Billy Conn versus Ray Robinson at LHW

personally i think conn was a few notches above maxim. robinson would have his moments but if they're fighting indoors, i like conn by decision. conn too big for robinson. i don't see conn being hurt by robinson and i think there would not be much difference in speed between them.

 

How about at middleweight? Conn never gets much mention there, but he fought and beat some real good people at 160?

 

Conn would be too much for an older Robinson at light heavy.

Now if a younger Conn had challenged Robinson at middleweight, that would have been an interesting fight.

 

I think of Conn as a lightheavyweight almost exclusively. I'm of the opinion that middleweight Conn was a work in progress and found his niche in the 175 class.

 

Conn was better than Maxim but smaller. Robinson in his losing effort to Maxim seemingly dominated before running out of steam in the heat. I think he was still prime or near for Maxim myself as it was before his initial retirement. He's giving up around 15lbs here, which is allot, but earlier in his career he gave up similar weight to Lamotta and prevailed and he nearly prevailed against Maxim in unfavourable conditions.

Here Robinson lacks strength but has advantages in speed, skill and Conn isn't such a big puncher and doesn't have advantages in height/reach. Conn would have to change his role to stalker and pressure fighter somewhat, something he can do but a tough challenge none the less, been beaten to the punch and missing more than normal.

Robinson without a doubt in my mind sweeps many of the early, by the mid-rounds as he slows and as Conn's greater strength shows it get's competitive back and forth action. It would be a close fight, a close decision either way or a late Conn stoppage. It depends on the tactics of both men, if it stays as a pure boxing contest then Robinson wins, Robinson may win anyway but Conn upping the tempo and pressuring could perhaps bully Robinson

 

Same

 

Ray Robinson, as great as he was at WW,would never see the day he would beat the LH Conn of Louis vintage 1941...Conn, would be too strong and rough for Robinson....Don't compare Joey Maxim with the much faster
and speedier Billy Conn who almost beat a prime Joe Louis...Conn would beat the slower safety first Maxim 10 out of 10 times....

 

Conn TKO's SRR at Lightheavy (Conn fought and beat heavies...and went toe to toe with Joe Louis)

 

I think Conn would have defeated the great one here. Conn was faster and more dynamic than Maxim, though maybe no better defensively and not as big. Billy Conn's balls would be the undoing of SRR, as Billy would successfully mount a much better offense than Maxim was capable of and Billy was fearless, and that combined with his other well known attributes would have taken him to a comfortable decision over Robinson.

 

Conn had balls the size of a battle ship..he'd not hurt Maxim, but like you said, he's beat him every time they fought.

 

rc, one of Billy Conn's most impressive win was his battering and stoppage of the excellent HW Bob Pastor in 1940...Bob Pastor was a great boxer who fought Joe Louis and beat top heavyweights in his era. Billy Conn gave Pastor quite a beating and Pastor was bigger than Maxim and faster too...

 

Conn looked great as the smaller, faster and skilled opponent against Louis, but how would he look against a smaller, faster and more skilled guy in Sugar Ray ? Doing well against bigger guys doesn't mean you'd do better against smaller ones. For example, I do not think a guy like Chris Byrd would've had a better a career at CW/LHW, where he wouldn'have enjoyed as much speed advantage. Conn is only listed as being 2 inches taller than Sugar Ray and they had the same reach. I do not see Conn bullying Robinson around, based on Ray's handspeed, power and footwork. I do not see Conn KOing Robinson. Would he outbox Ray ? You've got to be kidding me. Conn was a really good boxer, but he'd lose by UD.

 

But why not? Think about it- Jake LaMotta was able to do it in the early bouts of their series. Conn is slicker, faster and more skilled than Jake. Plus he could box AND slug as a situation dictated. And Robinson, even at his best, usually struggled pretty hard against the good middleweights he fought anyway. So how could he beat a GREAT LHW?

Conn would initiate a slugging match and overpower Robinson. Ray has nothing to keep Conn off of him and Billy's fast feet enable him to easily close the distance on a dancing SRR any time he chooses. Conn by late rounds TKO.

 

Billy Conn would win.