Billy Conn vs John Conteh

Never mind the thread topic,....what language is this????

 

I need someone who has seen more Conteh but this is a great match.

 

Even words frank spells right look wrong to me.

 

Everyone will pick Conn.

 

Not especially, hard not to be awed by his performance against Louis. But I think Conn is red hot on the forum right now, and Conteh will take a hammering in the votes without any analysis.

This thread deserves to die like Seamu's Ike Vs Benny one.

 

Given the likely odds, i think Conteh might be worth a few dollars as an underdog.

 

**** it. I picked him. Conn wasn't unbeatable, and Conteh biggest weakness won't factor in here. Conteh is as skilled as Yarosz and Lesnevich and bigger too.

 

Would he beat Mike Spinks?

Nice work Red.

 

I'm not so sure, Red. I can definitely say that Archie Moore, Lloyd Marshall, Billy Conn and Ken Overlin would all disagree with this assessment.

When you've had 128 bouts (107 wins, 18 losses, 3 draws), out-boxing and beating the likes of Moore, Marshall, Conn, Ken Overlin(x2), Nate Bolden, Lou Brouillard, Al Gainer, Solly Krieger, Vince Dundee (x3) and countless other top contenders, you are invariably going to have accumulated a lot more experience, skill and capability with the mitts than a guy who has had a mere 39 fights (34 wins, 4 losses) and whose biggest scalps are Yaqui Lopez, Len Hutchins, Jorge Ahumada and a few others. Yarosz proved more against a much higher grade of opposition.

I couldn't put Conteh, as skilled as he was, in the same room as Teddy Yarosz. I wouldn't even put him above TOMMY Yarosz.

 

I don't doubt for a second that Yarosz is a better fighter. I just think of Conteh as being massively skilled, certainly close to that generation in terms of ability. Yaqui Lopez could fight, and Conteh beat him with one hand.

And the experience argument is true if mostly useless. I wish guys would stop using it as the be all end all of skill by way of experience. Charley Burley had less than 20 fights when he beat Zivic who had over 80. And you can see the role experience played in Whitaker-Ramirez (15 fights to 106). Essentially you're at the world class level or you're not. 100 extra fights can be 800 rounds of experience or 800 rounds of getting pounded.

 

True, but Burley's speed, power and overall natural talent were so superior to Zivic. Experience is the only advantage Fritz had. I think Zivic's experience is what made him competitive versus guys who were so much more skilled and powerful overall (Robinson, Burley, etc). Whitaker-Ramirez I wouldn't call a great example as it was great fighter vs a good fighter. One of the greatest pure boxers ever vs. a guy who probably wouldn't even crack the top 50 greatest punchers.

With Yarosz and Conteh you have- as you pointed out- two massively skilled and gifted natural boxers. The more accomplished and experienced fighter would have to be considered as having the advantage, imho.

 

great match up and id favour conn, just