How would Max Baer fair today?

He would fare horribly. Not even on the radar.

Utterly predictable and lacking of any science whatsoever.

 

BIG DEE HERE= Baer at his best would crush the division as it stands today.
no one has the power to KO him. I know what I going to hear Joe Louis KOed him, ya but he`s the only one to do it when he was good. Lou Nova did it
in Baer`s last bout but he had taken a beating untill then. The Joe Louis fight
was in Baer`s prime and it took a helluva lot of clean shots that would have KOed every heavyweight in the division with just one or two of them. Tommy Farr said that Baer was the hardest puncher he ever fought and that Baer`s
short arm punches in the clinches were like getting hit with hammers and
not hands with gloves on. Today Baer would have the best chin in the division
and would without question be the hardest puncher. If Sanders who is a good heavyweight at his best could knock Klitschko onto ***** street what would a man who hit like Baer do to him. Baer`s big problem was speed
and none of the Russian heavyweights are fast like Joe Jouis they are big and slow. Valuve wouldn`t get past the 3rd rd before getting plastered. Baer wouldn`t be worring about hurting the big stiff like he did most of the fighters
he fought then. Baer would cave his ribs in and get rid of the big bum. If
George Foreman was in his prime today he would do the same thing to Valuve
to get rid of him. You guys art like these Russian`s have great skills and they don`t. I haven`t been impressed by any of them with the exception of
Vitale Klitschko. I haven`t been impressed by any of our american heavyweights either for several years. YES I BELIEVE MAX BAER IN HIS PRIME
WITH A REASON TO FIGHT WOULD GO THUR THE DIVISION LIKE A HOUSE AFIRE AS WHEN HE WAS IN THE MOOD TO FIGHT HE WAS DAMN NEAR UNBEATABLE. OH YES AS FAR AS NOT BEING AS BIG AS THE FIGHTERS TODAY
HIS WEIGHT MIGHT NOT BE BUT HIS UPPERBODY MEASURMENTS WERE VERY BIG. CHEST 46" 48" EXPANDED, REACH 81", BICEPS 17" HEIGHT 6' 3" TO 6' 4"
YA HE WAS BIG ENOUGH.

 

wow, as usual on the classic board, delusion knows no bounds, nor does the love of a man's measurements.

 

good size, great power, solid chin, he would do well but he still would have to be more dedicated than he was to keep a title but I think he would have a punchers chance vs anyone

 

Agreed. Baer belongs among the top five all time in chin and the top five in power. Sure, he didn't have a whole hell of alot outside of this, but that would be MORE than enough in today's division.

 

Either win the title or not. I do know one thing, He WILL put boxing back on the map with his comic gags, and out going personality.

 

Baer was crude, but he knew more about boxing than a pure slugger like, say, Esch.

 

I really don't get the fascination some have with Max Baer. Sure he was a puncher and had a good chin. He also seemed like a likeable character but this running through todays division seems very doubtful. He would be a contender today but would win some and lose some. There's a decent amount of film on Baer out there and he just seems too crude to make him out to be better than what he was. He'd be a shot in the arm if he fought today due to his outside the ring persona but he's not running wild through todays or any other eras division.

 

Who in the hell said he'd run through the division, Bogart?

Even his biggest fans haven't said anything like that.

 

Seek and you shall find.

 

BIG DEE HERE= I did and after 45 yrs of studying fighters and boxing history
he would damn well go through the division as poor as it is and it is poor.
These last heavyweight title fights were pretty close to being disgusting
as they sucked for air and if it keeps up it will spell the end of boxing as a
major sport as it is on the ropes because of crap like Klitschkos title defense
which was a joke at best.

 

I'm probably one of the biggest Baer fans on this site, but even I would be cautious about saying he'd "run through" today's division. Be very much on the top tier, no doubt, but like some have said, he'd face size disadvantages that he did not face in his era. Of course, were he alive today, with his frame, and the ability to take advantage of modern training techniques, he'd probably be bulkier - but he wouldn't be taller, wouldn't have a longer reach, etc. He'd have problems against huge guys like the Klitschkos or Valuev. Still, I'd pick him to beat most of the rest.

Baer, at his best, was a great fighter. Problem was, he was never able to really sustain that level. He'd be a top guy today, no doubt - but it's doubtful he'd clean out the division.

 

Baer would be another of Klitschko's succesful defenses if he fought him. There might be some heavyweights from the past who could run through todays division, not as many as you might think, but Baer isn't one of them.

 

BIG DEE HERE= Ya, they are big and slow, perfect meat for Maxie to knock the crap out of.

 

Coming from an admitted pro-Baer perspective this is a much more reasonable view.