That's my take on it too, although I'd add Liston to the list of guyw pre 1960 who would do well in today's era.
235lb Tony Galento? 6'7 250lb Buddy Baer? 6'4 255lb Abe Simon? 6'6 265lb Primo Carnera? 6'3 212lb Max Baer? 6'3 205lb lou nova? 6'2 200lb charley retzleff? 6'1 210lb stanley poreda? Louis chin was plenty tested vs 200lb + contenders
I'm struggling to think of a big man with anything like Lewis' jab, in-fighting skills or power. Certainly, Depsey didn't fight, or beat, anybody remotely like that.
Well the likes of Buddy Baer and Firpo gave enough problems. The skilled big man seldom existed 80 years ago. The big man in question here had one of the best jab's in the division's history. Willard fought like he'd just found out that jabbing was illegal.
And imagine if Dempsey was actually a real heavyweight, we'd be able to give him a realistic chance of stopping great heavyweights above 200 pounds.
If Dempsey is 196 and Frazier is 203, is that difference big enough that matches can be made at heavyweight for fun and be met with serious discussion where Frazier is concerned, but not where Dempsey is concerned?
Picking 7-8 guys over 200lbs is hardly much of a counter argument to anyone suggesting Lewis fought more 200lb+ fighters than Louis. As to who has the better chin, that's hard to say, as far as I'm concerned, both their chins were good enough to get the job done and neither one would win or loose many fights, if any, because of it.
Fulton, who was close to Lewis in height, perhaps even taller, although lighter, was known to have a great left jab. This is Ted Carroll on Fulton: "Fred Fulton is usually recalled as a collapsible charactor whom Dempsey flattened in 18 seconds. But the record book discloses that old Fred was an astonishingly good fighter. His record is clustered with knockouts of good men. People who saw him in action swear that he had the best left hand any heavyweight ever boasted. He could box and he could punch. Furthermore, he did not lack courage, for he fought many men others feared, and barred nobody." Ring Magazine, June 1952, page 16.
Dempsey's fighting weight at his best was under 190 pounds. Tell me when the last sub 190 pound fighter cut a swathe thru the division and beat all time greats. Then tell me when they beat all time greats over 200 pounds. You can have 200 pounds forward of when the weight change come in for cruisers or whatever. It just ain't happening on a consistent basis today, and in actually not at all right now.