I don't think this has ever been done, but how would Mills have done against the other TOP L-HWs during his time, if he would have been fighting in the States going through the contenders there? Mills vs. J H Lewis Mills vs. Bettina Mills vs. Conn Mills vs. Christoforidis Mills vs. Bivins Mills vs. Lesnevich (rubber) Mills vs. Maxim (II) Mills vs. Moore Mills vs. Charles Mills vs. the Row, Chase, Booker, Marshall again. I think he is good money in a lot of these contests, but would struggle against the Boxers, like Lewis, Conn, Bivins, Charles & Moore, the punchers might secum to Mills' resilence and his own punching power too, and likewise he has just as good a shot with some of the Row. Mills was anything but refined, but he was a hard, wild and hard hitting, always there tough battler. I see him winning as many as he loses, as well as capable of doing better on his best nights. thoughts.
I think he might beat J.H. Lewis, though not likely. He might scrape a win over Bettina as well. The fact is Mills really just had one night where he fought at level that he'd never reached before or after that, while Lesnevich fought beneath his usual standards.
Mills was a tough guy, a brawler. Him being the light heavyweight champion speaks more about Lesnevich's short-comings than Mills's strengths however. The loss against an aging Marshall around his own prime speaks volumes. With his style, he couldn't take on too many of them without the damage piling up on his body. Lesnevich shouldn't really have been the champion of anything after losing a clear decision to 176 lb Jimmy Bivins.
2nded . Mills was far from great . Only reasons Y he was ever heard of were his color and yet even more importantly his motherland . Throughout history UK fighters were required 2 much lower standards than any other country in order 2 become famous / b granted of ranking and/or title shots . Mills would have probably been unable 2 become a supermiddleweight titlist 2day . His era was strong , but not in his country . At that same time , on d world level , d best were not allowed title shots . D best This content is protected lightheavyweight of his era was Joey Maxim by far . By so far that d rest just don't matter .
I still think his most difficult fights would be with the ones I mentioned, the Boxers. his loss to Marshall might have just been a bad night for him or he got surprised by a fighter, in a fight he just couldn't find his way back from, it happens. a look at who Marshall fought after Freddie and lost to, Mills was better than them. equally people seem to forget Mills was a STRONG, and capable pressing fighter, and too fight such heavyweights as: Baksi Woodcock Ralph Olek Shaw London and others still, was not at all that bad going for the durable but smaller Mills. I think not remembering this fact takes quite a bit away from Freddie. Lesnevich was as good a L-HW champ as any, and is mostly remembered as a very sound champion. and again to suggest there were miles between the Top Yanks verse the TOP rest of the world is just not accurate, the best of the rest were pretty darn close, there have been far too many to prove that, especially from Fly to Middleweight. Mills from my evaluation is a TOP 10 Contender all day long, with a chance of winning a title on his best night, which he did and though he would mostly be beaten by his better peers, he was a contender/champion none-the-less. Freddie Mills probably took more punishment than any other champion, but he was a worthy battler all the same!
