Evander Holyfield vs Joe Louis

Louis decision

Louis was the undisputed HW champion of his era. An all time great HW who has been somewhat forgotten because he was the number 1 in the 1930s and 1940s.

Holyfield in his era was just another trinket holder who tried to fight for undisputed and got outclassed twice by Lewis.

 

Oh boy I really don’t know. I went with Louis by decision but not with any conviction. It’s interesting seeing the results of the poll. Probably more varied than any I’ve ever seen on here.

This would be a true war and a boxing fan’s dream

 

The jab will be the key because Holyfield was always troubled by a jab like most fighters are but he never really countered over it and that is the reason fossils like Foreman and Holmes gave him a hard time........his answer was brawling instead..........he was befuddled by Moorers jab, Lewis's jab and for a time even Mercers jab until as usual Mercer ran out of gas.

I take a disciplied Louis by decision due to his jab alone.

Remember , taking a washed up Tyson who had less then a dozen rounds under his belt in four years including a prison stint out of the equation Holyfield is realistically 2-4-1 against Bowe/Lewis and glass cannon Moorer plus he really lost the first Lewis match too, that was no draw.............

 

Louis stoppage if Holy comes in at 205-10lbs. Louis by decision if the Evander he faces is the 218lbs version.

I think the body attack is key. Evander didn't like it to the ribs as much as he welcomed a smack to the chops. Older, bigger Evander took body shots better but the bulk he needed to do this meant that he sacrificed some of the mobility and agility that would have given him his best shot at befuddling Joe.

 

Great avatar! Louis by 10 count in 3. Holy goes down in the 1st. The second and The Dreamweaver Train chugs into the station in the third. Holy would trade and get hit. Bad plan against the Brown Bomber for any heavyweight in history.

 

Didn't Holyfield say in an interview that Louis would be too small for him? Weird comment considering he was a light heavy in the amateurs and fought as a cruiserweight as an adult, needing lots of weight lifting to become a full fledged HW. Plus they're roughly the same height.

 

I think Holyfield has the busy eye catching combinations to outpoint Louis and the chin and heart to stand up against Louis power.

 

Good fight. There would be bristling exchanges. I could see Holyfield scoring a knockdown early, probably a lefthook. Joe would get up and be dangerous.
As it wears on I believe Louis would start to take over. His combos and accuracy but the jab of Louis would be the biggest factor in his success.
Evander couldnt avoid the jab of Foreman. A prime Louis is gonna pull the trigger behind it. His hook and cross were legendary.
Louis would win by TKO late.

 

Evander did beat alot of good heavyweights. Though I agree Louis would win because of his great jab.

 

I'm going with Joe Louis by Decision. My #1, #2, and #3 All-Time Heavyweights are, in order, Ali, Louis, Holyfield. After those three solids, I often change the others around. I wouldn't argue with anyone who has Joe and Muhammad reversed, but Holyfield's my definite #3.

 

Good point about Foreman's jab. His mistake was putting a little too much weight behind it and it ironically pushed Holyfield out the way before he could follow up with the right hand many times.

Louis would not have this problem and would snap his jab out quickly then follow it up with combinations once he found his rhythm.

I think it would resemble the Dokes fight as well with high speed exchanges back and forth. If you have to pee, better hold it in because at any moment the momentum could shift.

 

Excuse me,,Joe Louis is the greatest combination puncher in heavyweight history. Watch him throw 3 straight left hooks dropping Max Baer. His punching technique was beautiful. When Holyfield starts throwing lots of punches Joe will nail him with those same combos, Evander might go the distance but if he goes after Louis he'll get knocked out late

 

This is a tough fight for both.
I'm not convinced engaging Holyfield is a good idea for Louis. Holy had a terrific chin for one. Only Cooper ever hurt him badly with one shot.
Secondly, Holyfield had great recovery powers too. He could take a beating and recover quickly.
Then on top of that he's a very sharp puncher with very good counter-punching ability. And lastly, he has a great engine and could prolong attacks.
I just don't see how it favors Louis, who just wasn't as robust, in my opinion.

But as said above, Louis' jab is excellent and being patiently aggressive with the jab would set up his pinpoint punches. It would also present less countering opportunities for Evander.

Louis wins on points, I think. But if a wild brawl ensues, I'd go with Holyfield.

 

This is a bout where if Holyfield decides NOT to box and is drawn into a fire fight he has a very good chance of winning opposed to trying to box someone like the Brown Bomber.