What Heavyweight Champion from the Past would be the best to dominate Now?

[Abe Attell]

Out of the Heavyweight Greats of the Past, who would dominate if they fought today, to bring the belts back as one?

I am not going to use Ali because I want to see a list without him for once, and it might be a bit to easy to pick him...

Also, you can even think of it like this, it is more about their size and natural/raw ability, plus the use of today's nutrition and knowledge of the boxing "art"

Ex: Joe Louis could possibly have been 225lbs solid and still been effective

[Kid Achilles]

Joe Louis. These guys are so wide open and sloppy and the only one with some appreciable defensive skill (James Toney), doesn't hit hard enough to bother Joe. He would go through this division like a hot knife through butter. I would say he'd win all of the belts in a combined 12 rounds or under.

[blockhead]

any of them but i would prefer joe louis. he was the best all around.

[Abe Attell]

Joe Louis. These guys are so wide open and sloppy and the only one with some appreciable defensive skill (James Toney), doesn't hit hard enough to bother Joe. He would go through this division like a hot knife through butter. I would say he'd win all of the belts in a combined 12 rounds or under.

You know what, I was thinking this after seeing the "Ringside" episode of some of the past greats, Joe Louis fought Max Baer, who was supposedly a very hard puncher...Joe said he thought Max's right hand wasn't what Max claimed it was, but how true was that statement?

In that fight, Max landed several hard, solid shots to Joe's chin/jaw, but didn't seem to effect Joe...now, was Joe right that Max didn't have the power he claimed, or was Joe's "chin" at that time, since it had never shown any weakness before this fight, actually a solid chin?

What I mean is this, if Max really did have big power and couldn't effect Joe during the fight, is it possible that Joe's "chin" weakened after this fight from taking so many punches?
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I have seen this before with other fighters where after fighting a big puncher, their chin never seems to be the same, so was this a fight where Joe just took to much punishment and it weakened?

Angelo Dundee was the one that pointed this out, not exactly, but he got me thinking since he was trying to figure out how Joe was able to take Max's hard punches, but later on Joe wasn't able to take those same shots, especially to the left or right side (one of those sides)

[Easy-E]

Foreman.
He would knock out any beltholder and contender today.

[Kid Achilles]

If any fight "broke" Louis's chin it was the first Schmeling matchup where Schmeling (who was no Baer in the power department, but could really hit) tagged him many, many times with hard counter rights and really just whittled him down and damn near killed the man.

I think Louis's chin gets an unfair knock because it was really quite sturdy. The guys who put him down were all punchers. Galento's left hook was every bit as heavy as Frazier's if you ask me (though not as quick). If you ignore the physique, and look at the guys he hurt with that punch, it really was one of the harder left hooks in heavyweight history.

As for the Baer fight, 1.) Max's right hand was said to have been injured going into that fight 2.) Max never landed his best on Louis. He landed some decent right hands but not his worst. Baer could hit with that right hand as good as anyone in history, but his left wasn't as impressive. This is in contrast to Foreman, who hit equal to Baer's right but with both hands. The reason Foreman was so devastating was not that he hit hard but that he hit exceptionallyhard with both hands. Baer's left hook was no picnic to get hit by but it was the right that made him a super talent. He was in love with that punch though it wasn't very quick or straight and to a guy like Louis, with a keen eye and great reflexes, it was very predictable and easy to see coming. Also Baer was too busy getting his ass kicked to really mount much of an offense with the exception of early on.

I think Baer hit every bit as hard as billed, and Louis had a better chin than is remembered (in fact many racist writers made a point of noting how unfair it was that Louis could take punches so well due to his "negro skull") but Baer just didn't land often or hard enough on Louis to make a difference. Louis's short, textbook punches and counters were the ultimate foil to Max's big wide bombs.

[Kid Achilles]

I would agree with Foreman except I really see James Toney frustrating him with his durability and defense and surviving long enough to win the 2nd half of the fight over an exhausted Foreman.

Also Brewster would be another tough customer for Foreman IMO.

[Abe Attell]

I don't think Toney would be able to take those body shots that Foreman could dish out...Ali was able to because he was ****ing Ali.

Also, Sam Peter's power is not equal to Foreman's in my opinion, and if that was Foreman hitting Toney, Toney would of been laid out.

Also, when George used his jab, it was a thing of beauty...that is why I said before, I wonder if he had a Ray Arcel or even a Emanuel Steward in his corner, how good could he have been.

[flipside]

Foreman.
He would knock out any beltholder and contender today.

walk through them you mean.

[BmoreBrawler]

dont know much about louis, but no one has the hand speed and accuracy to take out tyson, though the ridiculous height advantage fro Valuev would make that questionable.