Rico vs the pre-90s giants

Rico couldn't even stand up for 12 rounds. Any one of those heavyweight that had an educated, strong uppercut stops him.

 

Jess Willard and Primo Carnera were cleaned up pretty well when they lost their titles.
I think Rico would beat them, not Dempsey style of course.

 

Jose Santa would beat him easy. Victorio Campolo, Hank Hankison, Retzlaff. Would knock out Rico in less than 2 rounds!! Andre Anderson beats him easy.

Y'all are bringing up a higher caliber of SHW then what is required to win.

 

I could see him beating Willard. But Cooney? No. IMO Cooney's left hook is too big.

 

I think he could spank the lot. Those guys just weren't very good. Guys like Willard are plain bad boxers and Abe Simon makes Willard look like Lomachenko. Cooney and Bugner might be a little problematic, but not beyond his reach.

 

If Willard sucked, how did he become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world? Before there was Mike Tyson, before there was Oleksander Usyk, there was Jess Willard.

 

Half that list beats his ass, anyone that appeared before 1940 is fair game

 

Jesus Christ dude, have you seen footage of Willard fighting? I think the question answers itself.

 

Rico would beat Willard easily, Carnera and Baer too. I think Joe Bugner beats him, Terrell would be a tough out, too. Realistically I think he just beats those 3.

 

"Relatively, he's a scrub" - Skip Bayless.

It is fairly obvious to me that when @BCS8 says that Willard is bad he means in the context of being compared to modern boxing. Willard is bad relative to being compared to more modern boxers such as a Mike Tyson or Oleksandr Usyk. Beating a past prime Jack Johnson is not good evidence that he would be competitive in more modern heavyweight eras such as the 1980s or 2020s.

Before there was Jess Willard, there was Diagoras of Rhodes. It doesn't mean I need to favor Diagoras over Willard in a 1920s ruleset match.

 

I mean, Rico basically *is* Carnera. Big, awkward guy with some craft and mobility. Big and strong but not a particularly powerful puncher relatively speaking. Kind of a toss-up between the two based on what I've seen.

I imagine over a shorter distance, I'd take Rico over Willard and Simon

Mathis and Bugner were talented but inconsistent. I'd take Cooney over Rico for sure. Probably Terrell at his best beats Rico, too.

 

He fights like Wlad to me and Carnera looks like Vitali

 

Oh ye of little faith

 

You’re right but quoting Skip bayless is NEVER necessary lol