How well does his career go if he fought the same versions of his opponents that Deontay fought? Would he have the same record? Possibly a better, or worse one?
Wilder is a decent bit taller and faster though I do think Max’s speed is underrated and might hold up well against superheavys.
He could probably beat anybody that Wilder beat, though he had a way of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Fury probably proves too much for him for the same reasons.
Luis Ortiz is at least one fighter that I think would have laid out Baer. South paw style with fast hands. Solid chin and devastating power.
People here saying Ortiz will be the one to take him down, give me a chuckle. He wouldn’t get anywhere near Ortiz.
The problem is his heart was never in boxing. Would it be under a scenario where he never killed other boxers? Maybe, but he loved the limelight and nightlife as well. The one thing you can give Wilder is that he was consistent over a long period of time, even if it was against a very underwhelming collection of fighters. Dozens of more talented fighters simply didn't have that in them. Regardless of how good one thinks Baer is, it's incredibly doubtful that he has that dedication and fire required to put a big string together.
Its funny I find Ortiz and even Breazeale to be tougher matchups for Max Baer then the guys who actually beat Wilder. While they both have power Max isn't the guy whose hunting for one shot. I normally resist the whole "styles make fights" thing when elevating guys with the worse record against common opponents but most styles aren't as one dimensional as Wilders. Parker looked so much better against Wilder for a reason. Max's inconsistancy is overrated. He had one down period from the summer of 30 to 31. Before this he was 22-2 with his only 2 losses being DQs. After this he was 42-6 with losses to Louis, Braddock, Farr and Nova with one in speed boxing.
Wilder went 43 fights without loss. Baer went 7, then he went 8, then he went 7, then he went 2, then he went 1, then he went 1, then he went 14, then he went 20, then he went 1, then he went 3, then he went 4. They are very different levels of consistency. I'll grant that Baer was facing far more genuine contenders than Wilder ever did, probably by miles to be frank. Wilders record would look a lot different sooner if he took on the creme of the creme. I'll concede that. Baer's losses were almost all to higher ranked fighter types. That's all good for Greatness/resume talk but he's getting dropped into another era. He doesn't have the consistency.
Boxing today is built around staying undefeated as long as possible to get a title shot. Boxing in the 30s was not. Everyones trying to win every fight but they didn't need to in order for their career to advance. For prospect Wilder even 1 loss likely would have been the end of his aspirations. Wilders era isn't more consistant because they are better they are consistant by wilderly lowering the quality of who they are willing to fight at various stages of their careers. They do so because they can't have losses. Its like saying traditional college football teams were more consistant then the NFL. Yeah theres a reason for that. When I say Max's inconsistancy is overrated I mean he gets called inconsistant when compared to others in his era. Yeah hes inconsistant compared to Wilder.