Send in your 176-200 pound fighter to beat Anthony Joshua

Punches harder than Moore did, Marciano only had a 68 inch reach.

 

AJ is better than Carnera was in every way.

 

If they absolutely must send somebody from the fan favorite era, just put Ali from the Cooper II fight on a "modern training" regimen, and have him drop 1.5 pounds.

 

What’s interesting… hopefully I’m remembering right, is the old and great poster John Garfield actually talked about how concerned they were that Ali wouldn’t grow into a heavyweight that he was lithe framed … they shared a gym, he thought DeJohn and Williams would hurt him, I believe they used to spar and Ali wasn’t on top, I hope I’m recalling all this right. Maybe he got some modern nutrition at some point?

 

You people are just going to keep making me post it aren't you.

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Mihai Nistor is a 5'11 tub of goo.

 

That was in the amateurs, AJ was thinner and greener then, he has since survived Whyte`s left hook.

 

You are coping.

 

Loads of possibles

Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Ali, Usyk

You beat me to it, CT

Ali would be the favourite .


Loads of possibles.

Chronologically,

Dempsey, Louis, Marciano, Ali, Michael Spinks, Usyk .
Probably more.

 

In the year 2024, I thought that was considered blustery boximony blasphemy! A 200 pounds weigh-in always equals at least 220 pounds in the ring, and usually more! Do you live on the same planet we live on?

 

Honestly, I wouldn't totally rule out a 175 pound Spinks. I definitely pick the best Heavyweight version of Spinks to beat Joshua.

 

RJJ

 

I don't know that I'd favor any 200 pounders. But you can at least make the case for some of them.

 

If he fought all the guys names already i'd be confident at least one might topple him. He's too manufactured for mine.

 

Qawi

 

Tunney, Dempsey, Braddock, Miske and Jimmy Ellis come to mind. Moorer was never below 200 as a HW but could he get it done weighing 195 maybe. Theres a much longer list of guys who'd have a chance but those are the guys that weight I'd pick and they should ideally be north of 185 or 190.

Tunney is the best sub 200 HW ever
Dempsey has the best power feats against superheavyweights of anyone sub 200 and is bigger than Langford.
Miske fought Fulton and Morris and was an elite fighter when he was literally dying.
Braddock was a 6 ft 2 175 contender who at 195 is a unique mix of power, ability and durability.
Ellis is the best sub 200er in the 70s
Moorer and Spinks were the biggest 175 champs who won at HW and Moorer was the better of the two IMO anyway.


A 6 ft 6 guy who hits hard almost outpointed Usyk and whose losses are to guys weighing 248 and 268 is a very daunting matchup for smaller HWs. There really aren't any career 175ers I'd send in confident to beat an elite fighter AJs size just guys who have a chance and most of that would be incumbent on them being taller fighters who could weigh more than 175 like Moorer. I'm not as big on Spinks but I get the logic. Tarver or Maske if we bloated him to 195 maybe they've got a shot? We can talk about Usyk being a CW but at the end of the day he is 6 ft 3 with a 78 inch reach and weighed 220 pounds when he fought AJ and he won by 1-2 rounds.

Fitz is a wildcard whose capable of knocking AJ out at WW if he were to somehow adjust to modern boxing. But thats a giant question mark. Hes really the only smaller HW power guy who could generate true HW power at any weight.

If we expand the list to pick anyone whose ever been sub 200 for a pro fight that is virtually all elite non superheavyweights before 1970. Max Baer was sub 200 at one point. I guess by this logic we can DQ Moorer since alphabet belt or not he was only 175 in his early 20s but fake belt or not he was an elite fighter at that weight and he was 25 pounds below 200.