How good was Ray Robinson?

You actually answered your own question with that reference to Moore. In Maxim's very next fight that December, Archie dethroned him, and SRR wanted no part of the Mongoose. I suspect it was Sugar's intention to retire after the Maxim fight, win or lose, knowing that Moore was due for a title short. He was probably planning to notch the LHW Title on his belt, then get out while the going was good, leaving Moore to be matched in a bid for the vacated championship (likely with Maxim).

 

Eventually, Roy Jones Jr. got bombed out, just as Duran did against Hearns. Like Robby, RJJ came under some criticism for ducking certain competitors. Regardless, his number eventually came up. Robby's never did. Considering how many matches he had as an amateur and professional, the number of years he competed, and the age he was when he finished, surely he would have been laid out and stopped by punches at some point in his career, but it never happened.

Considering the number of bouts he had, one would expect him to have lost more than twice in his amateur and professional career by the time he dethroned LaMotta. The law of averages dictates that. With favorable judging, he could well have had a combined pro/am record of 224-0 by the time he challenged Maxim.

Hopefully, somebody will eventually post Robinson/Fusari on-line. (It's the only footage of Robby boxing as a WW that I've seen a clip of, although that was many moons ago.)

 

he had verbally agreed to fight Moore(way after the Maxim fight) for the title, until Moore chose to fight a fighting fisherman from Canada

 

the only guy you could argue that he dodged was burley. ezzad charles and archie moore were above his weight

 

pack in the toilet talk

 

Maybe because he was 60lbs heavier. Robinson was the greatest fighter that ever lived, Tyson wasn't even the greatest fighter of the 80's.

 

Don't take the bait. atsch

 

As great and tough as Ray was, do you think he could have survived that right hand at the age and weight he would have been boxing Durelle at? (Jack Sharkey said Arch was cross-eyed after that first knockdown, and we all know Moore identified that shot as the hardest punch he was ever hit by.)

 

Pretty much, he was like Ali, or Ali was like him rather.. They did not have anything near great defense, but they were always punching, so when they needed to slip a punch they could due to their speed.. Far from Pernell Whitaker though:bbb.

Ali and Sugar Rays style were very simliar.. They both loved to use 1-2s, had good footwork, and thought the best defense was a great offense. (Althought from what i've seen Robinson through a bigger array of punches, like he used uppercuts a lot more.)

 

I think Robinson would throw more punches in the opening 5 rounds but once Archie starts to land, I could see Robinson going into survival mode until the end and losing a wide-ish decision

 

That's a fair assessment. When Robby moved in close to Maxim, he was scoring by ducking underneath, before skipping back out again. I doubt he'd be getting below Archie's guard. Maxim boxed tall against Sugar, a different posture than Moore would be likely to use. Robinson would have to try outmaneuvering him, a challenging order to carry out over the 15 round distance.

 

Maxim had a top chin but he didnt have power ,Archie had top power ,even when he was an old man ,SRR,as great as he was would be in jeopardy whenever he was in range of Moores punches,imo.

 

How well Robinson did or didn't do against Maxim tells us practically nothing about how he'd do against Moore.

 

Duodenum probably drew Maxim into the mix because he was the only LH Robinson met.