I know this might not be the appropriate forum to post this as it isn't about Dempsey, Marciano, Johnson or Jeffries but I suppose I can sneak it in under the Dempsey umbrella...how do you guys rate Levinsky. I have tended to dismiss him on account of all the ND etc but this guy proved himself the match or master of so many heavyweight contenders...Wuest, McMahon, Jim Flynn, Ross, Weinert, Gunboat, Madden, Barry, Ferguson, Dillon, Miske, Brennan, McTigue, I know he lacks the marque win, Greb and Dillon probably proved better than him but thats a lot of respected 1910-25 heavyweight contenders...thoughts?
I think pretty highly of him to be honest. He fought a ridiculous level of opposition, to a ridiculous schedule. I disagree about him lacking the marque win. He beat Jack Dillon eventually, although Dillon was the better fighter. He also beat Greb according to some newspapers.
Levinsky did not beat Greb. I think he was a clever, talented fighter but his reign is marred by his hiding behind the ND rule. This extended his reign because like guys like McTigue and McCoy he would often just try to survive until the end of ND fights in order to not get hurt or stopped and preserve his title. He was just using it for monetary and promotional purposes and had no real interest in trying to defend it. By the time Greb beat him in 1917 (and maybe even earlier than that) he was no longer the best LHW in the world, if he ever was.
Good thread. I tend to think of him as underrated but things get so obscured in the ND era... and for a guy who was fighting twice a week at times. It's really difficult to adjust and measure him in terms of legacy or talent against guys who fought only 30 years later.
Getting the better of Coffey, Brennan, Miske, Older Dillon and the like is still impressive, no big minus not beating Greb, none of the other heavies were beating him either. Just saying he never gets much of a shout when top 175 men are mentioned but surely he compares well with Delaney, Berlenbach, McTigue, Carpentier, Siki, Slattery,Torres, Pastrano. Lesnevich, and a slew more?
Yeah, I'd actually give him a pass on the ND thing if it wasn't for the fact that he'd won his claim to the title with a decision !
