Jess Willard vs Audley Harrison

I gave this match to Willard out of respect for his being a linear champion. But in truth both men were pretty abysmal in the grand scheme of things. Audley never lived up to the hype that came with him out of the amateurs. Jess retired with a record of 22-5-1-20 with his only signature win being over a 37 year old Johnson who had only fought 3-4 times in five years and was dwarfed in size by Willard. Winning that title and being a beneficiary of perfect timing is the only reason he has a name today. In fairness to Audley Harrison, it was the opposite. He was a "victim" of time as he didn't turn pro until he was 30 years old and was already 34 when he suffered his first defeat.

 

I am going to disagree here.

He actually beat a few people who were significant contenders, who would at least have been top ten guys at the time.

When you measure him against Harrison, he has a lot more than a win over Johnson.