Not sure I'd classify him as such. Certainly not an all time great, anyway. Maybe borderline "just great" in his era, which to be fair was a very strong one. Wouldn't consider him for a top 20 or so Lt. Heavy list, though.
Not bad at all. And as an heavyweight, I've got him swimming around 75. Two big names on his win ledger of course, Robinson and Patterson. Obviously the heat beat Sugar and the Floyd win was disputed but what names to have!
A very good one just falling short of greatness in my opinion. And he never needed a heat cooler in his corner.
He fought Ezzard Charles about 5 times. Jersey Joe Walcott about 3 times and Archie Moore about 3 times. Then of course Robinson and Patterson. Lost almost all of them. This is a typical record of the times in the frequency a top fighter fought other top fighters. It I think he misses out on ATG status. But what a record. Hall of Fame and ATG two different things and Maxim is a typical example of why.
He was not a great light-heavy. Very good though. I rank him in the thirties with dudes like Chad Dawson, Mickey Walker and Bernard.
