What if the colored heavyweight title still existed in the 70s?

You could only have dragged it on for so long before the official heavyweight title was seen as an irrelevance.

 

I don't like the implications that this question brings.

 

I remember when Gerry and Larry were the champions of their own respective colors and they unified the titles. Yet, no one ever really gives Larry the credit he deserves for a unification bout that was won so decisively.

 

This title continuing to exist wouldn't preclude black fighters from fighting for the actual world title. Thus nothing really changes. It'd be a stepping stone belt like the NABF/USBA and would probably be discontinued around this time if it survived that long.

Quarry would not get the world title.

 

In terms of the world title as if it were the 1890s, Jerry Quarry dominates the early 70s, maybe Bonavena holds it briefly, then it’s probably gets passed around a bit in the mid-late 70s by guys like Scott LeDoux, Evangalesta etc and finally ends up with Gerrie Coetzee.

 

I am legitimately curious why the dubious nature of boxing history is both well known yet vehemently defended.

If I make a lineal list of world champions and start with Sullivan no one whines. They should, the whites of the US and UK is objectively small in scope and hardly the measure of the planet.

If I say Joe Louis is the first world champion everyone who thinks they know anything corrects me sternly.

I'll say this, the leaps it takes to call Figg a champion are greater, yet he is generally accepted. Historians seem to have no problems forcing history to fit a narrative they like. Champion meaning best of an era, but during that era champion meant representative, and so they chose Figg in years when his students are the men promoted as boxing or english champions and rationalize the rejection of those students by claiming the modern usage of the word means best, BUT, do not bring this mentality into the racist or US-centric periods of boxing history because Jack Dempsey must be defended at all costs.

I may have lost some of you in that last paragraph but I think the parallel between Louis and Sullivan was real clear. We acknowledge the time before Louis is mired with reasons to doubt the sources, the situations, results, you name it. Racism, gambling, cultural centricity, politics, none of which speak to a reliable history. Nat Fleischer was a liar and plagiarist but don't let that stop you from believing him. Captain Godfrey owned people ffs, but for sure did not embellish about them. It's well known the only reason Yankee Sullivan isn't America's first white champion is because of politics, but of course the newspaper's claims are to trusted. Tex started the entire buy a rating system but sure, he was fair to blacks. Get me?


What if the colorline stayed around? Exactly what homie said, Quarry would be fighting no hopers and called a marvel. You know, like how Miske was a legitimate world contender and not at all an artificial title defense against a no hoper despite active talent.

 

The majority of the U.S.A wanted a Cooney win.
When that didn't happen, they ignored Holmes
and his victory, focused on berating Cooney
which pretty much ended his career.

 

He kind of deserved it. I mean, even his surname was intended as a slur against Holmes.

 

You can say what you like about the champions who drew the color line, but they were obviously as good as the best black contenders, or better.

In some cases much better.

Jack Johnson might have been passed off as a flash in the pan, but from Joe Louis onwards it is going to become increasingly obvious that the official champion is not as good as the best black contender.

By the 60s the gulf in quality is going to become obvious.

 

It's probably more important to look at how they would have done against the best black contenders of their era.

I mean the one that they are realistically matched against.

Would Sullivan have beaten Godfrey?

Almost certainly.

Would Corbett have beaten Jackson?

We kind of got the answer to that one.

Bob Fitzsimmons didn't draw the color line as far as I can tell.

Would Jeffries have beaten Armstrong, Childs, Martin et al?

Almost certainly.

Would Marvin Hart have beaten Jack Johnson?

Make what you will of teh fight that happened.

Would Burns have beaten Johnson?

Hell no.

Would Willard have beaten the fading black contenders?

Hard to say, but he got past Johnson.

Woudl Dempsey have beaten Wills?

Ironically this is a bit of a wild card, despite Dempsey's reputation.

 

I could see Timo Hoffman being undisputed if Hitler won WWII.

 

That was never very likely.

 

Cooney didn't deserve that. He never pushed that agenda.