As mentioned above, there are infinite possibilities here in the heavyweight division, between the racial politics of the first half of the 20th Century, the lunacy of sanctioning bodies in the latter half, the inability of several top heavies to stay out of prison, and so forth.
To add some variety to the proceedings, though, I'll be making a concerted effort to mix in the lighter divisions, as well. So next up is what could have been a legendary middleweight battle, had it ever happened.
After four years out of the ring during World War II, middleweight champion Tony Zale returned from military service and resumed his ring career. After several tune-up fights, he embarked on his trilogy with Rocky Graziano, one of the great trilogies in any sport.
There was a downside to the back-and-forth between Zale and Graziano, though. It tied up the middleweight title for nearly three years, as each combatant understandably needed time to recover from their brutal encounters.
Those three years were the end of the peak period of one of boxing's unjustly uncrowned champions -- Charley Burley. Burley should have had a shot at Henry Armstrong's welterweight crown shortly before America entered WWII, having beaten top contender Fritzie Zivic. But Armstong's manager sold his contract to Zivic's manager, who parlayed the business maneuver into a title shot for Fritzie. He won. Burley waited.
Burley moved up to middleweight and won the California state belt. He never got a chance to fight for a world title, as the championship was in limbo through the war and, when it ended, neither Zale, Graziano, Marcel Cerdan nor Sugar Ray Robinson were willing to risk facing even an aging Burley. Burley retired at age 33 in 1950 and spent the rest of his working life collecting garbage in Pittsburgh. He died in 1992, a few months after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In our little world, though, Zale returns eager to prove himself against the best in the world and he knows that means fighting Charley Burley.
After taking a half-dozen fights to work off the ring rust, winning all by early knockouts, Zale signs to fight Burley on July 11 at Yankee Stadium.
At age 28, Burley's record is 75-10-2 with 46 knockouts. He is on a 21-1-1 run, with one no-contest, since 1942. That run includes wins over Oakland Billy Smith (twice), Aaron Wade, Joe Carter and Archie Moore, with the only loss coming via a close 12-round decision against Holman Williams at Civic Stadium in Buffalo. The draw was with Cocoa Kid in New Orleans.
Zale is 57-16-2 with 35 knockouts.
Pre-fight hype to follow.