Tommy went the full 15 rounds with Jack Dempsey, that is quite a achievement. I say Tommy would offer a decent challenge to Artur, and think at minimum Arturs flawless KO record would be halted. I will stick my neck out and say Tommy gets the win on points by using his boxing brain.
You sometimes wonder how Tommy Gibbons ever managed to lose north of 175. He was a master boxer, with sickening power, and a chin like an anvil. This is not going to be pretty, and it is not going to be easy for the winner. Sadly we will never see this fight, but we might see Beterbiev Bivol, which could be one for the ages.
Yes...let's see how Bivol does then revisit this thread. Can a master boxer out point AB and survive the occasional big shot? This is like the AB vs Calzaghe thread in the master forum and it's a question every time a boxer fights a puncher. And AB is a damn good boxer, he's not a plodding slugger like I've read in here. Far from it.
I don't see a size issue to be honest. Gibbons seems to have been in the mid to high 180s in heavyweight fights, or catchweight fights, while still able to make 175 for most of his career. Gibbons professional career starts at a much younger age, and finished at a much younger age, so we need to factor that into the calculations.
The big drawback to any thread like this concerning Beterbiev is he is now starting to look unnaturally good. It's not just that he stopped his mandatory challenger in the seventh round just a few days before he turns 39. It's the way he shrugged off the punches from a very good boxer with better than average punching power. The way he absorbed punishment and kept coming and dishing out such hurtful blows is not natural. So, why did this happen? Is it his diet, known only to a select few in the Caucassus? Is he a genuine freak of nature? Or is he very carefully juicing up? Even if he is cheating, I still don't think that's enough to explain how he performs. It's only fair to point out I have zero proof he is cheating in any way. That said, I have very strong suspicions.
Yeah, I am reticent to start making proclamations for a guy still active, even though he is late 30's. Many thought Kovalev was the Second Coming until he started to unwind (much of his own doing). As far as Bivol, he seems more a long range fighter, a toucher than a concussive puncher. Tommy was more clever and heavy handed. Still not sure he could handle the strength of Beterbiev though he did walk through a dozen low blows from Dempsey.
Is there any pre-WW2 LH you think Beterbiev could beat? How about HOFers like Battling Levinsky, Phil. Jack O'Brien, Carpentier, to name a few? Would he have a chance against any of those guys - or would he simply be in over his head against these greats from a long bygone era?
I think they beat him. Beterbiev looks a little slow and robotic to me. I doubt that he'd be dominant in a good era.
