It's the guys who aren't really making weight to get there who are also very elite. I'm also assuming you don't want to give the advantage to ye olde fighter so i'm making guesses about what the 15 round limit and heavier gloves and stricter refereeing would mean too. The best 200lb fighters in those circumstances: 1) Joe Louis 2) Oleksander Usyk 3) Rocky Marciano 4) Ezzard Charles 5) Floyd Patterson 6) Archie Moore 7) Evander Holyfield 8) Mairis Briedis 9) Sam Langford 0) Gene Tunney
You could make an argument that Louis, Holyfield and Usyk represent the pinnacle of the sub 200 pound fighter. Anyone smaller than them isn't taking full advantage of the weight, and anybody bigger than them is over 200 lbs.
In no order. Michael Spinks Oleksandr Usyk Rocky Marciano Evander Holyfield Joe Louis Floyd Patterson Mairis Briedis Gene Tunney Ezzard Charles Archie Moore
There's this guy called Marciano........ Charles would also beat multiple guys here and John Henry Lewis isn't in the race.
Or maybe I just overrate Dempsey? Whenever I watch the Dempsey Tunney fights (which is not often because they're not that fun to watch) I always walk away with the idea that "Man if Dempsey was at his best he would smoke this guy."
This Gene/Jack discussion you’ve started with yourself isn’t good for my mental health. I predict you’ll win the debate
