Joey Maxim at heavyweight

not a big puncher and not a true HW, but he certainly did what all top performers did at that time and that was to fight up. Kudo's for that alone, I think the lack of power would have always kept him from the top against the proper bigmen, but by all accounts he was an excellent boxer with great resilence and tough durability.

today he would be swimming with the S-MWs & L-HWs, so that also helps to gear his excellence.

 

We often talk of underrated fighters but surely here is a true example. He looks good on film, matched well with ATG's Walcott, Charles, Moore, Bivins, Patterson, Robinson and dealt with guys like Satterfield, Sheppard, Tangberg(himself a good underrated European fighter) and a load more. Very tough, good boxer and IMO a top 100 Heavyweight of all time.

 

The Philly paps didn't think he beat JJ Walcott and a dear friend of mine saw the Patterson fight and likewize though Maxim got a gift.

 

I had always heard thar Floyd got robbed but once I did a bit of research and was surprised with my results, can't remember the detail off-hand but I think it was a different scoring for styles type of thing.

 

This guy mixed it up and held his own some of the greatest fighters of all time when they were prime, just nuts. Has anyone else faced Bivins, Robinson, Moore, Marshall, Waclott, Charles, & even Olson?

As for the topic, Maxim was just one of many HWs at the time that could make the LHW limit so they actively competed for a title in both divisions. Only one belt per division at the time, so the more opportunties, the better.

At HW, seems he just couldn't get past Charles. He lost to Charles twice while bidding for a shot at the belt and would lose to Charles in his only HW title fight. So he had his most success at LHW, capturing the vacated title. Charles just seemed to be his boogeyman.

As for Louis, Maxim doesn't appear to enter the RING rankings until 46. when Louis defended against the higher ranked Conn and Mauriello. In 47, Walcott had 2/3 official wins over Maxim which seemed to get him the shot. Maxim was worthy though.

 

It's fighters like Joey Maxim that makes we wish there had been a Junior HWT division back in those days. He was an awesome LHW but his fight with Sugar Ray Robinson took a lot out of him and it seems to me he never was quite the same after it (a heat wave caused both fighters and the referee heat related illness). He was tall for that era at 6'1". But his frame was not as large as a genuine HWT. As a result he did not enjoy success at the heavier class.

 

Not sure about that. He was quite successful at HW, and it was Ezzard Charles (a similar sized but superior fighter) who blocked his path to the crown each time he stepped up.

Charles got his first title shot after beating Maxim, and he got his second title shot after beating Maxim. Not sure if they were official eliminators of sorts but they appear to be so. During Maxim's only Title bid, he lost to Charles.

In 1950, Maxim appears to be the LHW Champion and a top rated HW contender. Maybe one of the first to have that distinction? Maybe outside of Bivins who was the Interim Champion of LHW and HW divisions during World War II.

 

Tommy Loughran

 

Loughran doesn't appear to be ranked as HW until after he gave up the LHW title after the Braddock fight.

 

Not sure about that:

Baer
Levinsky
Schaaf
Godoy
Uzcudun
Sharkey
Ettore
Risko
Hamas

Walcott
Bivins
Sheppard
Satterfield
Valentino
Tandberg
Muscato
Kahutt

 

Louhgran also lost to Sekyra, Hamas x2, Poreda, Levinsky, and Risko in route to his second HW title shot at Primo. He would avenge Hamas and Levinsky. Many of these losses were within 12 months after his signature win over Baer.