Cooney, Bruno, Morrison? Guys that were big, stiff punchers. Or guys like Moorer or Ingo , that were skilled but hittable? With his slick footwork, feints and deceptive power and with Joe at his very best, those guys could possibly really struggle.
He 'could' beat any HW in history, who wasn't too tall - the S-HWs. on equal playing fields void of any 'influences' he is fit for any normal size HW's the sport has ever thrown up... though a peak Mike Tyson could & probably would beat them all.
Not sure about that--I think "Jersey Joe" had a large enough bag of tricks in his arsenal where he could neutralize Tyson's full-bore early onslaught and give him a real tussle!
That's exactly the game plan I think Walcott would execute if this hypothetical matchup took place. Walcott was VERY slick, and I think he was a crafty enough boxer where he could neutralize Tyson early and try to wear him down in the late rounds. A tall task, granted, but not impossible.
Jersey Joe 1947 version could have been pretty good in say the 60s. He would have been badly beaten by Ali or Liston. Frazier would have been interesting with Jersey Joes speed and power could be a flash knockdown in there. But Frazier ate up old guys like Joe as a steady diet like he did with Machen and Jones. He’d be on Joe from the opening bell crowding him pounding him unrelentingly. JJW wouldn’t be able to breath plus that version of Walcott was only 192 would be out weighed by 13 pounds. Frazier pounds Walcott for 9 10 rounds before a stoppage or one side decision.
If you can hang with Louis, Charles, Harold Johnson and other slick strong boxers you can face any boxer. Beat some decent big men and modern sized ones. At his best he had the tools to compete w anyone
Two of those guys were past their prime and the other was a pre prime light heavyweight. Joe could be tricky but he also lost to a ton of guys most champions wouldnt have at that point in their careers.
