Sam Langford vs. "Philadelphia" Jack O'Brien

The Mirror of Life September 2, 1911

Langford Beats O’Brien Badly

BOUT STOPPED IN FIFTH ROUND
New York, Aug. 15 – Sam Langford, working on half speed for most of the way, knocked out Philadelphia Jack O’Brien tonight at the Twentieth Century A.C. in the first minute of the fifth round.

Langford was kind to the Philadelphia dancing master in permitting him to stay as long as he did, for he showed by both his power and his speed that if he had cared to put on the accelerator the white man would have been lucky to have lasted more than the first round.

Although Sam was not hitting as hard or as often as he can, by the time that the fifth opened O’Brien was running around the ring for dear life and holding on whenever he could. The reason for it was that Langford had given him an awful battering, even with the few good stiff punches that he had put to the right places.

TAPS IN THE FIFTH
Langford sounded taps on the white man in the fifth when he sunk one into the stomach and when O’Brien was bending over from the result of the impact. Langford dropped over a short left hook to the jaw, and it was farewell for O’Brien. He went down on his haunches half through the ropes and then dropped over.
Charley White, the referee, started the count and when he saw what a helpless condition the Quaker was in he waved the Negro away. Langford, knew, though, that his work had been done very expeditiously and needed no warning to cease hostilities.

NO SIGN OF FAKE
Because of previous things that these two boxers had done in the ring there were many remarks to the effect that the pair we’re faking it. To be absolutely fair, however, with both, the fight looked absolutely on its merits. The thing that aroused suspicion was the fact that Langford did not wade right in and try to finish the Quaker in the first round. Langford was too wise in ring craft to attempt anything foolish like that. He bided his time and when he had felt “Jack out and had warmed up himself, he showed the crowd what he could do in the line of boxing as well as fighting. Fast and pretty as O’Brien is the Negro in the fourth round when he felt that he could afford to step with O’Brien, showed that he is every bit as finished in the Queensbury art, and furthermore had the sting in his punch as an added asset.

O’Brien started the fight at a fast pace and he kept up a merry tattoo on Sam. The blows that he landed were light and would not have done any great damage to a featherweight. He kept Langford chasing him, but Sam developed some speed in the sprinting line himself, to the surprise of the crowd, and never let the white man get very far from him. One straight left to the face that sent O’Brien reeling for a moment was the only hard blow in the first round, and there were all sorts of murmurings about the whole thing being prearranged.

The Quaker was able to continue his fancy stuff in the second. Langford started for the stomach and Jack bean to grunt as if he would like almost anything better. Early in the round Sam poked a left to Jack’s nose and a thick stream of crimson began to drip down over his lips. The Negro appeared to be just warming up and all signs pointed toward an early finish.

If Langford had been in any particular hurry to catch a train back to Boston he could have settled Jack in the third round. In the early part of this period Sam hooked one into the stomach with his left and bounced it right up to the jaw. O’Brien went down with a thud, and the Negro turned his back and walked away as if he felt that it was all over.

LANGFORD SMILES
O’Brien was able to get up, and for the first time the Negro smiled. Instead of going after Jack, as he should have done if he wanted to have it over with him, he deliberately toyed with the white man. O’Brien held on for all he was worth, and Langford gave him an awful beating on the kidneys when he would not let go. Sam put on some of his speed right there. A sudden left to the jaw sent Jack staggering back toward the ropes, and then he gave the Quaker a hard battering. O’Brien was very wobbly under the fusillade. A sharp left hook that sunk into Jack’s stomach lifted him up off the floor and sent him sitting flatly. He crawled over and took the count of nine and was able to last only because the bell rang in time to save him. He was very groggy when he went to his corner.

In contrast to the lazy methods of the Negro’s few seconds there was a big force led by Kid McCoy, working hard over O’Brien, and they were able to fix him up well enough to make a little further stand. In the fourth Sam showed some of his most stylish boxing.

After feinting and dancing with his rival for a time, the Negro plunged a terrific right into the pit of the white man’s stomach, and the latter howled aloud from the pain of it. The Negro gave him a hard pounding and all the skill that he could marshal together did not avail him. Just before the bell Langford hooked a left to O’Brien’s chin and sent him reeling to his stool.

O’BRIEN DOES PRETTY WELL
O’Brien made as good a showing as might be expected of him, after the long time since he has fought a good man. He landed many punches on the Negro, but they had no snap to them and he might just as well have been throwing bird shot against a steel turret. His lightning jabs in the early stages raised a little bump over Langford’s eye, but beyond that the Negro hardly knew that he was in the fight. After O’Brien was brought round all he said was that the “other fellow was a little too much for me.”

THE FIGHT BY ROUNDS
First round – The men wasted very little time in sparring, but got to work quickly. O’Brien found Langford’s head and face with rights and lefts repeatedly, but the blows were apparently without force. He made the Negro miss frequently throughout the round. Shortly before the bell Langford knocked O’Brien to the ropes with a left to the body, but O’Brien was off his balance at the time.

Second round – They mixed in the middle of the ring and clinched, both holding. O’Brien sent over a solid left upper cut to the jaw and was roundly cheered. Langford landed two light lefts to the head and O’Brien retaliated with a left to the face.

O’Brien’s mouth was bleeding, but he was fighting fast with flashes of his old-time cleverness. The men exchanged rights to the face and Langford landed a damaging right uppercut on O’Brien’s face. O’Brien’s round.

Third round – Langford missed with a short left, but got in a right under O’Brien’s jaw. O’Brien went to his knees in a neutral corner from a right to the head, but was up quickly. The Philadelphian, although evidently tiring rapidly, assumed the aggressive and landed a fusillade of right and let straight-arm blows on the Negro’s face. They went into a clinch, and Langford hammered O’Brien over the kidneys with a sledgehammer right. The repeated blows evidently hurt O’Brien badly. Langford whipped two rights to the head and crossed O’Brien’s left. The Philadelphian went down and took the count of eight. Langford’s round.

Fourth round – O’Brien came in with a rush and put light lefts to Langford’s face. He followed with a hard right to the chin, one of the best blows he had landed. There was a hard exchange in mid-ring, in which O’Brien had all the worst of it. Langford’s short rights and lefts to the body work down the Quaker fighter perceptibly. He came out of the clinch staggering, and made a splendid, although momentary, rally, causing the Negro to miss four hard swings, any of which might have ended the battle there. O’Brien was saved by the bell.

Fifth round – The spectators began leaving before the opening of the fifth round. O’Brien had his fighting spirit left and that seemed to be about all. Langford put a hard left to the Philadelphian’s head and followed it with another fusillade of kidney blows in a clinch. The Negro then shook himself loose and tried a terrific right for the jaw. O’Brien ducked it with a last despairing effort. Langford followed with a sharp left hook to the jaw and O’Brien went down on his hands and knees. He might possibly have arisen before the count of 10, but it was evident that was all he could have done, and the referee motioned Langford to his corner and helped the defeated fighter to arise.

One of the reasons i've never had much interest in Langford is because of fights like this, when O'Brien is involved you can never be sure that the fight was on the level, too many question marks surround the whole era in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions.

I'm sure you could have anticipated my enthusiasm for this article, Clay.

Excellent stuff.

I wonder if you could do me a small favour ? In the subsection, above ( The boxing vault, ) we have a thread entitled ' Unfilmed classics - ringside views, ' and I believe this should take its place among those.

However, rather than lose it from the main page, would you be so kind as to copy it into that thread as well ? I'd do it for you, but then you aren't credited with ' authorship ' at the head of the page.

Would appreciate it. Thanks.

Done

Saw it, Clay.

Thanks very much.