-Rocky Marciano
-Floyd Patterson
-Mike Tyson
-Joe Louis
-Jack Dempsey
Joe Frazier would be fine against today's heavyweights. Today's heavyweights don't have the skills, endurance and speed of those in Joe's era. I have no doubt Joe Frazier would be champion today. Joe proved that even though he didn't have the imposing figure of say a Mike Tyson, he was as tough as nails. The Thriller in Manila proves it all, the endurance and skills Frazier had fighting in 43 degree Celsius heat and remember in that fight Ali was over 16 stone (like most heavyweights today) and that didn't make any difference.
Rocky Marciano would fare well today because of share punching power but I think his lack of boxing skill could count against him. Rocky was a raw fighter but was very smart. I have no doubt at all he could beat Vitali Klitschko as I know Rocky would be able to get on the inside and beat Vitali. With Wladamir on the other hand, I think Rocky could beat him sometimes but Wladamir's boxing skill in most cases would cause Rocky a lot of problems and Wladamir would win sometimes too. Rocky may have to put on a stone fighting today though.
Floyd Patterson is one of the most skilful fighters of all time. When he fights at his best, he is one of the greats but he makes mistakes in some fights. I know that Floyd was between 13 stone and 14 stone in his fights most of time. I would recommend against today's fighters, when fighting a boxer without much of a punch remaining at the weight he was. Against hard punchers I would feel he should get up to 15 stone. Patterson is a very smart boxer and I believe he could be champion today, knocking out Vitali and outpointing Wladamir.
Mike Tyson would dominate now, even more than he did in his time. There is no one there now near the level Tyson was between 1986 and 1990. A prime Tyson would beat everyone in the heavyweight division today.
Joe Louis would fare well today. I'm sure he would be champion today, his punching power was awesome, short range and long range. He would knock out nearly everyone today. Wladamir would give him the most trouble, if Wladamir does a hit and run tactic to win on points as Joe Louis didn't have much footwork. However, if Wladamir tried to mix it punch for punch with Joe Louis, Joe would knock him out.
Jack Dempsey was a great puncher also and he would definitely beat Vitali, similarly to how he beat Jess Willard. However, Wladamir would certainly outpoint him.
These guys would be small heavyweights, and Marciano would be too small, as would Patterson.
Frazier, Tyson, and Louis would fare better.
Dempsey might do well, because of his brawling style, but again he would not be a big heavyweight.
The only disadvantage I could see of this group against today's heavyweights is size. But if guys like James Toney who is essentially a blownup middleweight and Tomas Adamek who rose from the light heavyweights and cruiser weights could compete well against many of today;s top heavyweights including the Klitschkos, I think these bunch of highly skilled, generally tough and powerful, well disciplined and dedicated heavyweight fighters and champions would do much, much better. Of this batch, I think Joe Louis and Mike Tyson would be the most successful. Louis for his highly technical and profesional preparedness and approach and Tyson for his relative speed, his power and explosiveness against most of today's lumbering giants.
Ok let me educate some of the people reading this. The predominent argument against older time fighters (heavyweight) vs todays heavies is the weight factor. There are many examples of smaller fighters beating bigger ones....heres a good example...Roberto Duran started as a 135 pounder...later in his career when over the hill he beat Iran Barkley who was a natural light heavyweight.Later Iran moved up to heavyweight and beat Coetzee who was a real heavyweight actually knocked him out...so hold on here...barkley couldnt drop duran and in fact got dropped by Duran, but Coetzee who was a hard hitter couldnt drop Iran...BUT Hearns at 154 pounds, dropped and Kaoyed duran, something the much heavier and later heavyweight Iran couldnt do...ok if that wasnt enough....remember Pipino Cuevas? He had a devastating punch at welterweight. He broke Jaws, eyesockets, etc. You dont hear of heavyweights doing this?...or perhaps the cranial structure and strength of a welterweight and a heavyweight are different (no they are not). Another example is James toney moving up from JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHT to heavyweight and being effective. So, clearly weight isnt the only issue and is a minor one especially at heavyweight. When i hear someone say right off, that they were too small it is someone who has no knowledge of historical data of smaller fighters beating bigger ones and of fighters moving up in weight and being entirely successful. Marciano if fighting today could easily fight at 200 and if you watch the films, wasnt that easy to hit...yes he got hit with shots but RARELY with a combination!!. Dempsey fought lots of bigger guys and mowed them down to size just as easily. Look at all the guys Ali fought early in his career who were under 200 ilbs who gave him trouble...jones, middleburger, cooper, etc.
You are taking greats, and putting them in the weakest era in Heavyweight history. They would all do great, and have belts. They wouldn't all be allowed to be Heavy's, with the weight limits, so some would dominate the Crusierweight's.
Obviously, these past legends would be lacking in size against today's 6'5" and 250-lb. heavies, but not skill and ring IQ. They would outsmart and outpunch today's heavyweights
-Joe Fraizer
-Rocky Marciano
-Floyd Patterson
-Mike Tyson
-Joe Louis
-Jack Dempsey
