Sam McVey
Sam McVey or Sam McVea was a Hall of Fame heavyweight boxer who fought during the early 20th century. McVey ranked alongside Jack Johnson, Joe Jeanette, Sam Langford, and Harry Wills as the top black heavyweights of their generation. All of them, except Johnson, was denied a shot at the world heavyweight championship due to the color bar, which ironically was maintained by Johnson when he became the first black fighter to win the world heavyweight title. Despite being denied a title shot, McVea enjoyed a famed career that took him across the globe.
In 96 documented fights in at least 10 different countries, McVey only lost 16 bouts. His greatest wins include two victories over both Sam Langford and Harry Wills, which won him the World Colored Heavyweight Championship on two separate occasions, respectively. In his later, years he worked as a trainer and sparring partner for both black and white fighters training for important bouts.
Biography
Fighting out of Oxnard, California, McVey stood 5′10½″ inches tall and fought at a weight of between 205 and 220 lbs. He relied more on brute strength than finesse in the ring. His first pro fight listed on boxrec took place in 1902 at the age of 18, but a newspaper from 1902, on his then-upcoming fight with Jack Fogarty, lists five earlier fights he won in Australia, and a further two that took place in California. However In those days, few mixed-race fights took place, so McVey frequently fought the other top black boxers of his time, including Sam Langford, Joe Jeanette, Harry Wills, and Jack Johnson. Overall, McVey's boxing record was 65 wins, 16 losses, and 12 draws.McVey spent much of his prime years fighting overseas. He left for Paris in 1907 and fought there for four years. McVey left Paris in 1911 for Australia. He fought there for three more years before finally returning to the U.S.
On December 31, 1908 in Paris, Sam McVey competed in a mixed style bout against jujutsu expert Tano Matsuda, knocking him out in ten seconds. In the earlier part of this century, such bouts were occasionally held in Japan pitting western boxers against judo or jujutsu fighters.
On April 17, 1909, in Paris, Sam McVey fought Joe Jeanette in a bout considered one of the greatest and certainly one of the longest of the 20th century. The fight went 50 rounds and lasted three and a half hours. McVey was generally agreed to be winning through most of the fight, particularly the 21st and 22nd round, knocking Jeanette down repeatedly. By the 40th round, however, Jeanette had recovered while McVey was lagging and knocked down repeatedly. Ultimately McVey's eyes had swollen shut and he was forced to quit.
In 1912, McVey was one of the contenders for the World Colored Heavyweight Championship fought at various venues across Australia. Sam Langford his opponent, was a Black Canadian popularly known as the Boston Tar Baby and reputedly one of the greatest fighters of all time, beating champions in the lightweight to heavyweight classes.
Before the matches, the boxers gave demonstrations of their skill. Before his beating, Sam McVea in the Exhibition Rink Buildings in Perth, Sam Langford stayed at the Nedlands Park Hotel where he:
“gave exhibitions of punching the ball, throwing the medicine bag sparring, etc. His work was a revelation. Langford allowed his sparring partners to hit him just when and where they pleased. After witnessing his exhibition of wonderful foot and head work one could easily understand how the big-little fellow came to lay low the best boxers in the world. Langford is as fast on his feet and as graceful as a ballet-dancer. He carries a punch like unto that of a kick of a mule, and is practically impervious to punishment. Dick Cullen hit him some terrific punches on the chin last Wednesday - punches that would have put the ordinary boxer away for the full count; but the Tar Baby only grinned and shoved out his head for more. He is truly a remarkable fighter.”
McVey contracted pneumonia and died December 23, 1921, in New York City, penniless while still an active fighter. His burial and grave marker was paid for by Jack Johnson.
McVey was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.
Professional boxing record
| Fight Number | Date of Fight | Opponent | Opponents' Wins | Opponents' Losses | Opponents' Draws | Fight Location | Result | Decision |
| 109 | 8/2/1921 | Jeff Clark | 92 | 29 | 15 | Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA | D | NWS |
| 108 | 7/7/1921 | Jeff Clark | 92 | 29 | 15 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA | W | NWS |
| 107 | 3/21/1921 | Jeff Clark | 90 | 28 | 15 | Columbus, Ohio, USA | W | PTS |
| 106 | 3/18/1921 | Jack Thompson | 17 | 8 | 5 | Moose Temple, Detroit, Michigan, USA | N | NC |
| 105 | 9/8/1920 | Harry Wills | 44 | 5 | 2 | Ice Palace, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA | N | NC |
| 104 | 9/1/1920 | Jack Ward | 0 | 3 | 0 | Auditorium, Atlanta, Georgia, USA | W | KO |
| 103 | 8/14/1920 | Sam Langford | 124 | 19 | 29 | East Chicago, Indiana, USA | L | NWS |
| 102 | 8/5/1920 | Pinky Lewis | 3 | 14 | 6 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA | L | PTS |
| 101 | 12/15/1918 | Clem Johnson | 2 | 0 | 0 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | W | KO |
| 100 | 9/14/1918 | Jack Livingstone | 3 | 13 | 1 | Broadway Theater, Colon, Panama | D | PTS |
| 99 | 6/16/1918 | Harry Wills | 33 | 5 | 2 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | L | PTS |
| 98 | 2/17/1918 | Harry Wills | 30 | 5 | 2 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | L | KO |
| 97 | 10/14/1917 | Battling Jim Johnson | 25 | 14 | 7 | Broadway Theater, Colon, Panama | W | PTS |
| 96 | 8/12/1917 | Battling Jim Johnson | 24 | 13 | 7 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | W | PTS |
| 95 | 7/15/1917 | Jeff Clark | 86 | 9 | 11 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | W | TKO |
| 94 | 5/13/1917 | Jeff Clark | 86 | 8 | 11 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | W | PTS |
| 93 | 3/11/1917 | Jim Barry | 25 | 23 | 5 | Vista Allegre Bull Ring, Panama City, Panama | W | TKO |
| 92 | 1/27/1917 | Fitz Breathwaite | 1 | 6 | 0 | Santa Ana Plaza, Panama City, Panama | W | KO |
| 91 | 1/27/1917 | Jim Briggs | 7 | 5 | 0 | Santa Ana Plaza, Panama City, Panama | W | KO |
| 90 | 1/14/1917 | Jack Livingstone | 3 | 11 | 1 | Garden Theater, Colon, Panama | W | KO |
| 89 | 9/20/1916 | Bob Devere | 20 | 4 | 2 | Santiago de Chile, Chile | W | PTS |
| 88 | 9/3/1916 | Bob Devere | 20 | 4 | 1 | Santiago de Chile, Chile | D | PTS |
| 87 | 8/12/1916 | Sam Langford | 100 | 11 | 23 | Teatro Roma, Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina | D | PTS |
| 86 | 5/2/1916 | Sam Langford | 99 | 11 | 23 | East Market St. Rink, Akron, Ohio, USA | D | NWS |
| 85 | 4/15/1916 | Jack Thompson | 3 | 2 | 1 | Saint Louis, Missouri, USA | L | NWS |
| 84 | 4/7/1916 | Sam Langford | 99 | 11 | 23 | Arena, Syracuse, New York, USA | L | NWS |
| 83 | 2/17/1916 | Sam Langford | 97 | 11 | 23 | Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA | L | NWS |
| 82 | 11/23/1915 | Sam Langford | 96 | 10 | 23 | American A.C., New York, New York, USA | D | NWS |
| 81 | 10/15/1915 | Jeff Clark | 78 | 3 | 10 | North Side A.C., Kansas City, Missouri, USA | W | PTS |
| 80 | 9/30/1915 | Sam Langford | 95 | 10 | 22 | Stockyards Stadium, Denver, Colorado, USA | D | PTS |
| 79 | 9/7/1915 | Harry Wills | 23 | 3 | 2 | Atlas A.A., Boston, Massachusetts, USA | L | PTS |
| 78 | 8/10/1915 | Sandy Ferguson | 34 | 17 | 15 | Atlas A.A., Boston, Massachusetts, USA | W | KO |
| 77 | 6/29/1915 | Sam Langford | 94 | 9 | 22 | Atlas A.A., Boston, Massachusetts, USA | W | PTS |
| 76 | 6/9/1915 | Battling Jim Johnson | 22 | 8 | 5 | Gayety Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | W | NWS |
| 75 | 5/19/1915 | Harry Wills | 23 | 3 | 2 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York, New York, USA | W | NWS |
| 74 | 4/27/1915 | Joe Jeannette | 74 | 9 | 7 | Atlas A.A., Boston, Massachusetts, USA | D | PTS |
| 73 | 2/20/1915 | Battling Jim Johnson | 21 | 7 | 5 | Havana, Cuba | W | PTS |
| 72 | 12/20/1914 | Harry Wills | 22 | 2 | 2 | McDonoghville Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA | W | PTS |
| 71 | 12/10/1914 | Battling Jim Johnson | 20 | 7 | 5 | Fairmont A.C., Bronx, New York, USA | W | NWS |
| 70 | 6/13/1914 | Arthur Pelkey | 17 | 7 | 1 | Baker's Pavilion, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | W | KO |
| 69 | 12/27/1913 | Colin Bell | 32 | 6 | 2 | Olympia A.C. Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | W | KO |
| 68 | 11/6/1913 | Professor Stevenson | 0 | 1 | 0 | Rink Hall, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia | W | KO |
| 67 | 4/19/1913 | Colin Bell | 28 | 5 | 1 | National Arena, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | W | TKO |
| 66 | 3/24/1913 | Sam Langford | 79 | 7 | 19 | Olympic Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | D | PTS |
| 65 | 12/26/1912 | Sam Langford | 77 | 7 | 19 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | L | KO |
| 64 | 10/9/1912 | Sam Langford | 76 | 7 | 19 | Exhibition Stadium, Perth, Western Australia, Australia | L | TKO |
| 63 | 8/3/1912 | Sam Langford | 75 | 7 | 19 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | L | PTS |
| 62 | 4/8/1912 | Sam Langford | 72 | 7 | 19 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | L | PTS |
| 61 | 3/16/1912 | Jim Barry | 24 | 12 | 4 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | W | PTS |
| 60 | 12/26/1911 | Sam Langford | 71 | 6 | 19 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | W | PTS |
| 59 | 12/11/1911 | Jack Lester | 15 | 2 | 3 | Olympic Stadium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | W | KO |
| 58 | 10/28/1911 | Bill Lang | 24 | 9 | 1 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | W | KO |
| 57 | 9/30/1911 | Jack Lester | 15 | 1 | 3 | Sydney Stadium, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | W | PTS |
| 56 | 8/3/1911 | Alf Langford | 6 | 0 | 0 | Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom | W | KO |
| 55 | 7/20/1911 | George Rodel | 4 | 0 | 0 | Liverpool Stadium, Pudsey Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom | W | KO |
| 54 | 5/25/1911 | Andrew Dixon | 1 | 1 | 0 | Cirque-Théâtre, Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France | W | KO |
| 53 | 4/1/1911 | Sam Langford | 65 | 6 | 18 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, Paris, France | D | PTS |
| 52 | 2/25/1911 | Charley Harris | debut | Apollo-Cirque, Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France | W | KO | ||
| 51 | 1/14/1911 | Seaman Fred Parsons | 0 | 1 | 0 | Bâtiment Électoral, Geneva, Switzerland | W | KO |
| 50 | 11/19/1910 | Battling Jim Johnson | 6 | 0 | 2 | Luna Park Skating Rink, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 49 | 10/22/1910 | Corporal Sergeant Sunshine | 4 | 5 | 0 | Hippodrome, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 48 | 8/7/1910 | Battling Jim Johnson | 3 | 0 | 1 | Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France | D | PTS |
| 47 | 7/22/1910 | Peter Rice | debut | Salle de la Pépinière, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO | ||
| 46 | 6/25/1910 | Joe Grim | 16 | 28 | 5 | Hippodrome, Paris, Paris, France | W | TKO |
| 45 | 4/16/1910 | Jim Stewart | 13 | 1 | 1 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, Paris, France | W | TKO |
| 44 | 4/13/1910 | Arthur Bennett | 1 | 2 | 0 | Apollo-Cirque, Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France | W | KO |
| 43 | 3/25/1910 | Herbert Sinnott | 16 | 16 | 7 | Grand-Théâtre, Saint-Etienne, Loire, France | W | KO |
| 42 | 2/26/1910 | Al Kubiak | 13 | 2 | 1 | Wonderland, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 41 | 2/11/1910 | Arthur Bennett | 1 | 1 | 0 | Brussels, Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium | W | KO |
| 40 | 1/27/1910 | Fred Drummond | 3 | 9 | 3 | Le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France | W | KO |
| 39 | 12/11/1909 | Joe Jeannette | 24 | 5 | 3 | Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, Paris, France | D | PTS |
| 38 | 7/4/1909 | Fred Drummond | 2 | 7 | 1 | Praça de Touros do Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, Portugal | W | KO |
| 37 | 6/26/1909 | Jim Barry | 14 | 6 | 2 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, Paris, France | W | DQ |
| 36 | 5/30/1909 | Bill Harris | debut | Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France | W | KO | ||
| 35 | 4/24/1909 | Fred Drummond | 2 | 5 | 1 | Nouveau Cirque, Orléans, Loiret, France | W | KO |
| 34 | 4/17/1909 | Joe Jeannette | 16 | 4 | 3 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, Paris, France | L | RTD |
| 33 | 4/9/1909 | 'Cyclone' Billy Warren | 0 | 2 | 0 | Tivoli Boxing-Hall, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 32 | 2/20/1909 | Joe Jeannette | 16 | 3 | 3 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, Paris, France | W | PTS |
| 31 | 2/5/1909 | Herbert Sinnott | 15 | 14 | 3 | Salle des Fêtes, Roubaix, Nord, France | W | KO |
| 30 | 1/23/1909 | Bill Rickard | 1 | 1 | 0 | Folies Bergère, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 29 | 12/18/1908 | Fred Drummond | 1 | 4 | 0 | Théâtre de l'Eldorado, Montpellier, Hérault, France | D | PTS |
| 28 | 12/17/1908 | Fred Drummond | 1 | 4 | 0 | Théâtre de l'Eldorado, Montpellier, Hérault, France | N | NC |
| 27 | 11/14/1908 | Herbert Sinnott | 15 | 13 | 3 | Hippodrome, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 26 | 9/19/1908 | Harry Shearing | 2 | 5 | 5 | Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 25 | 7/11/1908 | Charlie Wilson | 12 | 2 | 1 | Brussels, Bruxelles-Capitale, Belgium | W | KO |
| 24 | 7/1/1908 | Georges Rampazzi | 1 | 1 | 2 | Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France | W | KO |
| 23 | 5/23/1908 | Jewey Smith | 4 | 1 | 0 | Porte Maillot, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 22 | 4/15/1908 | Ben Taylor | 23 | 12 | 3 | Hippodrome, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 21 | 2/16/1908 | Harry Shearing | 2 | 4 | 4 | Neuilly Bowling Palace, Paris, Paris, France | W | TKO |
| 20 | 12/28/1907 | Jack Scales | 36 | 14 | 2 | Salle Wagram, Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 19 | 10/24/1907 | Marc Gaucher | 1 | 0 | 0 | Paris, Paris, France | W | KO |
| 18 | 6/3/1907 | Ben Taylor | 23 | 10 | 3 | National Sporting Club, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom | W | KO |
| 17 | 4/15/1907 | Joe Jeannette | 7 | 3 | 2 | Lyric Hall, New York, New York, USA | L | NWS |
| 16 | 2/28/1907 | Denver Ed Martin | 15 | 6 | 0 | Sacramento, California, USA | W | KO |
| 15 | 11/29/1906 | Sailor Matt Turner | 1 | 0 | 0 | Farragut Theater, Vallejo, California, USA | W | KO |
| 14 | 2/24/1906 | Tornado Smith | debut | Bakersfield, California, USA | W | KO | ||
| 13 | 1/25/1906 | Denver Ed Martin | 15 | 5 | 0 | San Diego, California, USA | W | KO |
| 12 | 8/12/1904 | Denver Ed Martin | 13 | 4 | 0 | Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, USA | L | PTS |
| 11 | 4/22/1904 | Jack Johnson | 16 | 3 | 6 | Mechanic's Pavilion, San Francisco, California, USA | L | KO |
| 10 | 10/27/1903 | Jack Johnson | 14 | 3 | 6 | Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, USA | L | PTS |
| 9 | 9/15/1903 | Denver Ed Martin | 13 | 3 | 0 | Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, USA | W | KO |
| 8 | 5/5/1903 | Kid Carter | 36 | 18 | 8 | Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, USA | W | KO |
| 7 | 2/26/1903 | Jack Johnson | 11 | 3 | 6 | Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, USA | L | PTS |
| 6 | 1/31/1903 | Jack Kid Lavalle | 3 | 4 | 1 | Oxnard, California, USA | W | KO |
| 5 | 1/6/1903 | Jim 'Toothpick' Kelly | 3 | 0 | 0 | Hazard's Pavilion, Los Angeles, California, USA | W | KO |
| 4 | 11/1/1902 | Fred Russell | 15 | 7 | 3 | Auditorium, Oxnard, California, USA | W | KO |
| 3 | 10/9/1902 | Jack Fogarty | 3 | 5 | 0 | Oxnard, California, USA | W | KO |
| 2 | 6/19/1902 | Herb McKell | debut | Pioneer Hall, Oxnard, California, USA | W | KO | ||
| 1 | 4/12/1902 | George Sullivan | debut | Auditorium, Oxnard, California, USA | W | KO |