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Sam McVey

1884–1921

United States

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Biography

Samuel E. MacVea (May 17, 1884 – December 23, 1921), better known as Sam McVey, was an American Hall of Fame heavyweight boxer during the early 20th century. Famously known as the "Oxnard Cyclone", he ranked alongside Jack Johnson, Joe Jeanette, Sam Langford, and Harry Wills, some of the best heavyweights of their time. All of them, except Johnson, were denied a shot at the world heavyweight championship due to the color bar, which was ironically maintained by Johnson when he became the first black to win the world heavyweight in spotlight.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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