Sam McVey

Sam McVey or Sam McVea (May 17, 1884 – December 23, 1921) 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.

Sam McVey
Passport photo of McVey from 1919
Statistics
Real name	Samuel E. MacVea
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m)
Reach	75 in (191 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	May 17, 1884 Waelder, Texas
Died	December 23, 1921 (aged 37) New York City, NY
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	112
Wins	78
Wins by KO	60
Losses	18
Draws	13
No contests	3

In 96 documented fights in at least 10 different countries, McVey only lost 16 bouts.[1] 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. BoxRec ranked him among the world's 10 best heavyweights 12 times, and placed him at No.1 at the conclusion of 1914.[2] In his later, years he worked as a trainer and sparring partner for both black and white fighters training for important bouts.

Biography

McVey (left) posing with fellow boxer Al Reich

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.[3] His first pro fight listed on boxrec took place in 1902 at the age of 18,[1] 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. [4] 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 (15 times), Joe Jeanette (5 times), Harry Wills (5 times), and Jack Johnson (3 times). Overall, McVey's boxing record was 65 wins, 16 losses, and 12 draws.[1]

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.[5] 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.[6]

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.”[7]

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.[8]

Legacy & Honors

In 2020 award-winning author Mark Allen Baker published the first comprehensive account of The World Colored Heavyweight Championship, 1876-1937, with McFarland & Company, a leading independent publisher of academic & nonfiction books. This history traces the advent and demise of the Championship, the stories of the talented professional athletes who won it, and the demarcation of the color line both in and out of the ring.

For decades the World Colored Heavyweight Championship was a useful tool to combat racial oppression-the existence of the title a leverage mechanism, or tool, used as a technique to counter a social element, “drawing the color line.”

McVey was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1999.[9]

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

References

1. "Sam McVey – Boxer". BoxRec.com. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
2. "BoxRec's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight Annuals". BoxRec. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
3. "Sam McVea (Samuel E. MacVea) (Samuel E. McVey)". Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
4. "Oxnard's Coming Mill" Los Angeles Herald 6 October 1902, page 4
5. Hewitt, Mark (2005). Catch wrestling: a wild and wooly look at the early days of pro wrestling in America. Paladin Press.
6. "Jeanette Beats McVey" (PDF). The New York Times. 18 April 1909.
7. The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Thursday 3 October 1912 pg 4.
8. "Sam McVey". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
9. "Sam McVey". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2010-11-07.