he'd be forced to fight at his best and possibly stop armstrong late. more likely, win a clear decision by 3-4 rounds
First time they fought, Hank was nowhere near washed up. I'm not even sure he was far removed from his prime, if at all.
A dream fight that would've lived up to the hype. Robinson wins by decision, simply because when you take two skilled fighters, with handspeed, good footwork and strong chins, the bigger man will carry the day. 145-140
As tough and tenacious as Armstrong was, Ray was bigger and had just too much of everything. This would be fiercely competitive for sure, but I just can't see Robinson losing.
:deal Not with the caliber of fighters he was beating just prior to the fight with Robinson. Past prime? Okay. Washed up? That's bull****. In any case, Ray has all of the tools and attributes to take a comfortable decision over him just about every time they would settle up, save for the rare late stoppage. It shouldn't seem so easy, but Robinson is who he is.
On one side, Robinson could keep Armstrong outside, mix it up a little here and there. As has been said before, Robinson's physical gifts would offset Henry's crowding and he coasts on to a decision win. The other side: They make it an all out war, but while neither would easily be floored, or stopped, Robinson still has too much for Armstrong.
Never know. Making it an all-out war appears to be the exact opposite of what Ray was hell-bent on doing with the version of Henry he did fight. Armstrong at his peak had a way of not giving you any choice whatsoever. I'd still favor Ray to general that fight but, yeah, he could War and still come out on top.
43 was only 5 years after he'd hit, imo, the most amazing achievement in boxing history. The only people he lost to in this time at WW were Zivic (who he also beat), Joyce (who he also beat) and Shank (reportedly a close fight). He lost to Ambers and Jack down at LW but I see nothing in his form to suggest washed up is even close to being a true description of him.