Ranking The Heavyweights in Their Eras

[HomicideHenry]

THE TOP TEN HEAVYWEIGHTS OF THE 1930s


#1- Joe Louis

25 title defenses over 11 years time, in combination with being the most popular and beloved champion in over fifty years. One can argue he was more well known and admired than Muhammad Ali at the peak of his powers. Though slow on his feet, he was the perfect fighting machine from the waist up, needing only 6" or less to knock a man out with a single blow. Sure he had his flaws, he was chinny and he had problems with both swarmers and great movers, but he was almost certainly death in rematches. His greatest asset may of been Jack Blackburn as a trainer. It's been 70+ years since his reign and he is still listed as BoxRec's #1 or #2 heavyweight of all time. One must wonder whether his 4 year lay off from boxing would have resulted in even more title defenses had he not of gone. There was essentially nobody left to begin with when he entered the Armed forces.


#2- Max Baer

Ironic to have Madcap Maxie here considering his reign was so short and the fact that there was arguably no one as less serious about their boxing career as he, but Baer was without question the hardest hitting man of the era and when he brought his A game, very few could handle him. He flat out pummeled the giant Primo Carnera, annihilated Max Schmeling, and as an old man beat contenders like Tony Galento to a bloody pulp. His losses to Louis and Braddock ruin his image, but in his day there was no bigger star in the division. His handsome good looks, flamboyant personality and exciting style made him a matinee idol. Joe Louis said of Baer "He could have been the greatest of us all had he been more serious", and he may have been right.


#3- Max Schmeling

Arguably Europe's greatest heavyweight. Often times too methodical, he still packed a hell of a right hand wallop. Tough, well conditioned, and a superb tactician, Schmeling was the first to defeat Joe Louis, making the seemingly invincible Brown Bomber look like an amateur. Schmeling, due to politics, was unable to recapture the heavyweight crown against Jim Braddock. Had he done so, it is more than likely he would have been the first man to of been a 2x heavyweight champion. Despite his image being tarnished by propoganda, there was a time when Schmeling was a big star around the world having been the focus of a few motion pictures and even being on a best selling record in Europe. His wins over Sharkey, Walker, Uzcudon, Louis, along with the potential to of been so much more had he gotten that shot against Braddock make him #3, but subsequent losses to Louis and Baer also put him here.


#4- Primo Carnera

The Man Mountain at number four may sound blasphemous to some, but all in all you can't deny the stats. True, his career in Europe and his early American fights were rigged, but Carnera learned on the job and by the time he faced off against the top men he was able to handle himself well in the ring. His tremendous size (for the time) of 6'5 3/4" and 270+ pounds made him an attraction wherever he went, often times doing feats of impressive strength along the way (before being discovered in Italy Carnera worked as a circus strongman and wrestler). Despite his bulk, Carnera was surprisingly nimble on his feet and arguably give some of our best heavyweights today problems. The only drawback to Carnera was his lack pf a definitive punch, and that he was chinny. But it can be argued nobody had a bigger heart than The Ambling Alp.


#5- Jack Sharkey

A mystery man of sorts, who had all the talent in the world, but didn't have the stability to of made it as a superstar. In a modern comparison, he is much like Hasim Rahman, when he was hot he was on fire, and when he was cold, he was down right disappointing. Because of his instability he lost to the likes of an old Jack Dempsey (KO7), Primo Carnera (KO3), Max Schmeling (DQ4), etc. Maybe a better comparison would be to Andrew Golota. For some reason, even if he was doing great, Sharkey always managed to somehow mess it up with low blows, excessive whining, etc. Still, he did defeat Schmeling in a close controversial decision, and he also defeated Primo Carnera in their first meeting and he gave giant contender George Godfrey trouble as well when everyone was avoiding him.


#6- George Godfrey

6'4" 250 pounds, he was avoided by both Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. He scared shitless every important heavyweight in America, and had no choice but to head to Europe. He is seldom mentioned, but he was arguably the most dangerous man of his era and could have beaten most anyone on this top ten list. Much like his predecessor Harry Wills, Godfrey would never be given the chance to fight for the heavyweight title. Considered too black for black, too big and too strong for heavyweights, too tough, etc. he was shut out of the picture. It also didn't help that Godfrey was often times screwed when he did have big opprotunities, like when he was disqualified in four rounds when he fought the giant Primo Carnera on a foul that was suspect. Regardless, he deserves a spot on this list, and here he is.


#7- James J. Braddock

This man had no business, had no chance, had no hope; and yet he did it. Considered a washed up, broken down, echo of a man who once fought for the 175 pound title against Tommy Loughran, he lived a miserable existence fighting when he could (often times injured and starving) and working on the docks in Jersey. In retrospect we know now that Baer simply didn't care to be heavyweight champion and didn't train in earnest, he more or less gave away the title, but if any man deserved to be champion it was Braddock, for he defeated the formidable John Henry Lewis and decisioned tough, durable Art Lasky before getting the title shot. Though he would fight just twice more over the next few years (KO8 loss to Louis, W10 over Farr) he did demonstrate in combination with his iron will, a potent right hand and unstoppable desire to overcome all kinds of punishment. Because of this he was able to defeat physically superior opponents.


#8- Tommy Loughran

This man was a wizard in the ring. He cleaned up the 175 pound division, and he gunned for the heavyweights. People today argue that men are simply too big for the men of earlier times, but Loughran defeated giants like 6'9" Ray Impellittiere (3x's), went (1-1-1) with Arturo Gudoy, along with beating hard hitting powerhouses like Max Baer and went 1-1 with Jack Sharkey. His lone title shot at heavyweight was against Primo Carnera (another giant) and he lost a 15 round decision. So great was his abilities, that Jack Dempsey hired him to duplicate Gene Tunney in preperations for Dempsey's rematch with the Fighting Marine. What is remarkable is that Loughran was fighting heavyweights on occasion as early as 1925 when he was a middleweight. At 5'11" with a 73" reach (shorter than mine!) he made alot of big men look foolish.


#9- Paulino Uzcudun

Spain's greatest heavyweight. Who knows what might of been in this division where the title passed around like musical chairs. Sure he lost to such men as Mickey Walker, and also dropped decisions to Primo Carnera and Max Schmeling (0-2-1), but he also defeated guys like Ernie Schaaf, Max Baer and Harry Wills. The Wills victory was supposed to line Uzcudun against Jack Dempsey and the winner to face Jack Sharkey, but it never came to be. He fought the best, and was competitive against the best. Sadly, we remember him as one of the Brown Bomber's early kayo victims.


#10- Arturo Gudoy

Though he would fight on into the 1950's he began his career at the start of 1930, and would wreak havoc on a division that was more deep than most give credit for. Imagine Joe Frazier being more busier in the ring, bobbing up and down like a cork from start to finish, that was Gudoy through and through; just lacking the chin and skill altogether to get over that hump. He went 1-1-1 against Loughran, kayoed Roper, decisioned Tony Galento twice, picked up the South American title and gave Joe Louis two of his hardest title defenses until Billy Conn came into the picture, defeated Dorazio, Musto, had a tremendous series with Roscoe Toles, kayoed Buddy Knox, etc. This man was arguably South America's best heavyweight in a lineup that includes Oscar Bonavena and Luis Firpo. The rub against him? When he was going strong, he would fall off the radar. The guy should have gotten a rubber match with Louis. But simply put, he already had it made in his native Chile. Another interesting note, Gudoy was also a student of Charlie Goldman's, and in the early years of Marciano's career he often times sparred Gudoy. Oh to of been a fly on that wall!

[MEISINGER]

james j braddock does not belong on this list
15-18-1 with 2 nc in the 1930's

one decent win against baer

the guy was an opponent for most of the 30's

[HomicideHenry]

He did win the heavyweight championship of the world, though. Can't say that for Nova, Galento, Farr, etc. His ranking may be brought down the list from #7 to #10, but he does belong on the list imho.

[MEISINGER]

He did win the heavyweight championship of the world, though. Can't say that for Nova, Galento, Farr, etc. His ranking may be brought down the list from #7 to #10, but he does belong on the list imho.

since we are the only two posting on this subject
we will have to agree to disagree

i just feel he really only had a few decent wins in the entire decade
the winning the title was an incredible feat
but one win does not place you in the decades top 10

[Ambling Alp II]

A few comments that I thought I should address-Loughran was not a middleweight in 1925. He had been a light heavy for two years already.
Jack Sharkey's loss to Dempsey doesn't count for this since it was in the 1920s. He did more than give Godfrey trouble; he beat him. However, again this was in the 1920s so it doesn't count.

Godoy's fight against louis doesn't count either. It was in 1940.

As for the rankings-Ernie Schaaf has to be in there. He defeated Uzcudun,Stribling,Braddock,Loughran, and Baer.
Godfrey should not be in there. He defeated no one else in the top 10 or even close.
Godoy probably should not be in there. Outside of Loughran there is little to support him.
A guy that is overlooked that may be deserving is Steve Hamas. He beat Loughran and Schemling.

Mesinger-I see where you are coming from with Braddock, but winning the title has to count for something. Maybe he should be a little lower than #7.

This is another difficult decade to judge. There are so many relatively even fighters. What was different than some other decades was that so many of the guys fought each other; often multiple times. I am sure many people would have Sharkey higher than #5 and Baer lower than #2. I think you could argue Schmeling was more consistent and should be higher than Baer even though he lost to him. Even Louis didn't start his career until 1934. Anyway, here is my top 10:

1. Louis
2. Schmeling
3. Baer
4. Sharkey
5. Schaaf
6. Loughran
7. Carnera
8. Uzcudun
9. Braddock
10. Hamas

[HomicideHenry]

Alp when you're right you're right. MY list is a bit off, cus some of them made the bulk of their great work in the 20s or the 40s. So I was off on some of them. So I happen to agree with your list.