Lets say as a working model that we include anybody who would probably have been ranked in the top 10 if rankings had existed back then. That is to say that the win mattered at the time.
So you would say that he'd fought more ranked contenders, as we're understanding the word, than any other HW ever?
If you really don't see Holmes as a top three guy, hen why say he in your 3-8 range? I think Holmes is top 5, and at his peak could be top 2.
Wow, thanks to that link. I must say Wills seems a tad stiff in that workout, which backs up what I have read that he was not fast handed. Type in boxing on that link and you'll see some Carnera, Walcott, and more!