Comparing Boxers with Baseball Players

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Posted By: Andy Baran

I was an avid baseball card collector before I sold my collection and turned my attention to boxing cards. For this reason, I tend to compare vintage heavyweight boxing with vintage baseball. I'm not sure if anyone else does this. Just thought I would share this concept with everyone to see your thoughts. The way it works is as follows:

BLANK is to Boxing as BLANK is to Baseball

Here is how I see it. There are no right or wrong answers.

John L. Sullivan - Cap Anson (first 2 true superstars in their respective sports)
Jim Corbett - Mike Kelly (overshadowed by Sullivan and Anson in collectors eyes)
Bob Fitzsimmons - Nap Lajoie (both under-rated)
Jim Jeffries - Honus Wagner (not including the T206)
Jack Johnson - Ty Cobb (keys to any turn of the century set - Cobb would roll over in his grave if he heard this comparison)
Jess Willard - Walter Johnson (both huge men from Kansas)
Jack Dempsey - Babe Ruth (2 most popular athletes of the 20's)
Gene Tunney - Lou Gehrig (overshadowed by Dempsey and Ruth in collectors eyes)
Joe Louis - Jackie Robinson (no explanation necessary)
Rocky Marciano - Joe DiMaggio (popular Italian Americans)
Muhammad Ali - Mickey Mantle (popularity among collectors)
Joe Frazier - Willie Mays (overshadowed by Ali and Mantle in collectors eyes)

That's enough for now. I think you get the picture. Am I the only one who wastes time thinking about this?