Old Timers that WOuld Have a Belt in the Heavyweight Division Today

Criteria is they never won a title

TOny Galento - I am damn sure if Sam Peter could maul his way to a title that Tony Galento could have

Lou Nova - big, strong, think he could have pulled it off

Buddy Baer - Max's little brother would have had one easily in the Rahman/Maskaev/Ibragimov/Shannon Briggs days

Archie Moore - ya I said it, old ass Archie would have outboxed John Ruiz or Valuev

Ernie Shavers - Ernie hit hard enough to knock somebody ot, Im sure of it

Sam Langford - this guy would be the undisputed champ and he wasnt even a heavy

Jimmy Young - he outboxed Foreman, enough said, and oh ya Ali as well.

Ron Lyle - Shannon Briggs but with talent

Oscar Bonavena - this guy would have been a champion in any other division besides the one he lived through

Jerry Quarry - people forget Jerry was a number 1 contendor when Ali busted him up, Jerry was a good fighter, tough, and would have gotten a trinket in this era

Bob Foster - no doubt in my mind he had the punch to win in this era, when he wasnt dropping L's to Ali and Frazier he was knocking the shit outta people even though he was a true Light Heavyweight

BIRDS REACHES (these are guys that mmight have but I dont want to be alone on an island so Im just saying they are reaches)

George Chuvalo - possibly the greatest chin in all of boxing

Ernie Terrell - tall lanky athletic fighter

Abe Simon - big as shit and gave Joe Louis some tough spots, good jab

Gerry Cooney - he honestly would probably have won a trinket in this era, hell he was outclassed but went 14 with Holmes.

Ike IbetchyaImcrazy - who the hell knows

your adds and opinions gentleman

You sure Abe Simon gave Louis some tough spots? All I recall is him marching forward and Joe pounding the everloving shit outta him.

KrazyHorseBennett wrote:

You sure Abe Simon gave Louis some tough spots? All I recall is him marching forward and Joe pounding the everloving shit outta him.

he was able to go rounds with Louis something Galento couldnt do

believe he went 11 and 8 with Joe

I have one of the fights between them on dvd. Maybe I'll have to give it another look.

eddie machen, clevland williams, and zora folley are good adds i think. there are a couple that i might be able to stretch but i wont.

this is a excellent topic..looking at the list there are several ill agree with that would of won one of thoses trinkets and a few mentioned i feel would not and who i feel were overrated contenders in there era..id like to add roland lastarza to the list that would of won a trinket or two..tereel was in his time a recognized trinket holder...galento would of mauled sam peter ...
clev williams i feel was vastly overated..his claim to fame was slugging it out with liston 2 times and was koed early 2 times..also was koed twice by mac foster the more skilled sam peter of his day..willams i dont believe ever koed a contender and lost almost every fight against contenders he fought..todays heavys are better...foley was the calvin brock of his day..a boring fighter that i think would find a way to lose in trinket contests..bob foster could not hold up punch wise against heavies including todays but the only guy who he had a chance to beat ill say is ruiz ..chuvalo isnt a stretch hed own a trinket..bonevena i think would not of been a champion in any division if he fought in different eras unless you want to go back to the tommy burns or marvin hart era which is the infancy of the division..i feel he would of beaten a few trinket holders indeed....the rest of the list ill agree on for sure...my congratulations of a fantastic topic and well thought out choices..id add rex layne to that list also..the layne up untill the marciano fight..after that fight he wasnt the same fighter...leotis martin is another i think would of won a trinket..

Good thread and good list. I can't think of anyone else to add. Langford, Quarry, Young, Shavers and Chuvalo are my favorites on your list. (Hell, that's most of the list. lol) As far as Archie Moore goes, he may be far better than anyone ever gave him credit for. He recorded 130 ko,s, and probably could've been HW champ in more than on era if given a chance (His chances at the HW title came when he was way past his prime. ). Regardless, he fought pretty well against Marciano. He lost to Floyd Patterson but I think he would've destroyed Floyd in his prime.

dmar5143 wrote:

this is a excellent topic..looking at the list there are several ill agree with that would of won one of thoses trinkets and a few mentioned i feel would not and who i feel were overrated contenders in there era..id like to add roland lastarza to the list that would of won a trinket or two..tereel was in his time a recognized trinket holder...galento would of mauled sam peter ...
clev williams i feel was vastly overated..his claim to fame was slugging it out with liston 2 times and was koed early 2 times..also was koed twice by mac foster the more skilled sam peter of his day..willams i dont believe ever koed a contender and lost almost every fight against contenders he fought..todays heavys are better...foley was the calvin brock of his day..a boring fighter that i think would find a way to lose in trinket contests..bob foster could not hold up punch wise against heavies including todays but the only guy who he had a chance to beat ill say is ruiz ..chuvalo isnt a stretch hed own a trinket..bonevena i think would not of been a champion in any division if he fought in different eras unless you want to go back to the tommy burns or marvin hart era which is the infancy of the division..i feel he would of beaten a few trinket holders indeed....the rest of the list ill agree on for sure...my congratulations of a fantastic topic and well thought out choices..id add rex layne to that list also..the layne up untill the marciano fight..after that fight he wasnt the same fighter...leotis martin is another i think would of won a trinket..

i think that you are forgetting who the trinket holders have been recently. there have been terrible HWs. and although some of these others fighters may not have been the greatest, they were still better than most of the HWs today.

powerpuncher wrote:

eddie machen, clevland williams, and zora folley are good adds i think. there are a couple that i might be able to stretch but i wont.

great adds, before Cleveland Williams got literally shot, I agree, and same with Folley that guy could punch

all good adds and points gentleman, good add on Layne dmar

and your right Terrell was a trinket holder but it was in the good ol days when everyone knew the real champ was Ali