The chins of our two favorite Louises (Lewises): Joe Louis vs Lennox Lewis

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by InMemoryofJakeLamotta, Sep 27, 2017.


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  1. InMemoryofJakeLamotta

    InMemoryofJakeLamotta I have defeated the great Seamus Full Member

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    Lennox Lewis was stopped twice both times by one punch. On the other hand, he survived wars with Vitali and Mercer.

    Joe Louis was also stopped twice. Both times with prolonged beatings. One by Max Schmeling and the other by Rocky Marciano. However, he suffered more flash knockdowns than Lewis who suffered none (correct me if I'm wrong).

    Now it's tempting to think Rahman and McCall hit harder than Schmeling or Marciano. Size does play a role in punching power, that's why the most devastating lightweight puncher still wouldn't hit as hard as even a featherfisted light heavyweight.

    The caveat is that as you go up in weight, weight becomes less important and their can be overlap. That's why 180-190 pound Jack Dempsey hit harder than 215 pound Larry Holmes or why Schmeling hit harder than 211 pound Ali or why 185 pound Marciano had more single shot power than 200-205 pound Frazier.

    So it is possible that Schmeling and especially Marciano could've met or exceeded Rahman and McCall in punching power, even though the latter was bigger.

    So between Joe Louis and Lennox Lewis, who had the better chin?
     
    InMemoryofJakeLamotta, Sep 27, 2017
    InMemoryofJakeLamotta, Sep 27, 2017
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  2. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    I am certain that Louis had the better chin.

    It just seems to have taken a lot more to put him away, and he was probably more in harms way.
     
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
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  3. The Long Count

    The Long Count Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Louis had the better chin. Flash knockdown are often balance related. He often recuperated when hurt better. Lewis was one timed twice that is the sign of an iffy chin.
     
    The Long Count, Sep 27, 2017
    The Long Count, Sep 27, 2017
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  4. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Not that either had a bad chin incidentally.
     
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
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  5. Sting like a bean

    Sting like a bean Well-Known Member banned Full Member

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    For me, nowhere near enough data to make a solid guess. Louis was never seriously hurt by a single shot and Lewis was leveled by fluke punches that would have floored just about anything that walks upright.
     
    Sting like a bean, Sep 27, 2017
    Sting like a bean, Sep 27, 2017
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  6. JackSilver

    JackSilver Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Lewis had the better chin. He faced bigger punchers than Louis and was only down twice. Louis was down numerous times and had he faced noted big punchers or better finishers when those knockdowns happened he would have been stopped a lot more than twice.
     
    JackSilver, Sep 27, 2017
    JackSilver, Sep 27, 2017
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  7. Reinhardt

    Reinhardt Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Brown bomber, Rahman would have never knocked out Louis with that shot
     
    Reinhardt, Sep 27, 2017
    Reinhardt, Sep 27, 2017
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  8. Balder

    Balder Well-Known Member banned Full Member

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    L Lewis.

    The shots that felled him were of the monster variety. I really don't see Louis surviving those shots, and he has been felled many a time by lesser punchers.
     
    Balder, Sep 27, 2017
    Balder, Sep 27, 2017
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  9. GALVATRON

    GALVATRON Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

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    Lewis withstood Mercer/ Holyfield /Tyson and V. klitchko...


    Louis was decked to the floor by Shmelling/Braddock and Galento was even knocked out of the ring by Baer......

    Of course most are going to say McCall and rahman knocked Lewis out like Louis ever took punches from guys like them? :eatingburger
     
    GALVATRON, Sep 27, 2017
    GALVATRON, Sep 27, 2017
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  10. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    While Rahman was a hurtful puncher, he was clearly not any sort of knockout artist.

    Louis took worse than that, and than came back for more.
     
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
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  11. janitor

    janitor VIP Member Full Member

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    Lewis was not down twice.

    He was stopped with a single punch twice.

    This never happened to Louis.

    Do you honestly think that Rahman or McCall, were bigger punchers than Louis ever faced?

    If you do, I would love yo hear your justification!
     
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
    janitor, Sep 27, 2017
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  12. It's Ovah

    It's Ovah I am very feel me good. Full Member

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    Are we talking respective to their era or H2H?

    H2H Lewis had a demonstrably better chin than Louis. Fought bigger punchers, took bigger punches, was hurt less.

    Louis was hurt and nearly stopped by a SMW and decked by fighters who'd be barely above LHW today. Had he taken the sorts of shots Lewis took to deck him he'd still be lying on the canvas today.

    Too much is being made of Lennox being dropped and stopped by single punches. What about all the punches he took that didn't drop him at all?
     
    It's Ovah, Sep 28, 2017
    It's Ovah, Sep 28, 2017
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  13. Smokin Bert

    Smokin Bert Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Quite honestly, due to his cautious style and (usually) enormous size advantage, Lennox Lewis didn't take a lot of hard shots from any of these punchers. Tua barely threw any meaningful punches at Lennox, and Tyson was a woeful shell of himself when they finally fought. Mercer had lost to Jesse Ferguson around the time he fought Lewis and hadn't had a meaningful knockout in years. And, for the record, Henry Akinwande (who was an average puncher) scored a flash knockdown of Lewis. McCall and Rahman never replicated one punch knockouts against any other ranked fighters.
     
    Smokin Bert, Sep 28, 2017
    Smokin Bert, Sep 28, 2017
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  14. InMemoryofJakeLamotta

    InMemoryofJakeLamotta I have defeated the great Seamus Full Member

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    That's the whole conundrum. Louis did suffer more flash knockdowns, but was never just flattened by a single shot. Only beatings from one ATG puncher and from a hard, respectable puncher stopped him. And I'm not saying he had a better chin than Lennox, but you can say he was never stopped in one shot.

    How hard did Buddy Baer hit compared to McCall or Rahman? I don't know. But I do know that for whatever else Buddy Baer lacked, he was a 250 pound fighter known for his punch. And I honestly can say that I don't know what would have happened if Baer managed to land that same left hook on Lewis.

    Granted, I'd gamble on Lennox Lewis all day, everyday over Buddy Baer in a h2h matchup. But I also would've gambled on Lewis over Rahman and McCall and at least 1 out of 10 times, Id have lost money.

    And Im not so sure that if Rahman or McCall decked Louis if they'd have stopped him with a single shot.
     
    InMemoryofJakeLamotta, Sep 28, 2017
    InMemoryofJakeLamotta, Sep 28, 2017
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  15. Mr.DagoWop

    Mr.DagoWop Boxing Junkie banned Full Member

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    Neither had bad chins. Lewis got caught with good counter punches. Louis got beaten up over a long period of time at polar ends of his career to be knocked out.

    I'd go with Louis, it takes more than one shot to put him away.
     
    Mr.DagoWop, Sep 28, 2017
    Mr.DagoWop, Sep 28, 2017
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