Since the 1920s with maybe Johnny Dundee, Only the featherweight Henry Armstrong would beat a pre plane accident version of Willie Pep...With a Sandy Saddler always giving Pep trouble because of styles. I saw Sandy Saddler several times ringside, a tough and rough guy, but I would put my last buck on the 130 pound edition of Alexis Arguello to hit, hurt and defeat Sandy Saddler...Style, style, style...
Johnny Dundee. He had that disruptive, Greb-esque jumping jack style that disrupted opponent's timing badly. He was a nightmare to fight. Even the brilliant Benny Leonard never figured him out and they exchanged wins and losses all over the place. Pep wouldn't look so smooth and brilliant against him. Armstrong.
It would have been great to actually see what the prime version of Pep looked like... My guess would be Armstrong...a total pressuring killer at the weight. Hard to say if guys like Earnesto Marcel or Vincente Saldivar could have maybe given good accounts of themselves for opposing reasons. Salvador Sanchez, at his best was very versatile, as was Azumah Nelson...Sandy Saddler is hell for any version of anyone at the weight.
Pep made weight easily in the days of same-day weigh-ins... I hate to sound like one of those "He'd be bigger and stronger these days" guys, but I believe he could have made 122 quite easily, and would have more trouble as he moved up, as everyone does. Gomez definitely makes things uncomfortable for him. At FW, I think the wins most, although busy, hard-punching guys with a high degree of skill could pull it off perhaps.
A prime and pre-plane crash Pep beats them all for the most part some tough bouts but Pep was the best
