Bill Lang (born William Lanfranchi;
Family
The son of a Swiss-French father, and an Irish mother — Joseph Victor Lanfranchi (1838–1922),
[ Deaths: Lanfranchi, The Age, (Wednesday, 28 June 1922), p1.] and Mary Ann Lafranchi (1850–1901), née Power,
[ Deaths: Lanfranchi, The Age, (Saturday, 7 December 1901), p.5] — William Lanfranchi was born in Carlton on 6 July 1882.
He married Lydia Hudson (1893–1940) on 13 July 1915;[ Lanfranchi—Hudson, The Argus, (Saturday, 14 August 1915), p.11][ Deaths: Lang, The Age, (Saturday, 31 August 1940), p.13] they had two children.
Football
North Fremantle (WAFA)
In 1902, along with Carlton's "Pompey" Elliott, he moved from Victoria and played for North Fremantle Football Club, in the West Australian Football Association (WAFA), for the entire 1902 season.
[ Bill Lang, Heavyweight, The (Fremantle) Empire, (Saturday, 15 August 1908), p.2][ Perth v. North Fremantle, The Western Mail, (Saturday, 20 September 1902), p.36]
He made his debut for North Fremantle, in round 3 (24 May 1902), against West Perth.[ The West Australian, (Monday, 26 May 1902), p.8.] He was suspended for two weeks following a fiery match between North Fremantle and West Perth on 2 August 1902, in which Lang, his team-mate Joe Corkill, and West Perth's Jack Randell were sent off.[ West Perth v. N. Fremantle, The (Perth) Sunday Times, (Sunday, 3 August 1902), p.8][Joe Corkill was suspended for the remainder of the season: 'Half-Back', "Football: Today's Matches and Umpires" (Saturday, 9 August 1902), p.8]
During the season's Grand Final on 13 September 1902, in which North Fremantle played Perth (which Perth won, unexpectedly), Lang and Perth's Jack Wells were "sent off" for fighting each other in the third quarter.
- :The game between Perth and North Fremantle … at Fremantle on Saturday, very nearly ended abruptly in the third quarter.
During a scrimmage on the Press-box wing, Wells, of Perth, and Lang, of North Fremantle, came to blows.
Fraser, the umpire, did not see the first blow struck, and, therefore, could not tell who was the aggressor, but he saw sufficient of the encounter to warrant him in ordering both players to leave the field.
Wells immediately walked off the ground, but Lang refused, claiming provocation as an excuse for his conduct.
The umpire promptly stopped the game, and a heated controversy ensued between the players.
As Lang persisted in remaining on the ground, Fraser decided to end the match, and, calling both teams off the field, he walked towards the pavilion with the ball.
Fortunately, however, better counsels prevailed with Lang, and before the players had reached the gate he expressed his willingness to obey the umpire's ruling.
The game was then resumed, Lang and Wells taking no further part in the contest.
The West Australian, 15 September 1902.[ Football: Perth v. North Fremantle; An Unfortunate Episode, The West Australian, (Monday, 15 September 1902), p.6]
Both players were later found guilty of fighting and were each disqualified for the first two matches of the 1903 season.[ The Lang-Wells Dispute, The West Australian, (Saturday, 4 October 1902), p.8]
Richmond (VFA)
He played for Richmond in the VFA for three seasons.
[ The Richmond Team, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 7 October 1905), p.12.] He played at centre half-back in Richmond's 1905 VFA premiership team.
[At this early stage of his sporting career, some press reports still identified him as Lanfranchi (e.g. Association Premiership, The Geelong Advertiser, (Monday, 2 October 1905), p.4, Football, The Australian Star, (Monday, 9 October 1905), p.6, etc.).]
Richmond (VFL)
He played 14 games for Richmond in the VFL, primarily as a follower, over two seasons, 1908,
[ The Richmond Football Team, The Leader, (Saturday, 13 June 1908), p.26] and 1909. He played in Richmond's first-ever match in the VFL, on 2 May 1908, in which Richmond defeated Melbourne 8.14 (62) to 7.9 (51). He retired halfway through the 1909 season in order to concentrate on his boxing career.
Carlton District (MAFA)
In 1913 he was cleared from Richmond to the Carlton District Football Club in the Metropolitan Amateur Football Association (MAFA).
[ Football, The Age, (Saturday, 21 June 1913), p16]
Boxing
He fought 43 times over a twelve-year career (1905 to 1916) for 27 wins, 14 losses, and 1 draw.
[ Bill Lang: Boxer List.] He was the first Australian to fight for a world heavyweight title.
- :"Lang was the type who looked for advice from his second, round by round.
He never failed to listen attentively, and usually put the advice into practice."
Joe Stokesberry, Lang's former trainer, 21 May 1941.[ Joe Stokesberry (as told to J.M. Rohan, "Where are the Big Men today?", The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 21 May 1941), p.12]
- :"For the full ten years of his ring career, Bill Lang fought with his feet in the wrong position and his hands held out the wrong way.
Not until his fighting days were nearly over did he make a discovery that might have given him the world's heavyweight championship, had he realised his error when he was in his prime."
The Adelaide Chronicle, 27 February 1936.[[18] The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 27 February 1936), p.48]
1905
Lang began his professional boxing career in 1905 — when he fought Edward "Starlight" Rollins, at Melbourne's Queen's Hall in Bourke Street, on 9 January 1905,
[ Boxing, The Age, (Monday, 9 January 1905), p.8][ Eddie Williams (as told to J. M. Rohan), "Bill Lang was . . . Quick on the Uptake", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 25 January 1941), p.5] — the same year that he was centre half-back in the Richmond VFA premiership team.
[Hogan (1996), p.284.]
1907
He fought future world champion Jack Johnson at Richmond Race Course on 4 March 1907 for a purse of £500,
[ Boxing, The Argus, (Friday, 1 March 1907), p.6]; Championship Contest: International Boxing, The Herald, (Saturday, 2 March 1907), p.2] and lost on a TKO.
[ Boxing: The Heavy Weight Contest: Johnson Beats Lang, The Age, (Tuesday, 5 March 1907), p.11][ Buggy, H., "Knockout for Wren's Boxing Idol", The Argus (Wednesday, 9 January), p.6][ Williams, Merv, "Bill Lang met Jack Johnson after Ten Contests", The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 16 April 1952), p.16]
On 3 October 1907 — six bouts later (all of which Lang won) — he defeated Peter Felix at the Broken Hill Hippodrome to claim the vacant Australian heavyweight title when Felix, whose leg was badly injured, was unable to rise from the ring before the count of ten.[ The Heavy-Weight Championship, The Referee, (Wednesday, 9 October 1907), p.7]
Lang also fought a title re-match against Felix in Melbourne on 17 February 1908. The boxers, despite Lang's protests, were forced to wear six-ounce gloves, rather than the customary four.[ Lang defeats Felix, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 22 February 1908), p.21.] Lang won; with a seventh-round TKO (Felix's corner threw in the towel before the eighth round started).[ Heavy-Weight Championship: Lang Defeats Felix: A Disappointing Contest, The Referee, (Wednesday, 19 February 1908), p.7]
1908
After defending his title five successive times, Lang earned a title bout with reigning world champion Tommy Burns at a specially built stadium on City Road South Melbourne on 3 September 1908.
[Boxing] He knocked Burns to the floor with a left hook in the second round, however Burns got up before the end of the count. The Canadian went on to win with a
Knockout in the sixth round.
[ Two Rounds in Court, The Argus, (Saturday, 31 October 1908), p.17]
1909
On 27 December 1909, Lang (aged 26) had a notable knockout win over
Bob Fitzsimmons — aged 51,
[ Physical Freak Flattened Men "Like Texas Cyclone", The Barrier Miner, (Thursday, 25 November 1954), p.7] and a former world middleweight champion (1891), a former world light heavyweight champion (1903), and a former world heavyweight champion (1897) — at
Sydney Stadium.
[ Boxing: Lang v. Fitzsimmons, The Weekly Times, (Saturday, 1 January 1910, p.21][ McIntosh, Hugh D., "Bob Fitzsimmons' Tragic Comeback, The (Brisbane) Telegraph, (Saturday, 18 April 1936), p.40; Millard, Harry, "Bob Fitzsimmons Bites the Dust!", The Brisbane Telegraph, (Saturday, 19 November 1949), p.4; Driscoll, Frank, "The day 'Old Bob' took the count", The (Brisbane) Truth, (Sunday, 18 February 1951), p.21]
1910–1911 (overseas)
Lang went overseas in 1910 and fought
Al Kaufman in the US, on 5 September 1910, at the
Baker Bowl. Moving to the United Kingdom,
[ William Lang, Australian Champion, The Leader, (Saturday, 7 January 1911), p.22] he fought three times at the Olympia, West Kensington, London:
-
26 December 1910: against US boxer "Salinas" Jack Burns,
[ Among the Boxers, The Los Angeles Herald, (Saturday, 14 August, 1909), p.4.] which Lang won on a TKO.[ Boxing, The Herald, (Tuesday, 27 December 1910), p.2]
-
18 January 1911: against Matthew Curran for the vacant British Empire Heavyweight title. Lang lost the title bout due to an (alleged) foul, due to a mistaken judgement that he had punched his opponent after his opponent's knee had hit the canvas.
[ The Lang v. Curran Fiasco, The Leader, (Saturday, 25 February 1911), p.22] Lang won both of their (1913) return bouts on points.
-
21 February 1911: against the renowned Canadian, Sam Langford — who, weighing in at 165 lbs (77 kg), was considerably lighter that Lang, who weighed in at 196 lbs (89 kg) — which Lang lost after being (controversially) disqualified.
[ Boxing, The Northern Miner, (Thursday, 23 February 1911), p.5; 'Mr. R', "'The Man that Couldn't Fight': How Lang beat Langford and Lost", The (Sydney) Truth, (Sunday, 15 August 1926), p.23]
1911 (Australia)
On his return to Australia he defended his national title on two occasions, before losing it to Jack Lester, on 9 September 1911, in a
points decision.
-
13 May 1911: Against Jack Lester,
[ Jack Lester, The Richmond River Express and Casino Kyogle Advertiser, (Tuesday 25 April 1911), p.3] at the Sydney Stadium. Lester was disqualified.[ Boxing Championship, The (Hobart) Daily Post, (Monday, 15 May 1911), p.5]
-
9 August 1911: Against Bill Squires, at the Sydney Stadium. Lang won on a TKO.
[ Heavyweight Championship: Lang Beats Squires, The Daily Telegraph, (Thursday, 10 August 1911), p.9]
1913–1914
-
3 May 1913: against P.O. Matthew "Nutty" Curran, at Sydney Stadium. Lang won on points.
[ Bill Lang Defeats P.O. Curran, The (Sydney) Sunday Times, (Sunday, 4 May 1913), p.10]
-
16 August 1913: against P.O. Matthew "Nutty" Curran, at Sydney Stadium. Lang won on points.
[ Heavy-Weight Battle: Bill Lang Again Defeats Matt Curran: Twenty Rounds of Uninteresting Work, The (Sydney) Sunday Times, (Sunday, 17 August 1913), p.10]
He fought three more times, against well-credentialed, strong opponents, before retiring from the ring:
-
5 November 1913: in Melbourne, against New Zealander Dave Smith for the vacant Australian Heavyweight title.
[ Boxing: Lang and Smith, The Age, (Wednesday, 5 November 1913), p.9] Lang lost on points.[ Smith beats Lang for Championship; Heavyweight Title Won on Points, The Herald, (Wednesday, 5 November 1913), p.12; Smith Beats Lang: Fine Fast Battle, The Argus, (Thursday, 6 November 1913), p.9]
-
4 April 1914: in Sydney, against Canadian Arthur Pelkey,
[ Bill Lang v. Arthur Pelkey: Battle of the Big Men, The Referee, (Wednesday, 1 April 1914), p.6] a former White Heavyweight Champion of the World. Lang won the bout when Pelkey's corner threw in the towel before the start of the 20th round.[ Corbett, W.F., "Lang Outs Pelkey: A Strenuous Battle: Winner's Grim Determination", The (Sydney) Sun, (Sunday, 5 April 1914), p.4]
-
5 October 1914: in Sydney, against South African Fred Storbeck, a former Heavyweight Champion of the British Empire.
[ Today's Boxing Contest, The Sydney Morning Herald, (Monday, 5 October 1914), p.9] Lang lost when he was disqualified in round 18.[ Boxing: Lang v. Storbeck: Victorian Loses in Foul, The Argus, (Tuesday, 6 October 1914), p.10; Lang loses to Storbeck on a Foul in the Eighteenth Round: Fine, Stirring Battle at the Sports Ground on Monday, The Referee, (Wednesday, 7 October 1914), p.8]
1916 "comeback"
Retirement
He retired after his McMahon fight, and began to advertise boxing classes.
[ Victorian Boxing Gossip, The Referee, (Wednesday, 14 March 1917), p.9; Advertising, The Herald, (Wednesday, 5 September 1917), p.2]
In the mid-1930s, he wrote an extensive series of autobiographical reminiscences, that were published in sixteen weekly instalments by The Adelaide Chronicle (between 21 November 1935 and 13 February 1936) under the generic title Old Fights Fought Again.
Hall of Fame
Lang was inducted into the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
[ Old Timers, Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame.]
Later life
For more than fifteen years, he was the owner-licensee of the
Victoria Hotel, on the corner of Victoria and Raleigh Streets, in Footscray, Victoria.
[ When Lang was Dropped 15 Time in First Round, The Sporting Globe, (Wednesday, 16 July 1930), p.11][ What's Become of Bill Lang, Smith's Weekly, (Saturday, 19 February 1938)< p.13][ Footscray Hotel Sold, The Argus, (Tuesday, 8 April 1941), p.3]
Death
He died at his East St Kilda residence on 3 September 1952. Lang was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery.
[ Deaths: Lang, The Argus, (Friday, 5 September 1952), p.11: the death notice appears under the family name Lang, with no mention of Lanfranchi.][ Balfe, Harold, "Lang was one of the Great", The Argus, (Thursday, 4 September 1952), p.8; Williams, Merv "Bill Lang Passes On, The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 6 September 1952), p.7; Unique era in Ring History recalled: Passing of Ex-Champion Bill Lang, The Murrumbidgee Irrigator, (Friday, 12 September 1952), p.6]
Footnotes
Bill Lang's Old Fights Fought Again series of articles
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"How Johnson Battered Me—To Friendship", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 21 November 1935), p. 47
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"Tommy Burns Deserved All He Got", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 28 November 1935), p. 47
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"I Say I Beat Burns", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 5 December 1935), p. 26
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"The One Man Who Scared Me", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 12 December 1935), p. 47
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"Hardest Punch I Ever Took", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 19 December 1936),
p. 50
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"How I Won the Title", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 26 December 1936), p. 40
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"I Might Have Been in Gaol", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 2 January 1936), p. 40
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"A Silent Crowd Unnerves Johnson", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 9 January 1936), p. 48
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"Tragic Story of Stanley Ketchel", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 16 January 1936), p. 47
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"The One Knockout I Hated Giving", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 23 January 1936), p. 47
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"How I Fought Peter Felix—and The Timekeeper", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 30 January 1936), p. 48
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"How I Became 'A White Hope'", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 6 February 1936), p. 49
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"How I Got Into The Fight Game", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 13 February 1936), p. 51
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"Bill Lang Becomes a Social 'Lion' in London", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 20 February 1936), p. 49.]
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"I Might Have Been World Champion", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 27 February 1936), p. 48
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"How I Got Into The Fight Game", The Adelaide Chronicle, (Thursday, 13 February 1936), p. 48
Other references
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On Ball-Punching: Bill Lang's Advice, The (Sydney) Sun, Wednesday, 1 April 1914), p.12.
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Hogan P: The Tigers Of Old, Richmond FC, (Melbourne), 1996.
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Kieza, Grantlee, Boxing in Australia, National Library of Australia, (Canberra), 2015.
External links
