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My opinion Joe Louis. Louis on pure skills alone is better than most heavyweights that came after him.
Please , I'm not saying he'd beat all heavyweights that came after him. ( But he'd destroy all that came before ) Louis from a technical perspective offensively demonstrated better skills than all heavyweights.
So if he's better technically than "modern heavyweights " ........... He'd be the 1st.

 

Yeah, I never read ‘em. Who has the time?

I’m too focused on getting in there and launching into senseless tirades.

It’s all about the opinion, MINE. Say what?

Other people have them too? Damn, I never thought of it that way. Time to reflect and adjust.

I have Johnson and Dempsey btw.

Old Arthur had a lot of mod. features to his game but was still well anchored in the clutch and wrestle routine - which he would naturally employ as much as he was allowed to given his general size advantage and strength.

Dempsey, the whole package, holds up very well (imo) as a mod. day fighter or nice precursor to same at the very least.

We’ll never know for sure if Gans couldn’t have tipped over Jeffries - we do know that Big Jeff would never have fought The Old Master any which way.

 

Jess "The Pottawatomie Modern Giant Man WONDER" WILLARD? 6' 6+1/2" 265 pounds!

 

I agree. Louis was years ahead of his time in his abilities.

 

There are a few ways to interpret the question but what you wrote and the perspective provided makes perfect sense.

Like, another way of saying it or looking at it could be asking who was the earliest fighter you could bring forward unchanged, completely as he was, who could still compete and generally prevail at the highest level? Louis is a great answer to that question.

And, just like any so called mod. boxer of today there is certainly the room and potential for tweaks in Joe’s game as and when appropriate and/or necessary. They wouldn’t be like paradigm shifts in his original and already sophisticated game.

We need a clone of The Bomber right now!

 

Welcome back man, long time no read. Hope all is well. And yes, Big Jess was the mod. prototype personified.