1917-06-19 Fred Fulton W-TKO7 Sam Langford [Armory Athletic Association, Boston, MA, USA]

1917-06-20 The Boston Daily Globe (Boston, MA) (page 8)

LANGFORD QUITS, STARTING SEVENTH
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Sam Declines Any More of Fulton's Punishment
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Colored Boston Heavy Takes a Hard Drubbing at Armory A. A.
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Sam Langford, the colored heavyweight, regarded by many at one time as the best fighter in the world, quit cold to Fred Fulton, the Western heavyweight, when the seventh round of their bout was called at the Armory A. A. last night.

The big crowd was surprised, for they never expected to see Sam playing that role. He has always been game, but the walloping Fulton gave him was enough to discourage most any boxer.

That Langford was not knocked out by Fulton was somewhat of a surprise. It looked in the second as if the Westerner would end Sam's career as a boxer with a knockout.

Fulton stood head and shoulders over Langford and was in great shape, except his hands, which bothered him to such an extent that before he went into the ring a physician treated his left. Judging by the way he used it, however, no one would think that there was anything the matter with it.

Fulton knocked Langford down in the second round with a left hook to the jaw. He took the count of nine and was badly dazed when he got to his feet. Fulton drove his left time after time to Langford's eyes, mouth, nose, jaw and stomach. When Sam quit his eye was closed tightly.

The Western giant did some handy work, too, with the right, planting many rights to Sam's jaw. In the fourth, one of them nearly put Langford to the mat again. By grabbing Fulton about the waist he kept on his feet.

Not content with banging Sam on the jaw with his right, Fred also shook Sam up many times with short right-hand uppercuts.

Fulton fought a careful battle, in a cool manner, but did not escape some of Sam's punches. He did not seem to mind them much, however. Sam did not have a chance to reach Fulton a great many times, for the latter blocked many vicious left hooks Sam sent for the stomach and jaw. Fulton's left also kept Sam back most of the time when he worked to get close to his tall opponent.

At times Fulton made the once great fighter look like a crude amateur. It looked several times as if Langford was trying to lose on a foul, as some of his blows were low, but they did no damage.

When he went to his corner at the end of the sixth round he looked about all in. Bill LeClair sounded the bell for the start of the seventh and Langford's seconds jumped out of the ring. The fans expected to see Sam start again, but he remained seated and shook his head to the referee. His seconds went to his side and after a brief talk one of them threw in the sponge. Fulton did not have a mark on him.

Matt Hinkel of Cleveland refereed the bout.

To add to Sam's discomfort he was arrested in the afternoon by Deputy Sheriff C. Reardon, on a writ sworn out by Pete Walker, who claims that Langford owes him for services rendered. A friend of Langford's went his surety and he was released.

In the semifinal bout Jack Savage of Brockton made Al Nelson of Manchester quit in the fourth. Teddy Murphy won the decision over Charlie Mitchell in six rounds, and Jerry Leo and Charles Miller boxed a six-round draw.

Chick Simler and Frankie Callahan will box in the feature bout at the club next Tuesday night.


1917-06-20 The Boston Journal (Boston, MA) (page 8)

LANGFORD QUITS TO FULTON IN SEVENTH ROUND OF BOUT
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By Jack Malaney

Some three, four, or maybe five thousand fistic fans, local and visiting ones, went to the Arena last night and saw an old Boston favorite, Ho Ho Sam Langford, get left-handed to defeat. Deciding that prudence was the better part of valor, Sam refused to answer the bell in the seventh round, and there was nothing else for Referee Matt Hinkle to do but to award Fulton a technical knockout.

As a heavyweight battle it was practically a joke. The sizes of the men made it so, if nothing else did. Everybody knew that Fulton was a giant and that he was going to be much taller than Sam, but it was not until they got together in the center of the ring for instructions that the crowd really realized how much taller than Sam Fulton was.

Helped Sam Decide

And it was that disparity, also Fulton's great advantage in reach, that made Sam decide that he had taken enough. It didn't take any great amount of brain work or even common sense on Sam's part to know that he didn't have a chance. For any man who has been hit 307 times, or somewhere in the vicinity of that number, with one sort of punch alone, said punch being a straight left-hand jab, besides numerous other punches from both right and left hands, in only six rounds, should know where he gets off.

It was just like the pride of the village, an accomplished boxer, taking on the tough little guy from the next town. There had been many who thought that everything would be arranged for Fulton to "get" Sam in order to re-establish himself as a heavyweight of note. If those who thought that were present and saw the affair they soon became convinced that Frederick didn't need to have any fixing done for him, that it was almost simple for him to whip Sam with everything up to snuff.

Kept Left Working

Not only did Fred continually keep shooting that left hand at Sam's face until his nose was sore, his left eye closed and his lips were well cut and bleeding, but he also scored a sure and clean knockdown. In the second Fred had started out from where he left off in the first, jabbing to his heart's content. Sam got peeved and rushed in close. Fulton quickly shot a left hook to the head and Sam went down and stayed down for nine counts.

Besides that straight left, Fulton showed that he had several little items of offense in his repertoire. Against Langford, he had what could be called a fine one-two. After shooting his left straight several times, Fred's right would then come out straight from the shoulder. That his left hook is a fine one was asserted when he dropped Langford with it.

Failed to Prove Class

With all his fine showing last night, Fred failed to prove that he is the best heavy in the game. He lacked aggressiveness and he was not a bit vicious, a something that is getting to be common in heavyweights. Of course, his lack of aggressiveness last night could be credited to cautiousness, for he knew well that the Langford punch is dangerous. But with the battle going along so easily for him as it was, he could have extended himself a little more and tried to stop Sam, which he didn't even try to do.

Fulton has got plenty to learn yet about his defense. There, again, he might have an alibi on his defense of last night. Langford was so much shorter that it perhaps was better for Fred to keep his hands down around his mid-section most of the time. But when Fulton punched, that is, outside of jabbing, the inactive hand would invariably drop and leave him open.

Fulton Stood Guff

It has been said that Fred doesn't like to get hit hard. He didn't show it last night, then, if he doesn't. Langford may not have landed as hard on him as he wanted to nor as squarely as he generally likes to hit an opponent, but he certainly did connect with Fred and more than once. Not only did Fulton's body get walloped properly hard at times, but his head came in contact with Sam's padded fist sufficient times to warrant the saying that he is not punch-shy. And he took many of Langford's blows gracefully, too, having acquired the knack of letting his head go away from the wallop and thus escaping the full force of the punch.

Nelson Calls Halt

Like the feature event, the semi-final contest likewise ended. In this Al Nelson of Manchester decided that he had received enough from Jack Savage in the fourth round. Nelson had gone down a couple of times in the third and several in the fourth before Referee Conley stopped the bout.

Teddy Murphy proved too clever for Charley Mitchell in their six-rounder and won out. The crowd didn't like the decision, for Mitchell is a big favorite and Murphy is not, but it was a right one. In the opening six-rounder Charley Miller boxed a draw with Jerry Leo.

Bob Dunbar's SPORTING COMMENT
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"Every knock is a boost"--Bob.
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Fulton is remarkably nifty and speedy for such a big fellow, even allowing for the contrast between his pace and Sam Langford's slowness at the Triple A. last evening. But nobody was convinced that Fred is the man to take the heavyweight crown away from Willard. He does not even seem to have the temperament of a scrapper, although Jess is also a very good-natured off-hand sort of a chap. Fulton would better not wear that Glacier Park bathrobe into the same ring with the Cowboy until a few more winters and summers have passed over the heads of both.

*

Ho Ho Langford, being under no obligation to demonstrate courage after 15 years in the ring, did a perfectly sensible thing when, with one eye shut tight and the other a mere slit, decided to remain in his corner after the six rounds were over. He was practically helpless--and no championship was involved.


1917-06-20 The Evening Times (Pawtucket, RI) (pages 12, 17)

LANGFORD QUITS TO FULTON
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Beaten Badly From Start, Tar Baby Refuses to Leave Corner In 7th Round.
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KNOCKED DOWN IN SECOND
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(By Staff Correspondent.)

BOSTON, June 20.--Rather than let the white giant knock him out for the first time in a ring career that dates back 15 years Sam Langford, the Boston Tar Baby, refused to come out of his corner for the seventh round of his bout with Fred Fulton of Hudson, Minn., at the Armory A. A. last night. Knocked down cleanly by a wicked short left hook to the jaw in the second round, one eye almost closed after the fourth from Fulton's steady jabs, and discouraged by his inability to score with his former deadly left hook, Sam Langford, the terror of his class for years, was licked and he knew it. Matt Hinkel, after the bell clanged in the sixth, waited for Langford to come to scratch and when the bulky negro continued to sit blinking in his chair the Cleveland referee gave Fulton the bout.

Thus did Fulton, an aspirant for Willard's honors, emulate against Langford the success of Jess the circus proprietor against Jack Johnson. Up to last night no white man, since the days Langford has been recognized as one of the "greats," has ever stopped the Boston Tar Baby. There is no question but what Fulton, who had height, weight and reach on Langford, would have won on a knockout had the bout continued much further. Langford was helpless before the big fellow. It was like a baboon fighting a giraffe. Langford seldom was able to break through Fulton's guard and in the second round Fulton floored him heavily with a left drive that forced the negro to take the count of nine.

Not Yet Ready for Willard.

In kicking from the heavyweight track the last chunk of coal Fulton partly obliterated his recent sorry showing against Carl Morris. The ponderous plasterer from Minnesota does not appear, however, a formidable opponent for Willard. He has a good stiff left hand and a right cross that is fairly effective, but he is slow and lacks confidence. Any time after the second round Fulton should have been able to beat his old, puffy opponent. The fact that Langford surrendered before the bout had gone more than half the distance indicates clearly how far he was gone.

Fulton was the first to enter the ring. The western giant wore over his togs a gaily decorated Navajo bathrobe that made his great height all the more conspicuous. He was attended by Al Palzer and Fouler Mike Paulson, who took turns fanning him until Sam Langford, accompanied by a dusky retinue, put in a belated appearance.

Fulton Towers Above Langford.

When the men met in the centre of the ring the marked discrepancy between the combatants raised an amused howl from the crowded house. Langford, with huge rolls of fat around his bronze stomach, came only up to the shoulder of the blond, clean-limbed giant. Even as the six-foot fighter from Minnesota bent over to hear Referee Hinkel's instructions he was fully a head taller than anybody else in the ring.

Fulton lost no time getting his famous left hand working the minute the bell rang. Langford took four or five jabs and then tried to put over a left chop but missed by yards. Fulton jabbed again and then shot over a hard right. Langford sent his right and left gloves to the body with no effect and Fulton in response popped him on the chin with both hands. For the remainder of the round Langford coolly took jab after jab, vainly trying to break through Fulton's guard.

Fulton Drops Langford Cleanly.

The westerner resumed his jabbing in the second round and, suddenly, as Langford rushed him into his own corner, Fulton set himself and shot a short left hook straight to the negro's chin. Langford dropped, as if shot, upon his haunches, rolled over like a barrel and amid a perfect frenzy of cheering took the count of nine. When he got up Fulton tried hard to rush him, but the crafty ring general was soon himself again and finished the round strong.

In the third Langford started to cover more, but when the Tar Baby blocked leads for his head Fulton began to shoot punches to the body, so Langford again pursued Fulton in the hope of getting close enough to land his left hook. Invariably the punch whistled harmlessly short of the mark. Langford, however, held Fulton even in this round, the only one that Fulton did not carry.

In the fourth round Fulton laced Langford so steadily with his left that one good right-hand punch seemed all that was necessary to jolt the negro off his pins, but despite the exhortations of the fans to "Knock him out, Fred!" the plasterer took no chances and kept the Boston heavyweight at long range.

Sam's Last Shot Fails.

Fulton kept stepping in with his stiff left in the fifth and although Langford twice rallied and hammered him in the body Fulton only grinned and kept raking the Tar Baby. This inability to hurt Fulton must have had as much to do with the negro's quitting as Fulton's blows. In the sixth round he showed signs of despair after a last coup failed. Working Fulton into a favorable position for such a move, Langford suddenly lashed out his left hand and smote Fulton a wicked hook flush on the jaw. It was the old Langford punch--the kind that used to make men's knees knock together. But Fulton only grinned as the blow bounded off his chin, and from then on to the end of the round Langford gave up hope and simply tried to block punches. It was evident, when he failed to come to scratch in the seventh, that he had put his all in that punch and, failing, had decided that further resistance was useless.

The semi-final was also an abbreviated affair. Al Nelson of Manchester bothered Jack Savage of Brockton for one round with his left jab, but after that Savage's punches broke through Nelson's defense, and in the third Savage flattened the Manchester middleweight with a heavy right smash to the body. Savage floored Nelson twice more before the round ended and was making a punching bag of him when Referee Larry Conley stopped the bout in the fourth. Nelson hit the floor three times in this round.

In the preliminaries aged Teddy Murphy was given a doubtful decision over Charlie Mitchell and Charley Miller and Jerry Leo boxed a draw.

Langford Meets Legal K. O.

BOSTON, June 20.--Sam Langford was arrested yesterday afternoon on a complaint made by Peter Walker, a trainer, who alleges that Langford is indebted to him in the sum of $1138 for services. The arrest was made by Deputy Sheriff Reardon of Sheriff Kelther's staff. Bonds were furnished for the heavyweight boxer by George Dearborn, a local hotel man.