What if Joe Louis had to rely solely on his boxing skill?

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Blackburn also trained the power limited Sammy Mandell, as well as Bud Taylor. Both entered Canastota in 2005. Mandell was known for excellent footwork, a fine jab and limited power. Whatever Chappie had in Louis, he had the training skills to optimize Joe's abilities to their fullest.

Hurting his right hand early against Farr meant he had to out jab Tommy for the win. Farr had previously prevailed over 12 rounds against Max Baer, so it's not as if he hadn't dealt with a harder puncher than Louis before.

Joe did get dropped from time to time, but he didn't get hurt that much if he was in proper condition at full strength. Aside from power, he had terrific hand speed and was an excellent combination puncher. If he'd had less power, I think he'd also have far fewer knockdowns against him. Whether or not he'd have been as successful with acquiring the same opportunities he got is another matter, as it was his knockout ability which captured the public imagination.

Even w/out that combination punching, he went 8-0-0 with just three stoppage wins between Charles and Marciano. After spotting Rocky the first two rounds in a slow start, he did come back to sweep the next three and actually take the lead [at least as I scored it] before fading.

I have no qualms about his chin or punch resistance, no doubts about his speed or size. Don't know that he'd have been another Loughran if he'd had to rely solely on his boxing skills, but he certainly had excellent underpinnings to compensate for a lack of power between Blackburn's guidance and the earlier tutelage of Holman Williams. Put 24 ounce pillows on him and his opponents along with well padded head protection, and he still has terrific hand speed and every punch in the book.

What if Blackburn worked with JJW instead of Louis? The Bomber evolved into a pretty accomplished amateur with his Brewster built foundation, and Jack Johnson might well have wound up his trainer for the professional ranks. I don't know how far Joe might have gotten with respect to the opportunities he'd have received, but still could have become a pretty good boxer.

 

Louis without power is like a titless Marilyn Monroe.

 

Doable?

 

Louis wasn't really a brute slugger though, his "power" or really the effectiveness of his punch came from his accuracy, timing, and ability to put together finishing combinations.

 

just short of great.

 

Eddie Futch said that Louis had the greatest hand speed of any heavyweight he had ever witnessed up to Tyson. I suspect he would have adapted and used that speed to box a lot of peoples' ears off.

 

Louis had excellent skills but its hard not to rely on power when you have it and Joe leaned on his power of 2hands and finishing instincts....the power he generated in a 6 inch punch was incredible and he was the best power combo puncher ever

 

And Ali without his speed would be nothing
And Enrico Caruso without his voice wouldn't have amounted to much..
On and on...

 

and if my Aunt had B---s she would not be my Aunt she would be my Uncle

 

True B. My point is that the thread is pointless as every fighter of note,
had a reason for being there. A certain trait...

 

Ali without speed was heavyweight champ!

 

Louis was an entirely different fighter before meeting Blackburn.

He boxed out the the Brewster Recreation Center in Detroit. His first trainer was Kid Ellis from Philadelphia, who had already developed a large number of amateur champions.

Later on, Holman Williams helped Ellis in training Louis, and what they taught him was the Brewster style. Trainer Walter Smith of Kronk Gym, who grew up with Louis in Detroit and watched him develop as an amateur, describes it:"Left jab, right hand, left hook. Boxing all the time. Moving back and forth. This is the Detroit style. you gotta have a good left hand. that's the Detroit style."

But Blackburn didn't want to risk Louis coming up short on a questionable decision. So he stressed balance, always being set to punch, and always stepping in while throwing a punch. Blackburn didn't want to leave Louis' fate up to the judges. He wanted knockouts.

Eddie Futch remembered Louis as "a mover...box and move." But "when Blackburn took him over, I was kinda disappointed when I first saw him. I really was." Futch remembers seeing a more aggressive, less mobile louis and thinking, "I don't know if that's gonna be too good or not."

Futch's doubts weren't immediately eased. "He was in a couple of tough fights. One tough fight he got hurt. And that really made me think twice about what he was doing. He boxed (Alex) Borchuk and borchuk hit himwith a left hook and wobbled him." ( The punch broke off one of Louis' molars) "It looked like he was going down. But he withstood it and came on. But Louis was using that style that Blackburn had given him, taking away that bouncing on his toes."

 

I really dont think this question makes any sense whatsoever. Joe Louis' no1 strength was his boxing skill. If timing punches and throwing combination punches isnt boxing skill, then i dont know what is.

Joe louis was not the strongest guy around, he was not the fastest guy, he didnt have the best chin his stamina was not the undisputed greatest (though he wasnt poor in all these qualities). His skill was throwing the correct boxing combinations and timing them better than anything else. Joe Louis, imo, did rely solely on his boxing skills.

The fact that those skills did not involve dancing and running (which many people wrongly call boxing skill), does not mean that he did not have and use these skills.

 

So was Mike Weaver, Lennox Lewis, and Trevor Berbick!