Breaking down Joe Louis: Part 6 - Putting It All Together

It's not dead! :happy

Look at Louis after he finishes Conn in their second fight. Look how he's pivoted. He's followed through the shot and stays there, he knows the job is done. For that moment, he has shown you how you turn into a shot and **** someone up.

When Baer nuts him and forces that early exchange (it's ferocious and exciting on 20th viewing what, 80 years later!??!) I absolutely love the short combination punching Louis fires back with. It puts him straight back in the drivers seat, sharp, quick and accurate shots that dampen any heat Baer was generating with his wild rushing with nearly immediate effect. Louis was being pushed back, but immediately organised his feet into position.

Everything seems to flow upstairs with Louis, mainly because his feet are such a solid base. Just perfect technique, the consummate puncher, and I honestly have to use words like stupendous to convey anywhere near the feeling I get when watching Joe Louis put it all together, like listening to a great album for me.

 

There is a guy on there after my own heart

What a username: Irish Frankie Crawford Beat Saijo

 

McGrain, great piece...If as Freddie Roach said, Louis had the most perfect stance ever for leverage and power. And as it is known Jack Blackburn taught this to Louis, what does it say to the critics of fighters of Jack Blackburn's time who are labeled "primitive"
compared to today's era. ? After all Blackburn who knew so much boxing technique was a product of the so called inferior age of Gans, Langford, Walcott, McFarland, Abe Attell,
Fitz, Tommy Ryan, Kid McCoy and other great figures of Jack Blackburn's era ? Can it be
Mc that Jack Blackburn was not an anomaly of his era, but were just as sophisticated and
skillful as today's modern fighters ? Logic points to that conclusion, I believe...

 

After his loss to Max Schmeling up to his loss to Ezard Charles. He was pretty much unbeatable. If anyone had perfect form it was Joe Louis.

 

:deal Blackburn was a genius.....

 

!!!!!!!!!!

 

Blackburn, at least, in the 190x-s, didn't have the skills he taught Louis. In many fights you can read the reports saying that Blackburn missed the openings to hurt his opponents, or couldn't finish them when they were hurt, either missing his punches or being too cautious and staying at long range.

 

There is a great clip of an over the hill, 38-year old Louis applying the finishing touches to rugged, tough Pat Valentino in an exhibition from 1950 I believe.

Louis patiently stalks his prey and unleashes a clinical two-fisted assault. The coup de gras is a sweeping left and under and over right rand combo that drops Valentino for the count.

I'll say Louis was the finest finisher and two-fisted puncher ever. Although Ray Robinson would surely receive votes also.

 

Maybe not as a puncher but did he have that same core?

I might have to check that place out McGrain, anyone talking about the kinda' **** I like?

 

This has been a great thread McGrain..is it to be a series? Who next are you going to "break down"?

 

Are you researching Blackburn by chance?

 

Cheers Mr McGrain :good Still workin' on Mercedes piece at the mo' (and have more footage coming!)

And Senya, please share any info' you have on Blackburn, love reading the stuff you pulled up on Langford, Gans, Britton, Lewis etc etc

 

His record during 1901-1908, I don't have any next-day newspapers listed for 30 bouts, but this may be because I forgot to list some of them in the .doc file, while actually having a clipping for them (I have about 150000 files on my HDD, with scanned pages or clippings or books, covering boxing events from 1700 on).