Which would have the best chance to be champ today?

Interesting question.

Cooney was always more hype than substance but with clever managment he could be guided to a title today.

Jerry Quarry could easily clean up the cruiseweight division today, especialy with Haye out of the way. If he stepped up to heavyweight he could beat any of the curent beltholders with the possible exception of Wlad.

Teofilio Stevenson is a bit of an unknown quantity. If he had turned pro he might have been an all time great or he might have flopped like many gifted amateurs.

You just dont know.

 

They would all be belt holders, Stevensen being far and away the best

 

I thnk Stevenson if he turned pro

 

Stevenson would have been a top 3 heavyweight had he turned pro mark my words, he would have literally been larry holmes nightmare with that right hand of his. Stevenson in the 70s would have been facing faded versions of ali, frazier, and top young studs like foreman, lyle, shavers, young, norton. Then come the early-mid 1980s he would face guys like tate(he knocked out), berbick, weaver, dokes, coetzee, thomas, spoon, holmes, page rounding out with mike tyson in 1986. I think stevenson does very well vs all these men.

I think Stevenson relieves ali of his title reign in the mid 1970s and reigns for a long time. He was that good. 6'6 225lb lean muscular with ridiculously long arms.....he had very conventional straight up cuban boxing style, awesome jab, great handspeed, very good defense, and unbelieable right hand power and finishing skills, and top durability. Of course once turning pro he would have to adapt and adjust to a few new things and continue to improve but he had the potential. Its a shame castro took it away from him.

 

Was he 6'4 though ? He stood next to Ali and looked way bigger, and Ali was 6'3, there looked to be more than 1 inch in it

 

maybe 6'6 then

 

Yea , he looked enormous. I like your point about his right hand against Larry, that would mean trouble stylisically

 

A bold prediction.

Perhaps but I have seen too many good amateurs cme to nothing to make such a prediction.

 

1. Stevenson was the best amateur heavyweight prospect I have seen on film. I think he would have been a dominant champion in his own era and could be champion today.

2. Quarry--He might make it at cruiserweight, but I tend to doubt it. He had a habit of losing the big ones. If he couldn't get past Jimmy Ellis, I don't necessarily see him as champion today. At heavyweight, forget it.

3. Cooney--Was hyped a great deal, but does look talented against Young and Holmes. I don't think there is any reason to consider him durable against top punchers, though. With shrewd management, he might wear a belt today, but his deep-seated emotional flaws would probably sink him now just as they did in the eighties.

 

We can never know, but I think so also. At least it is not totally off-the-wall speculation. Stevenson looks awesome on film with possibly the best right I have seen.

 

You are being a bit ungenerous here for my money.

With David Haye out of the way the cruiserweight division is wide open and a guy like Quarry could really clean up.

I imagine that Quarry could seperate a heavyweight belt from Peter or Chagev given the chance.

 

You may be correct that I am judging Quarry too harshly. I don't see him beating Chagaev, though, who is quite a bit bigger and a solid fundamental boxer. Quarry could concievably outspeed Peter, but I do not think his defense was that good and even the ponderous Peter should hit him. The result could be brutal.

He certainly has a better chance at cruiserweight. I was pointing out that he might not have been the cruiserweight champion in his own era.