Confronted by the sight of Williams in the opposite corner,I think there is every likely-hood Baer freezes as he did against Louis.
Baer should be the strong favorite here. Williams resume against ranked contenders, is very thin. Baer might have f****d it up more gloriously than anybody before or after, but he was still a lineal champion, and he still smashed the top contenders to get there!
Williams best win on paper is Daniels. Baer shouldn't have lost to a few people, but he sure as hell surpassed that!
No, but they provide some indication, of how you might fare against a world class fighter, who wants to win as much as you do!
Let's get down to brass tacks. In one corner we have a man, who just about managed to beat 1-2 ranked contenders, albeit he was highly regarded by the gym rats. In the other corner, we have an undisputed champion, who absolutely smashed the two best fighters in the world. Yes Baer screwed up royally, but his best, was a level above William's best.
Williams beat Rischer, Daniels 2X, and Miteff. All of whom were ranked at the time that he beat them. I'd argue he beat Terrell as well in the rematch. Only person who we know for sure was better than Williams was Liston, who Baer would fair no better against. The only reasons he didn't beat more contenders, were 1. Other contenders weren't exactly going out of their way to fight him, and a bullet cut his time at the top short.
They probably are roughly equivalent in punching power. The only reason I would give Max the edge is his superior durability. This fight comes down to who falls first. Both will get their licks in.
I’ve never thought about this match before and I think it’s a great topic. Two big punchers who are comparably sized. Neither one were terribly defense minded. Baer was probably the more durable. I’m leaning towards max to win by a knockout but I’d love to see this fight. Lots of action
I started to put Williams vs Louis, but Williams fares no better vs prime Louis than he did prime Liston.