Billy Conn versus Jim Jeffries/Jack Johnson/Jack Dempsey/Max Baer 15 rounds

I'll pass judgment on Jeffries and Baer, but Johnson would have been all wrong for him. He'd have kept the fight at a distance and caught Conn with uppercuts when the smaller man tried to move inside. I'm thinking a stoppage between the 13th and 15th, but Jack also carried lesser men than Conn, so who knows.

Btw, I love Billy Conn. His style was decades ahead of the times.

 

Billy Conn purportedly gave Max Baer a boxing lesson in sparring while Baer was champion.

I think that Conn could be a box of tricks for all the fighters listed.

Jeffries would likley be relying on a fight of fairly long duration to wear down Conn. Fifteen rounds is not going to be good for him. Perhaps the highly polished version of Jeffries that dismantled Corbett second time round could plot a measured destruction of Conn within 15.

Baer again should not be alowed in the same ring as Conn. He might be able to break Conn down but if he dosn't then he is in trouble.

Jack Johnson of all the fighters listed had the stylistic and technical tools to win on the score cards. His boxing ability combined with his ability to turn tiger at crucial moments might be a winning combination. Of course Conn might be flashy enough to please the judges.

In some ways Jack Dempsey might be the smartest bet of the four. If anybody is going to catch Conn and close the show then it is going to be him. He is going to make Conn choose between fighting to survive, and mixing it up at the risk of getting leveled, which might be a winning formula.

 

I think the version of Conn that fought Louis would have been competitve over all and bigger than most of the opponents they fought as Champions.

 

The Conn that fought Louis would have been a bit on the small side in any era.

He probably weighed less than Bob Fitzsimmons and Joe Choynski when Jeffries was feasting on those poor middleweights.

 

Conn vs Fitz? Would Fitz be aggressive or would he be waiting to counter all night against the elusive Conn?

Thing is, when Conn does engage Louis...,wow, Joe lets him have it.

 

Well Billy was still 6"1,1/2 inches tall and weighed in at a fit as a fiddle 174lbs...Johnson and Dempsey fought smaller men...I also think Billy took a good shot, not too many of these heavyweights could hit like Louis nor throw a 6-peice combo with the speed and accuracy of Louis in fact, non of them could

 

In reality Conn was almost certainly under 170 lbs when he fought Louis, and Louis was probably over 200.

If I am right then he was significantly smaller than say Tommy Gibbons, and probably not much in it either way between him and Bob Fitzsimmons.

That is where things start to get interesting.

 

All due respect to Louis, (and that's not to be flippant, I mean it truly), there's an argument that he didn't have quite the boxing IQ or the chin Johnson did, and while he was surely the more proven champ at HW, I think both of these small edges would have served Jack well against Conn. One thing Conn realized in the first Louis fight was that he could get off first and do it highly effectively when Joe wasn't pressing him hard enough, and I think against Johnson that tack gets him countered mercilessly or worn down late by Jack's clinches.

One thing's for sure, it would be fun as all hell to see if Jack could have stifled Conn's quick hands. I think he could have, but I also see the counter-argument coming, that he never proved this ability against anyone with Conn's level of offensive polish.

 

Jeffries: difficult to say because they fought under different rules. I guess in the rules of his times Jeffries would stop Conn between the 15th and 20th round. Under the ruleset of Conn's time I guess Conn would outbox Jeffries over 15 rounds. I can't see Jeffries wearing Conn down over 15 and that's the only way I see him winning.

Johnson: he has all the tools to beat Conn. The technical ability, the speed and the power. He would use his reach and size to keep him on the outside and Conn tries to move inside Johnson would use tie him up and hit him with uppercuts. I guess Johnson would beat TKO him late, around the 13th round.

Baer: Baer at his best wouldn't have the skills to beat Conn. Conn would use his footwork and skill to outbox him. Of course Baer might catch himwith a lucky punch but I wouldn't bet on it.

Dempsey: he has the foot- and handspeed to get to Conn and to do it early. Louis needed to bait Conn because he didn't have the footspeed to keep with him. Dempsey has. It will be a fast paced, very excting fight while it lasts but I guess it would be over in less than 5 rounds.

 

I never heard this ,and, I would doubt it .In 1935, [ Baer's title reign],Conn had 15 fights ,losing 5 of them and drawing another,he also scaled under 150lbs. I see no logical reason he would be in the ring with Max.
I agree with your Dempsey prediction however,Jack had the fast feet to catch the speedy Conn,who weighed 168 for Louis.Louis said the effort to get under 200lbs for the fight made him feel "like ****", he was seriously dehydrated for the fight.
Johnson would have early problems with Conn ,but would probably catch him late imo.
The Jeffries fight would depend a great deal on the distance of it ,imo.
15rds ,I think I might go for Conn.Jeffries, over 20 rds might mean he catches Conn in a corner and applies the finisher, after slowing him down with body shots.
Baer would have to get lucky with his overhand right,and, as Conn had little heavyweight power,I think he might, Max punched "long",I see a cocky Conn pulling away after a fast flurry and getting nailed.