How do you rate Billy Conn?

[The Hammer]

I see on Billy Conn's record he had 6 losses very early in his career at welterweight, mostly to poor opponents, but then went on to do better at middleweight and then win the world title at light heavyweight.

How does Billy Conn compare to other light heavyweights like Tommy Gibbons, Gene Tunney, John Henry Lewis and Archie Moore?

[Suckmedry]

Shut up Tunney

[IronDanHamza]

Top 10 LHW arguably Top 5.

Awesome fighter, ATG.

Extremely skilled, tough aswell.

Amazing resume.

He really is a great fighter who deserves more credit than he tends to get he's more known for almost beating Louis than his exceptional career.

[billeau2]

Pittsburgh....a true boxing town. Conn was born and bred there and belongs up there with Burley and other Pittsburgh alumni.

If boxing has been 12 rounds when he fought....or if he had not been so damn ****y! he would have bested Joe Louis for the heavyweight crown. Similar to Tunney actually. One of the best Light heavies

[Ray Corso]

How do you know the opponents were weak? Do you mean Moven because his record was shiney?
If you look closely you'll see Conn fought well loosoing a 4 rounder, they brought Moven back for Conns 6 rounder dropping a split to him (learning all the time) then later to the 8s and a draw, still better!!!! Then he beats him..................its called "Maturation"! Honestly you can't judge talent by wins and looses especially at the begining and especially back then when there wasn't much cherrypicking happening! To be 20 & 9 after your first 2 years wasn't bad if you were in even or were actually giving away some experience and/or weight!
Billy Conn is an all time great and if he were here today he'd make Ward look green, Stevenson would never land on him!! Conn is a master boxer who could pop when he had to! High apptitude and physically sound! Ray

[mickey malone]

I see on Billy Conn's record he had 6 losses very early in his career at welterweight, mostly to poor opponents, but then went on to do better at middleweight and then win the world title at light heavyweight.

How does Billy Conn compare to other light heavyweights like Tommy Gibbons, Gene Tunney, John Henry Lewis and Archie Moore?

I'd have Moore, Tunney and Ezzard Charles ahead of him.. Possibly Spinks and Foster, but h2h he'd have been a helluva match for any of them.. Top 10, without a shadow, so sleight of hand & fleet of foot, more so than any lhwt in recent history, or what we have today.. Better than Qawi, better than Toney, Hopkins, Calzaghe, Ward, and 50/50 with RJJ imo
Even after Conn had been all the way to heavyweight, he was able to drop straight down to middleweight and put a sound beating on a prime Tony Zale, which was all after his welterweight and lhwt careers had ended, and before his second fight with Louis (which explains the poor performance from Billy in that one) All said and done, some fighter was Billy Conn and definitely one of the all time greats

[The Hammer]

How do you know the opponents were weak? Do you mean Moven because his record was shiney?
If you look closely you'll see Conn fought well loosoing a 4 rounder, they brought Moven back for Conns 6 rounder dropping a split to him (learning all the time) then later to the 8s and a draw, still better!!!! Then he beats him..................its called "Maturation"! Honestly you can't judge talent by wins and looses especially at the begining and especially back then when there wasn't much cherrypicking happening! To be 20 & 9 after your first 2 years wasn't bad if you were in even or were actually giving away some experience and/or weight!
Billy Conn is an all time great and if he were here today he'd make Ward look green, Stevenson would never land on him!! Conn is a master boxer who could pop when he had to! High apptitude and physically sound! Ray

I realize Conn was very green when he lost to people like Ralph Gizzy at welterweight. Obviously he improved after that.

I was surprised to see Conn's first pro fight was at lightweight, he weighed just 135.

I'd have Moore, Tunney and Ezzard Charles ahead of him.. Possibly Spinks and Foster, but h2h he'd have been a helluva match for any of them.. Top 10, without a shadow, so sleight of hand & fleet of foot, more so than any lhwt in recent history, or what we have today.. Better than Qawi, better than Toney, Hopkins, Calzaghe, Ward, and 50/50 with RJJ imo
Even after Conn had been all the way to heavyweight, he was able to drop straight down to middleweight and put a sound beating on a prime Tony Zale, which was all after his welterweight and lhwt careers had ended, and before his second fight with Louis (which explains the poor performance from Billy in that one) All said and done, some fighter was Billy Conn and definitely one of the all time greats

Good answer.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

I think he was very good,,, top 10 lhw for me,, probably somewhere between 4-7,, I think spinks, moore, ezzard, greb, tunney are better,, he is probably in the range of foster, jones, etc


Its sad that he only really gets remembered for almost beating louis,, kinda like how vitali is known for almost beating lennox, or azumah almost beating sanchez

Conn was a very gifted fighter, and what makes it even more impressive is his rise thru different weight classes, its very sam langford-like

To start at lw, then go all they way and give one of the best heavys ever a tough fight is simply amazing

[IronDanHamza]

I have him Conn at #6 LHW.

One beneath Harold Johnson and one above Rosenbloom.

LHW's a great division historically.

[billeau2]

I'd have Moore, Tunney and Ezzard Charles ahead of him.. Possibly Spinks and Foster, but h2h he'd have been a helluva match for any of them.. Top 10, without a shadow, so sleight of hand & fleet of foot, more so than any lhwt in recent history, or what we have today.. Better than Qawi, better than Toney, Hopkins, Calzaghe, Ward, and 50/50 with RJJ imo
Even after Conn had been all the way to heavyweight, he was able to drop straight down to middleweight and put a sound beating on a prime Tony Zale, which was all after his welterweight and lhwt careers had ended, and before his second fight with Louis (which explains the poor performance from Billy in that one) All said and done, some fighter was Billy Conn and definitely one of the all time greats

Jsus you know what a dope I am? I didn't know he fought Conn a second time!! palm slap