Best Light Heavies Robinson Would Beat

I'd imagine quite a few if there in an air conditioned building....
Rosenbloom, Hopkins, Saad Muhammad, Maxim, Ward, Dawson, Tiger, Hearns, Hill, any of the champs of the last 10 yrs.

 

Not so sure about that. Robinson was knocked down 9 times at middleweight. 175 is a big jump and they hit much harder. I cant see Robinson beating many of the punchers. I give him little chance against guys like Foster, Charles, Spinks and others. The lighter hitting guys he has a chance, but 15lbs is a huge jump for him.

 

Robinson was putting a clinic on Joey Maxim before the 103* heat and Joey's size caught up with him. I think he'd beat his share over 12 rounds, 15 is tougher.

https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Joey_Maxim_vs._Sugar_Ray_Robinson

The punchers would be tough for sure.

 

Ment Tamrey, Luj Safrielle and Ret Parli. Because they have the right-handedness to lose to Robinson and Robinson would KO each with the left.

 

Robinson chose to fight at WW and MW so as not to provide us with an answer to this question. So he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt over his LHW peers. Same way he doesn't deserve the benefit of doubt at MW over murderers row.

Of course Robinson fought in a very special era for LHW and this doesn't preclude him beating most other greats. For me 1955-1990 at LHW is a deep chasm that sure Robinson could have dominated but so could have many other fighters from Robinson's era.

 

Did Maxim have air conditioning in his corner? The better man won that night and Robinson never sought a rematch.

 

I don't think Robinson sees a lot of success at 175. I think he can beat Tiger, Ward, Kovalev, Stevenson, Canelo, Rosenbloom, and a few others but not the ATGs at LHW.

 

That's why I mentioned "size" as well. The conditions were out of the ordinary (without dispute) and it's hardly rocket science that the much bigger man has the advantage over the little guy that has to move more and expand more energy. This is boxing 101.

Robinson didn't fight for 2 1/2 years. Maxim was beaten in the meantime etc

 

Joe Louis when he was an amateur light heavyweight

 

Donny Lalonde

 

There are champions I'd pick him over that were already mentioned. Most of them are fighters who moved up to 175, few who started there naturally.

 

He probably maxed out at 175 despite the heat exhaustion narrative.. which of course would certainly be a factor but it also applied to Maxim too.. many greats have fought in searing heat.. Buchanan for example .. fighting for the LW title under a blistering Caribbean sun reported at a suffocating 49 degrees.. the pale Scotsman survived 15 brutal rounds to win a SD..

Dempsey & Gibbons fought 15 rounds in scorching 38 degree heat right out on the Montana plains.. both fighters suffered severe sunburns and blistered feet from the hot wooden boards beneath the ring mat apparently..

I don't think Ray had the makings of a great LHW.. he'd beat some but i think there's a reason he never fought there again after Maxim. That's why i rank men like Greb & Charles higher than Robinson..

 

Don’t think it’s a given at all that Robinson would have beaten some of the champs of the last 10 years like Bivol, beterbiev an Benevidez

 

Sorry to break the news but size and durability are components of victory in the ring. And as the famous quip goes, Maxim didn't have an AC in his corner.

Maxim beat SRR. He was a better LHW fighter than SRR. 175 was a bridge too far for Ray.