Bill Conn in today's boxing enviorment....How great would he be?

It depends, does he get fights, the right fights, does he get protected or thrown in with, does he get fights at the last miniute or does he get chances to prepare? Does he suffer long periods of inactivity because he's waiting for a mandatory or can't get a fight?

People think today's fighters have it easy and the likes of Chavez Jr certainly do. But many fighters get ruined by being frozen out, being avoided, not getting fights or getting the wrong stylistic fights and then having periods of inactivity.

The Chavez situation is everything that's wrong with boxing and he's a protected fraudulent hype job, which isn't entirely his own fault but his use of diuretics and skipping drugs tests because he's dirty is his fault

OK so now let's assume he gets the fights, does he campaign at his natural division or drain down in order to not have a size disadvantage? Let's say he starts as a 154lb-160lbs fighter and somehow he gets a shot at Mayweather and cuts water to make the WW weight limit. I don't think the young Conn wins that, no way. At LMW he could pick up a belt, he'd beat Cotto, Alvarez I actually rate highly and he may not win that. Let's say he peaks at 168lbs as he did, he can still drain down to 160lbs easily enough and fight Martinez, this would be his clowning glory because I think he wins. He can hopefully end Chavez Jrs career. Then he can step up and fight Ward, but Ward will be bigger, faster and technically pretty good and he'd probably get bullied here. Does he goto LHW as a 168lb fighter to fight 185lb+ men? As his manager I wouldn't allow him too.

 

Conn was one of the all time greats...he almost beat a prime Joe Louis in 1941...he'd do fine today...

 

He'd probably win a lot more titles, but would that really make him any greater than he was in his own era ?

He had some good competition to excel against in his own era.
He's one of the best ever.


The only thing that might have benefitted his career now is there's no world war (... well, last time i checked the news there wasn't ).

 

Were he given the chance, he would school all the light heavies, B-Hop included. But his management would probably fall in line with the cautious, tepid matchmaking that rules so much of this game, so perhaps we would be waiting till he was well into his 30's before a career defining victory came about.

 

He'd more than likely beat Hopkins, but nobody is 'schooling' him.

 

Hopkins, at this age, has to cherry pick his opponents and still has moments of extreme frailty. I would take the BHop from just a few years ago not to get "schooled".

 

I think Billy would win some LH belts, why isnt he mentioned with ATG???

 

Great then, greater today!

 

This is all true minus the cherry-picking nonsense. He continues to seek out the best fighters in his weight range.

 

Probably wins any title he wants from mw to cw.

 

He'd be champ at 168 and 175.

 

I think, given his age when reaching the top and improvements in sports science and nutrition, he would be a size bigger than he was back then, without necessarily sacrificing his speed and mobility.