Which middleweights from before the SMW division was created would have been great at 168?

I've always thought the exact same about Marvin Johnson. Would have benefitted massively from a 168 lb weight class in his peak years. Was good enough to compete well with that great batch of Light-Heavies, but was always just a shade undersized and overpowered against them. Suspect he could have reigned for a few years at Super-Middleweight.

 

Lloyd Marshall
Kid McCoy

 

This would have been Greb's best weight.

Each time I watch this film, I have to laugh about those stories of Greb's carousing and being out of shape. I guy can't have the body he had without having trained consistently all his life.

Also, the more I watch this film, the more I am impressed about how difficult he would have been to fight. He moves in and out erratically, punches from odd angles, and is always careful in keeping his guard up. He obviously has put a lot of thought in how to defend himself while he is jumping around.

His footwork, though unorthodox, is perfect for the way he fights. He always seems balanced. It's kind of like a jazz band which plays a tune or a key change different than the way the composer wrote the tune. As long as the passage is played in the same key by all the band members, the music will still sound good. With Greb, an analysis of one aspect of his style in isolation from the other aspects is worthless. You have to take into account all the aspects of his repertoire. They all came together for him.

 

My first thought was Tiger

 

Fullmer and Tiger...maybe even Monzon.

 

Wow where did this colour vid come from?!

 

Love this analysis. Greb was definitely a 'Bebop' fighter. Or as they say in Okinawa, 'Champloo'.

Reading the books on Greb, he only had some 'issues' after his wife died. Though this was to do with women, not alcohol etc. He would actually pretend to be an alcoholic to skew betting odds.

 

The guy's been colorising a lot old boxing videos.

Some come out much better than others.

 

This one looked good. Not as defined, though.

 

Ezzard Charles

 

Too many to name.

Super middleweight would have been a very strong division in any era!

 

I don't know about the best but I'd love to have seen Ezzard Charles fight the MWs of the 40s

Imagine the fights with Lamotta, Graziano, Zale and Steele.
Plus if the Robinson fight could be made the winner of that trilogy would be the undisputed GOAT.

 

Lloyd Marshall would do brilliantly at that weight, he'd be at his optimum weight with his opponents at the same weight