Boxers from lower divisions who could handle hesvyweighs?

The guys that I'm thinking about making the cut are super slick Middleweights. Hopkins, McCallum, Kalambay, maybe Graham?

 

Don Cockell fought his heart out against Marciano, loads of other LHWs did very good just thought he should get a shout.

 

None could compete against any modern skilled super heavyweight

 

I'd think ATG level middleweight slicksters could handle plenty of heavyweights who aren't big punchers.

 

I think a prime Michael Nunn …could beat a few heavyweights

 

James Toney and Roy Jones.

 

Dempsey said he was 180lbs when he toppled Willard

 

They would feel like big punchers once those heavyweights start landing on them

 

Barley any would, that's why there's the weight classes and guys argue about a couple of pounds and rehydration clauses.

Bernard Hopkins is an all time great at 160 pounds but a journeyman like Carlos Takam would walk through him, he's been taking punches from heavyweights his whole career so a man that weighs 160 pounds would be nothing to him.

No one thinks Dan Gable would have beaten a heavyweight of his era in a wrestling match and for good reason. Gable won the gold medal in the 1972 Olympics in Freestyle wrestling at 149 pounds, his heavyweight American counterpart? 6'5 412 pound Chris Taylor who won Bronze.

Could a Middleweight beat a heavyweight like Marion Wilson? Possibly but he still gave a guy like Ray Mercer a tough fight and stood there and went at it with Ike Ibeabuchi. But they wouldn't even take a journeyman.

 

It depends on the smaller guy fighting stylistically, if he’s a physical fighter…
In more modern times it’s an unnecessary risk to go up with how much they earn - today a fighter must also weigh over 200lbs to go up to heavyweight so we have no idea how smaller nimbler guys could do.
The strength of the smaller fighter is his keener mind and lightness. Conn could box circles around Foreman, AJ, Bruno, Peter’s but if you forced him to be 200lbs…
Bernard Hopkins would be nearly a career long 175lbs fighter back in the day and would’ve gone up for $ no doubt he had no need in his day the money was abundant.

 

To add did to your Hopkins v Takam scenario did you see Renaldo Snipes walk through Eddie Mustafa Muhammad? lol.

 

I know I've watched that fight a while ago, if I remember didn't Snipes win it pretty comfortably? He may not have walked through him but certainly won, also there was only 13 pounds between them when they fought. I'm assuming that in these scenarios the fighters are fighting at their usual weight, so let's take Hopkins at 160 or 175 pounds (So Middleweight or Light Heavyweight version) Then put him up against Takam who has weighed anywhere between 235-252 pounds for his big fights, is known for his come forward style and to be durable, yeah Hopkins punches is not worrying Takam one bit.

 

Snipes did not win that fight comfortably lol.
He lost on my card he realised he couldn’t do anything with Mustafa, got countered a couple times and fought scared.
Mustafa was pig fat for that fight too it’s not like he got any better by being a tub.
I don’t believe your chin improves by getting heavier you’re born with your chin Duran had a chin capable of resisting punches at 160lbs not because he was 160lbs.

 

I remember it not being an entertaining fight that's all really

Do you think Alexis Arguello at Featherweight would be able to take shots of a Super Middleweight like Charles Brewer? It's the same for a Super Middleweight fighting a Heavyweight.

As far as Duran, he used to starve himself to get down to Lightweight and was amazing defensively.

Do you think James Toney at 160 pounds would have been able to handle punches off Samuel Peter as good as he did when he fought him at a much heavier weight?