Who, aside from Joe Louis, would be the greatest heavyweight he can replicate that kind of short lived success against?
Theoretically, I can only see him flooring (but still losing to) one of the smaller top level Heavyweights: Patterson as he comes in aggressively, maybe Walcott or Moore if they got careless. I think Marciano, Frazier and Dempsey would soak up any shots he lands and decimate him. Most of the bigger guys would simply light him up from long range. He was tough but far too hittable.
He had the power to deck just about anybody. The key is exactly WHO he could land on at the right time and do it before he got destroyed himself .
He could knock down a keg of Schlitz. (As insignificant as he is, why is he mentioned so often on this forum?)
There is literally no higher rung that he can stand on, than dropping Louis, with the arguable exception of Ali. From there it turns on who is your #3. Name them, and I will say whether he was likely to drop them.
Anyone who was KD'd by this amateur is disqualified from serious consideration as being a boxer. I know prelim guys, middleweights, who would clown him.
People can't even predict knockouts, never mind knockdowns, but he could certainly flash Muhammad Ali. Wouldn't bet on it (wouldn't have bet on him to do it with Louis, either). Ali excluded, he could certainly flash the number three on my list, Rocky.
There's not a chance in high heaven he would knock down prime Ali for mine. People must be thinking of Sonny Banks Ali. I'm thinking Floyd Patterson and Dempsey at this early junction.
