one occasion, he was fighting
q new member of the Friendly
League OF Negro Heavyweights whom
ne mad agreed to carry for the dis
tance OF six rounds. In the fourth
round. the newcomer was seized by
whim. He hit Sam on the point
OF the chin with a good deal more
gusto than was necessary. Sam
ecowled.
When they came out at the start
OF the fifth round, Langford reached
out to shake hands. His opponent
was puzzled
This amt the last round, SAM"
he said. wait till the sixth"
There amt gonna be no sixth"
said Sam grimly, and there wasn't.
They tell of the time when the
Tar Baby was touring the West
with Porky Flynn. The boys took
turns winning in this series. It
was during the short heavyweight
reign of Tommy Burns, good fighters
were in demand, and, when Flynn
beat Langford one evening in Los
Angeles, local critic named Beany
Walker hailed Flynn as a coming
champion. He advised him not
to waste time with ham-and-eeeers
like Langford.
loneford Wos Particularly
Rude to the FIynns
Sam was highly sensitive to criti-
dsm. A tanker he might be, but
not a ham-and-egger. The boys
played return date in Los Angeles,
and again 1t was Flynn's turn to
win. He was popular there. But
Sam was irritated, and he ignored
the scenario. In an early round,
he herded the unhappy Flynn over
TO corner above Mr.. Beany Walker.
Here comes your champion, Mr..
Walker" he said, and let one 20.
Flynn spent the next 10 seconds
In Mr.. Walkers lap.
The Tar Baby was allergic to
Flynns of all kinds. In San Fran
cisco. promoter named Sam Ber-
ger matched Langford with Fire
man Jim Flynn, who later knocked
cut Jack Dempsey in one round,
under strange circumstances. The
crowd was small, and the fireman
demanded a guarantee of $500.
This left only few hundred dollars
for Langford.
Slightly i'll at ease, Promoter Ber-
ger went to call on Langtord in
Sans dressing room.
Now, SAM" he pleaded, "be nice,
will you? Make it a good fight"
Langford brooded
He gifts $2,500, I git $780," he
said finally. You say make it
nice fight. Mr. Berger. this is
gonna be the shortest fight you
ever saw"
Sam knocked out the fireman
with single punch.
Thus, treachery, criticism and
low pay could make the Tar Baby
forget his art and turn fighter, and,
when he did that, he was all the
fighter you would want to see. But
1t didn't happen too often for his
own welfare. Sam liked money,
and he knew the best way to
make it.
He also knew all the best ways to
spend 1t. He never saved a nickel.
Today he is blind and fat and lonely
and nominal job on the New York
City pay roll protects him from
hunger and death.