40+ best HWs from 1935-1945

As promised I have compiled a list demonstrating this periods depth at HW. I know I said the 40s but I was talking about "Pax Louisa". So 1935-1945.

The order doesn't matter after the beginning its all random. Its about the 40+ HWs being great fighters and the division having amazing depth.

Joe Louis
John Henry Lewis
Braddock
Tommy Farr
Max Baer
Schmeling
Carnera
Buddy Baer
Abe Simon
Mann
Bivins
Lee Murray
Nova
Conn
Mauriello
Pastor
Godoy
Neusel
Elmer Ray
Walcott
Baksi
Harry Thomas
Gastanaga
Al Ettore
Maxim
Red Burman
Gus Dorazio
Kahut
Al McCoy
Art Lasky
Dudas
Sheppard
Turkey Thompson
Harry Bobo
Bettina
Lem Franklin
Oma
Danny Hassett
Foord
Lazek
Roscoe Toles
Buddy Scott
Buddy Walker
Sharkey
Retzlaff
Uzchudchin
Savold
Poland
Lee Oma
Gunner Barlund
Obie Walker
Tandberg
Leroy Haynes
Roy Lazer
Sys
Les Kennedy
Victorio Campolo
Valentin Campolo
Shucco
Al Hart
Eddie Blunt
Alberto Lovell
Hower
Koeblin
Limousin
Jack Trammell
Larry Gains
Perroni
Otis Thomas
Roy Lazer
Sekyra
Buddy Knox
Flynn
Comiskey
Dutch Weimar
Hank Hankison
Muscato
Musto
Jack Roper
Paycheck
Colonello
Lumpkin
Galento
Al Hart
Ray Imp
Adamick
Andre Lenglet
Jack London
Eddie Philips
Heuser
Al Delaney
Parrile
Sante De Leo
Schott

April Fools its way more than 40.

 

Addressing post 6 too you made to George at the bottom.

After the first 6 its not really a ranking. The point is demonstrating the quantity of top guys most of whom you could argue belong in the 40. I was focused on getting the whole group in a list not sorting them. No era has this much elite depth. And I think HW in 2025 is actually more deep than its been in awhile but that depth is artifical because the champs fight no one new and fighters stay undefeated longer. In the 40s this mostly didn't happen.

John Henry Lewis was a combo fighter who fought at HW and LHW his whole career. Might have had a title claim during Braddocks reign as Braddocks inactivity mounted because their fight was considered a robbery. Most of Lewis's HW fights were 15 rounds after this. He was not a Bob Foster who got a title shot because he was LHW champ, he was a successful HW. Though I haven't counted hes got many more HW wins than Usyk.

I see the Baers as better than Carnera and Simon but how is that different than Tyson Fury(who is still an outlier) being ranked number 1 today? The main reason you say HWs from this era can't cut it in the 2020s is because there weren't giant then when you see there were a fair number of them you say they weren't very good and shouldn't have been able to rise to the top. Which is it? For every giant thats good enough to be elite theres tons of them that aren't. While the average HW is bigger this was true in all eras including today. We have this notion giants who got to the top are there just because of their size the same way a Wilder or Shavers is there just because of their power. While they rely on these traits more than other elites, actual fighters who aren't good at boxing but have these traits don't reach that level because you can't win consistantly off just one thing.

Carnera is basically Tyson Fury in the 1930s. When you criticize Carneras lack of power, you're basically just talking about Fury and Valuev. Also Carneras best punch was the jab. There are many big guys who only have power based on their size but this doesn't mean they are bad boxers.

Buddy Baer retired at 26 with a record of 60-7 after the Louis rematch. This is why the worth of Louis's era is so underrated because top guys didn't continue after losing to Louis. Usually the 2nd best stays the 2nd best guy awhile or starts losing, in this era they kept retiring and besides Braddock and Schmeling they were mostly in their 20s. While Buddys record is unusually padded for this era hes still got a great top 5 wins and a good top 10 wins. Mor e importantly he fought a lot of big opponents and while Mann or Savold is much smaller than him the rest of his top wins are mostly big guys. If you look at his opponents on boxer rec theres a lot of 220+s and not many sub 200s. To the extent Buddy Baers resume could have been better he was not taking advantage of his size by beating Simon and Galento he conclusively proved he was the best SHW before he retired.

 

If what you said was true Carnera almost shutting out Tommy Loughran would have been an impossibility. If the ref had scored both of Ngannous knockdowns Fury would have lost to a debutant. Carnera was undefeated against fellow superheavys and even won a official SHW belt against Victorio Campolo with ease.

 

To add context on John Henry Lewis.

At this time fighters often campaigned in 2 divisions at once. At least 58 of John Henry Lewis's 101 wins were HW with many other wins listed as LHW by boxerrec where 1 or both fighters were over 175. John Henry Lewis got 100 wins before his 25th birthday without being able to see. Lewis stopped Gastanaga with an 88 inch reach which is the longest reach any top boxer has ever had in any era. He also stopped Elmer Ray.

Despite the above facts he was never ranked at HW but he was ranked in the Ring at LHW top 4 or higher 7 times.....before he was 25.