Q Who Did Eddie Futch Rate 1&2 At LHVY?

In an interview late in his life Eddie Futch rated these two as the best light heavyweights he ever saw.Can you name them?

1?

2?

 

Neither. :nono

 

I'm surprised Archie Moore didn't make the cut with Futch...!

My primary guess (after Moore) would be Charles and John Henry Lewis.

2nd guess...Bruce Wood**** and Freddie Mills...?

 

Billy Conn and Bob Foster?

 

Billy Conn and Michael Spinks?

 

I'll say Ezzard Charles and John Henry Lewis too.

 

I'd say Ezzard Charles definitely, and possibly Spinks.

 

Been out on the lash, so late on parade..
The answer is
.1.Conn
2Lewis.

 

Very interesting Mc. I have always contended that in modern times NO LH could have given a still formidable 1941 version of Joe Louis, so much trouble that the 169 pound Billy Conn gave Louis...Billy's good looks belied the fact that Conn was some
TOUGH DUDE...Conn was a great MW beating some great fighters and his manager Johnny Ray [himself a great fighter and stablemate of a chap named Harry Greb], never picked a soft opponent for Billy. Conn as a LH beat the truly tough burly southpaw Melio Bettina twice after Melio flattened the great puncher Tiger Jack Fox. Conn then gave a beating to the
tough boxer Bob Pastor stopping Pastor.
As for John Henry Lewis, he is the reason for me becoming
interested with boxing as my family lived next door to a trainer
of JH Lewis when I was a young boy..Each night I would go next door, eat a salad with olive oil and spar with some stablemates.
Never saw the great man though, but Lewis and his famous opponent Maxie Rosenbloom fought each other 5 times..
Would it have been interesting to see how Maxie and John Henry
would have done against the later Ezzard Charles and Archie
Moore ???

 

Interesting.

John Henry Lewis probably deserves a lot more recognition than he gets today.

 

Agreed. ...and Billy Conn too for that matter.

McVey what did Eddie Futch say about Billy Conn?

 

I have a theory why J H Lewis doesn't get the recognition he deserved. Because in his last fight,on the verge of blindness Lewis was kod in the first round by his friend, the prime Joe Louis. and this leaves a negative taste in misinformed fans like a bad cup of coffee does in a restaurant, though the previous meal was fine...like a foolish Jack Dempsey fighting and losing to Gene Tunney after a 3 year layoff with no tune-up fights...Moral of this is we remember the last incident most of all...

 

You only have to look on the General Forum, to see that a fighter is perceived to be as good as their last fight!