Who's the best HW Sam Langford can beat?

[Barn]

At his HW prime, in your opinion...

[BigStereotype]

I'd like to see him fight Floyd Patterson. His performance against a hyperathletic "big" man would tell a lot.

[Rspen46]

Lets see!

Ken Norton and maybe Jersey Joe Walcott,

Not sure he could beat anyone ranked any higher, and even these 2 would probably give him all he wanted.

Here is whom I would like to see fight him from HW. to start with and work upward.
1. Ron Lyle
2. Jerry Quarry
3. Floyd Patterson
4. Bob Foster
5. Jimmy Ellis
6. Ernie Shavers
7. Gerrie Coetzee
8. Tommy Morrison
Now for the bigger names
9. Mike Tyson
10. Rocky Marciano
11. Sonny Liston
12. George Foreman
13. James Jeffries
Now the guys in his own time.
14. Jack Dempsey
15. Paulini Uzcudun
16. Harry Greb
17. Mickey Walker
18. Billy Miske
19. Gene Tunney

My guess is, he loses the Majority of them, if not almost all, I think even the lower ranked guys give him all he wants and some may win.

[The Old LefHook]

Vladver Klinchko. Sam would have to rush Vlad. The Tar Baby's hands would outspeed even the attack of Sanders, and his punch was legendary in his own time. The leviathan's legs will betray it in the panic of retreat, tangling like the Kraken's tentacles as it hits the floor mat and possibly hurls itself right out of the ring. If Vlad survives the initial attack, he will tire from panic and become an easy lunch of calamari.

[Rspen46]

Klitschko

Klit vs the Tar baby, would be like Hearns vs Duran
There is a reason he never won a title, he couldnt,
start where he started at LW
I saw Mancini Beats him, Rosario Ko's him
and Ganigan has a punchers shot at a KO if he hits him
No need to discuss Duran or any other top LW, he could not get through the lower LW class.
JWW, he would be lucky to beat Pryor, Cervantes, Tszyu, Chavez,
WW, Hearns would think Duran was in front of him.
I even think Cuevas Ko's him
JMW - Tony Ayala Jr. vs Sam then if he wins, let him fight Norris who would KO him, McCaullum takes him out, and Nigel Benn, would swarm all over him.
MW - don't even think the best, lets start with Hamsho, I think he wins, Tony Sibson has a shot, Frank The Animal Fletcher and John Mugabi, beat those 4 , all 4 then you get a shot at the big stars, i doubt he beats any of the 4.
LHW - start with Qawi, he can't beat him, so no need to even think about the best All time, and you saw my HW list above, I think over half of them if not all beats him at HW, who did he beat, Jeannette, well jeannette beat him, Wills, Wills won more often over him, Mcvey, he beat sam just as often, so how good with all 4, we don't know, all they did was fight each other most of their careers, so how do we really measure those 4, they fought each other like 100x and then all the talk about those 4, was done by those 4 and their camps, Johnson always said, Langford didnt deserve a 2nd shot at him because it would not make money and it would be a useless battle for Sam to even think he could win, I tend to agree, I believe SAm is one of the most over rated in history, not that he was not good, had to be to win all those fights, but again, whom did he fight, I saw a photo of him, next to a fighter that was 5-6 he appeared just slightly taller, so he may not have been, even as tall as claimed, either way, he does not get past the lower to mid range guys in each division if he is Lucky, definitely never beats any of the top in each division.

[JAB5239]

Klit vs the Tar baby, would be like Hearns vs Duran
There is a reason he never won a title, he couldnt,
start where he started at LW
I saw Mancini Beats him, Rosario Ko's him
and Ganigan has a punchers shot at a KO if he hits him
No need to discuss Duran or any other top LW, he could not get through the lower LW class.
JWW, he would be lucky to beat Pryor, Cervantes, Tszyu, Chavez,
WW, Hearns would think Duran was in front of him.
I even think Cuevas Ko's him
JMW - Tony Ayala Jr. vs Sam then if he wins, let him fight Norris who would KO him, McCaullum takes him out, and Nigel Benn, would swarm all over him.
MW - don't even think the best, lets start with Hamsho, I think he wins, Tony Sibson has a shot, Frank The Animal Fletcher and John Mugabi, beat those 4 , all 4 then you get a shot at the big stars, i doubt he beats any of the 4.
LHW - start with Qawi, he can't beat him, so no need to even think about the best All time, and you saw my HW list above, I think over half of them if not all beats him at HW, who did he beat, Jeannette, well jeannette beat him, Wills, Wills won more often over him, Mcvey, he beat sam just as often, so how good with all 4, we don't know, all they did was fight each other most of their careers, so how do we really measure those 4, they fought each other like 100x and then all the talk about those 4, was done by those 4 and their camps, Johnson always said, Langford didnt deserve a 2nd shot at him because it would not make money and it would be a useless battle for Sam to even think he could win, I tend to agree, I believe SAm is one of the most over rated in history, not that he was not good, had to be to win all those fights, but again, whom did he fight, I saw a photo of him, next to a fighter that was 5-6 he appeared just slightly taller, so he may not have been, even as tall as claimed, either way, he does not get past the lower to mid range guys in each division if he is Lucky, definitely never beats any of the top in each division.

This is one of the stupidest posts I've ever read. The reason Langford never won a title is because he wasn't allowed to fight for one or flat out avoided. He beat the best fighters from lightweight to heavyweight including Joe Gans, a draw with Joe Walcott, beat Ketchel in a non title fight. Beat Wills, McVey, Jeanette just to make a few.

As far as the original question goes...I'd give him a shot with nearly any heavyweight. The best I think he could definitely beat...probably Frazier and Holyfield. If course this is not a given, only an opinion.

[Suckmedry]

Sam Langford was 5''7...

Im not doubting the guy was a great fighter for his time, but trying to suggest he beats good HW's is lunacy.

[JAB5239]

Sam Langford was 5''7...

Im not doubting the guy was a great fighter for his time, but trying to suggest he beats good HW's is lunacy.

Harry Wills was 6'2" and a top 15 all time heavyweight. Langford was blind and at the end of his career for most of their series but was able to beat him. Not really a stretch to think he could beat other greats.

[WalkerSmithJnr]

Klit vs the Tar baby, would be like Hearns vs Duran
There is a reason he never won a title, he couldnt,
start where he started at LW
I saw Mancini Beats him, Rosario Ko's him
and Ganigan has a punchers shot at a KO if he hits him
No need to discuss Duran or any other top LW, he could not get through the lower LW class.
JWW, he would be lucky to beat Pryor, Cervantes, Tszyu, Chavez,
WW, Hearns would think Duran was in front of him.
I even think Cuevas Ko's him
JMW - Tony Ayala Jr. vs Sam then if he wins, let him fight Norris who would KO him, McCaullum takes him out, and Nigel Benn, would swarm all over him.
MW - don't even think the best, lets start with Hamsho, I think he wins, Tony Sibson has a shot, Frank The Animal Fletcher and John Mugabi, beat those 4 , all 4 then you get a shot at the big stars, i doubt he beats any of the 4.
LHW - start with Qawi, he can't beat him, so no need to even think about the best All time, and you saw my HW list above, I think over half of them if not all beats him at HW, who did he beat, Jeannette, well jeannette beat him, Wills, Wills won more often over him, Mcvey, he beat sam just as often, so how good with all 4, we don't know, all they did was fight each other most of their careers, so how do we really measure those 4, they fought each other like 100x and then all the talk about those 4, was done by those 4 and their camps, Johnson always said, Langford didnt deserve a 2nd shot at him because it would not make money and it would be a useless battle for Sam to even think he could win, I tend to agree, I believe SAm is one of the most over rated in history, not that he was not good, had to be to win all those fights, but again, whom did he fight, I saw a photo of him, next to a fighter that was 5-6 he appeared just slightly taller, so he may not have been, even as tall as claimed, either way, he does not get past the lower to mid range guys in each division if he is Lucky, definitely never beats any of the top in each division.

Reach is more important than height and Langford's reach was 3 inches more than Tyson who would be competitive against most heavyweights in history especially today's super heavyweights.
I don't really see Langford as a HW as I think he fought there through circumstance. But he'd be a top 25 HW in most sensible people's list and a top 3 P4P

[WalkerSmithJnr]

And to answer the question beating Wills when Langford was pretty much washed up is a great win