If Joe Louis soldiered on

After the Marciano loss, what if Joe Louis kept fighting until 1956 culminating in a fight with Floyd Patterson, how would he do?

 

Ehhh wouldn’t be good for him. I’d imagine he’d lose even more along the way as far as reflexes go. Would probably look like the Ali v Holmes fight

 

I think the world of Joe Louis, he was a great champion, who also served our great nation in time of war. But Joe Louis's skills had eroded during his post war days, and had further eroded at the time of the Ezzard Charles fight in 1950, and Rocky Marciano in 1951. By 1956, it would result in a horrible beating at the hands of a young Floyd Patterson.

 

You don't think it was a case of him not being able to beat Marciano as opposed to him not being able to be a top heavyweight?

 

It makes a case for Joe louis, if he was in his prime, the outcome may have been different. It is like Joe Frazier beating a post prime Ali in 1971, could have he beat Ali in his prime years, 1964-1967, FOTC was close on one judges card. Same with Joe against Charles and Marciano, It makes me wonder sometimes. But Joe fighting into 1956, remember Joe was fighting way back in the depression years. When Joe won the title in 1937, FDR was president, in 1956, Pres Eisenhower, the hero of World War II was in office.

 

Ali's prime years were the three and a half years he was denied the right to make a living.We never saw them.

 

That story would not have had a happy ending.

The only thing left for him would have been to try to scratch out a living fighting men like Cesar Brion, and I don't think that it would have been too long before one of them had beaten him.

Louis knew this, and got out with his dignity intact.

A fighter at that stage of their career, can slide down the slippery slope very quickly.

He made the right choice to get out once it became apparent that he could no longer beat the best fighters around.

 

Louis never would have received a shot at the title in ‘56. After the Marciano loss in the next 5 years he would lost or been stopped by Walcott, Charles, and Moore. Might have lost to Nino Valdez too. If somehow he managed to get a title shot against Patterson then he’d be stopped too. A lot of Marciano’s opponents were no good after he stopped them. I predict old Louis would have been even worse.

Joe Louis is one of the top Heavyweights of all time but he’s not Superman.

 

Wouldn't have made it very far past Marciano imo.
He was probably 80 percent done with just enough to give an old Rock bruises. But his power was fading and reflex s more or less gone.
If he'd carried on, it would be like Roy Jones Jr with Louis getting more and more L s on his record.

 

I think that when Louis fought Maricano, he probably had enough left to beat most other fighters outside of Walcott and Charles, but it would have been a case of a great fighter having one last great fight in some cases. A fighter like that can very quickly slip from being able to beat good contenders, to losing to a second rater.

 

When you old and you get badly KO'd, it's over. Louis did so much for his country, Uncle Sam should have given him a pardon on the tax money he owed. The USA could use him today, not to knock out Fury, but as an example on how to act.

 

This

 

If Louis had kept fighting after the Marciano fight, he would literally have been dead by the time Patterson became champion. End of story.

 

I love Louis as a boxer and a person. He was an absolute great man with a blessed soul. But his passive nature isn't for everyone. Ali served his purpose and Wilder is surviving his now. Their personalities and stances irks some but its inspires others.

 

Maybe he pulls out one more great win against Patterson in a titanic effort which pushes him to his limits.