Samuel E. MacVea or Sam McVey (May 17, 1884 – December 23, 1921) was a Hall of Fame heavyweight boxer during the early 20th century.

Famously known as the "Oxnard Cyclone",[1] he ranked alongside Jack Johnson, Joe Jeanette, Sam Langford, and Harry Wills, some of the best heavyweights of their time.

[2] His greatest wins include two victories over both Sam Langford and Harry Wills, which won him the World Colored Heavyweight Championship on two occasions, respectively.

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.

His opponent Sam Langford 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.

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.

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.