Billy Conn

damn great fighter, probable top 30 of all time. wouldn't say he's the greatest light heavy ever, mainly cause he didn't get enough done at the weight to trump moore or charles. most talented? He might be up there

 

it certainly proved his skill, speed and of course durability. he could not out box charles the way he did louis, that much is for sure. conn could be beat but you had to be one of the true elite to have a shot

 

:goodfair enough. i disagree but conn was a special talent

 

People forget how good Billy Conn was as a lightheavyweight counting aside from his remarkable fight with a Joe Louis who flattened another great LH John Henry Lewis in one round in 1939...Billy Conn beat a tough strong southpaw Melio Bettina twice.
Beat the rugged Gus Lesnevich twice.Ko'd the underated Hwt Bob Pastor, beat a prime Lee Savold, Kod Finland's Gunnar Barlund,who kod Buddy Baer...Billy Conn was one of the toughest and best 175 pounders who ever lived, without a doubt...

 

how do you think Conn vs Maxim would have went, two excellent boxers with not real knock out power?

 

conn coud match his jab and dance circles around him. maxim was smart, solid and technically very sound but overall unspectacular. admire his jab, his career and his determination but conn is another level imo

 

Great lightheavy. I love this division but it is mostly overlooked. Fitz, Tunney, Delaney, Lewis, Charles, Moore, Foster, Spinks, Maske... They are all up there but I think Conn is top 3.

 

An extremely tough man to beat at his best, no question. Special fighter. Not the greatest Light Heavyweight for a few reasons though, chief among them being the existence of Ezzard Charles.

 

Maxim never saw the day he could beat the twice as fast Billy Conn... Tunney, Ezzard Charles and the forgotten Jack Delaney would have the best LH shot against Billy Conn...
P.S. I MUST ADD a prime Tommy Gibbons,a great tough chinned LH who never won a title, to have an even shot against any lightheavyweight...

 

agreed on all counts...i would add spinks and loughran as dark horses as well

 

No CP, a little before my time and most all his fights were in Pittsburgh...
P.S. When Billy Conn's beloved mom died before his fight with Joe Louis in 1941, she requested to be buried near her hero from Pittsburgh...
His name Harry Greb, Pittsburgh's greatest fighter...