Bowe. The Bowe that was motivated, and actually bothered to train, and was with Futch, was really good. The Man was Massive, athletic, and had boxing skills...even an inside game. ___
Walcott has the movement, skills, power, unorthdox style, left jab, feints, angles, misdirections, footwork to make this a tough fight for Bowe.
Bowe by legal murder Bowe would make the oldtimer fight three minutes a round with no breather and forces a inside brawl type fight . Bowe is probably one of the best big man infighters ever and chinney Walcott has never fought anywhere close a fighter of Bowe caliber(will skill size talent) and no, small Marciano don't count. I can also say with absolute certainty that Bowe can take Walcotts best but no way in he'll is Walcott taking Bowes.....it would be a accomplishment if Walcott makes into the fifth. . B
A spry Walcott would make Bowe look foolish. Bowe had cement feet and struggled to cut off the ring agianst mobile fighters who refused to engage, the tricky Walcott would exploit this like no other. Though I could see Bowe winning in some sort of conversial fashion like a disputed decision(Walcott dropped quite a few of these) or even the Buster Mathis Jr. knockout.
An "in-shape/Prime" Bowe's feet were cement ??? What was Abe Simon, Past prime Joe Louis and Rocky Maricano's feet compared ?
Walcott would outbox Bowe for periods but Bowe would keep coming and coming and eventually KO Walcott. It would be akin to the Tubbs, Hide, Biggs, Golota fights. Those men landing plenty on Bowe but Bowe walking them down and hammered them. Walcott's chin is not proven to withstand this type of punishment and he was take out in his 2 biggest fights and against Simon There's a big difference in durability here
You bring up the Abe Simon fight? Did that fight even happen within 7 years of Walcott's actual prime? You can't possibly think Walcott was anywhere close to his best form in 1939-1940.
Who knows, I'm not saying Walcott didn't improve but he still got hit on the chin and ko'd maybe Simon was just too big and strong for him? Take the older Walcott against a young Bowe throwing leather like Rocky instead if you want instead
The world knows. Let's be real. Who would win in a fight between 1947-1952 Jersey Joe Walcott vs the 1935-1940 Jersey Joe Walcott? Walcott won the first 5 rounds according to my fight report graciously sent to me by Ted Spoon. He outboxed, outfought Simon clearly. Then suddenly he began to gas. He was stumbling around the ring tired in the 6th when Simon put him away with a right hand. Apparently Walcott was knocked out more from exhaustion than from simon's power. That's what happens when you have a family of 6 to feed, no time to train, and barely a sandwhich to eat when after working on the docks all day. I'm taking the BETTER Walcott of the late 40s-early 50s. You know the one who actually TRAINED for fights, the one who actually had a full time trainer/manager..the one who was a world class fighter/champion storming through a top crop of fighters in 46-47? Not the 1940 version who couldn't defeat one single top 10 contender.
Walcott had a lot of success against big men in his prime. Joe Baksi was a rock solid 6'1 220lb whom Walcott bedazzled. Joe Louis was a very conditioned 6'2 213lb at age 33 in 1947, with still plenty of power and hand speed left. He also had trouble hitting Walcott with the jab. Hein Ten Hoff was an undefeated 6'5 220lb European Champion Lee Q Murray was a 6'3 207lb top rated contender, one of the most feared punchers of the era Ollie Tandberg was a 6'3 208lb prospect with a huge reputation at the time. Walcott took care of that. Are any of these guys Riddick Bowe? No. Jersey Joe certainly is capable of getting in the ring with Riddick. I certainly don't think beating the likes of Elmer Ray, Tommy Gomez, Lee Q Murray, Hatchetman Sheppard indicate Walcott had a average chin. These guys were monster punchers.
When was his prime ? 10 years is a decent amount of time to be good, no? So was it before or after a past prime Joe Louis knocked him out ? It doesn't matter. It would be a good fight for a certain amount of time until Bowe overwhelmed him and knocked him out or gets the UD.