Jersey Joe in the mix with Wills,Langford ,McVea Etc . How's he do against the guys of that era .And against the Big man himself ,Jack Johnson ?
Hmmmm....how is he viewed socially? Can he even get a shot at Johnson? My thoughts are skill wise he would hold his own, and I have never thought of a Walcott vs Johnson h2h hypothetical before. I kind of favor Walcott over Johnson initially but would need more time to say for sure. My thought is he likely wouldn’t get a shot and would go down among the others who’s greatness is difficult to determine due to lack of footage and opportunities....but he would have a mythical Wills type of legacy where we wonder what he might/could have been apart from the politics of the day
I don't know, I favour him over all of them at his best, but his early career is maybe more indicitive of the conditions he'd fight under, and if he was like that then he'd be losing most of the time to all of them, maybe pulling the odd upset, and showing flashes of his ability. Edit: To clarify I mean over Wills, Jeannette, Langford and McVea, not Johnson, who I favor over Walcott. Just noticed that was unclear.
This is how I view it .The black guys of that era ,all fighting each other numerous times and Jersey would be the same .Would he stand out as a wills type character who was so brilliant he could seem invincible ? Or ,we know looking at Joes record that he lost to some fellas that weren't Superman ,but that's just how it went and would probably be the same in that era to. If he'd fact JJ Im not entirely sure who comes out winning .I'd say more than likely Jack but my God ,what a guy to figure out !. But I believe that Jersey would fit right in to that era .
I actually think Jack Johnson beats Jersey Joe, especially under his own rules. I think people are so used to seeing him playing around taunting opponents, and walking around grabbing their arms they overlook just how good he was.
I don’t know? For me it is an issue of rating both of them highly, and thinking (initially) that Joe would win. I don’t feel I underrate Johnson (10-11) on my latest list? But perhaps, I know some rate him higher. I also thought you made a good point bringing up Joe’s early career struggles and how that would translate in a parallel universe where he is placed in Johnson’s era
I rate him a lot higher, I have him with Rocky and Lewis just behind Louis and Ali, I won't say you're wrong though. He had exceptional speed, which I don't think would suit Walcott. Walcott would have the power to hurt him, but Johnson tended to play it safe anyway.
The good old upper cut .Yep ,can see Jersey perhaps catching a few of those .Jersey s chin could be a little inconsistent at times as well .If he was getting tagged by Jacks ripping UC through the fight it doesn't bode well for him .
Perhaps a more interesting question, is how Walcott does in an era where is talent would have been fought over from the outset of his career!
