Originally Posted by highthief

For Johnson - no.

First of all, we have no real film of his fights (just a bit of herky-herky stuff) so it's hard to say what he could do.

Second, he drew the colour line - funny to say given he was the first black champ, but he refused to defend against black fighters, so he ended up ducking as many guys as Dempsey, Willard, or any of the white fighters of the day (all except Tommy Burns who actually gave Johnson his title shot).

To say Louis couldn't have beaten him in a 100 tries is a bit of an outlandish assertation, given that both fighters are almost always rated in the top 3 or 4 heavies of all time (including by people who actually saw both fight).

Sugar Ray Robinson has to top the list for me. Fought and was successful at several weights over a long period of time. Could knock a guy's head off or dance him into the ground. Truly fought all comers be they black or white.