Evander Holyfield: I'd tear Joe Louis Up

Louis got hit far less than Holy did, he was far more skilled.

 

Louis had a better jab and threw it constantly, leaving his lead hand out in front near his opponent`s face.

 

If you just extracted Joe out of the past, in his prime, and put him in with a prime Holyfield, Evander would probably beat him...since he's seen Joe Louis fight and knows what there is to know about him, while Joe wouldn't even know who Evander Holyfield is until he saw him across the ring from him. BUT, if you brought Joe Louis back, with full knowledge of his career, put him in his prime, and then let him train to fight Holyfield...complete with the Holyfield films to watch, you might get a different outcome.

 

Boxing is very different than many other sports when debating improvement over time because of two constants , weight divisions
( heavyweights excluded) and number of fights .. there is little doubt many of todays fighters may be stronger but I doubt they are better conditioned and there is no way they are better based on far less experience .. I just don't see it and never have .. Holyfield is legendary for his competitive nature and near overconfidence .. maybe he beats Louis and maybe he doesn't .. as far as tear him top goes I doubt it because there are not too many too rated heavyweights Holyfield tore up ..that plus the fact that the did get hit too much ..

 

Another rehashed thread from the most unintentionally amusing member here.

I love Holyfield a lot, but Louis hit too hard and too fast. Bowe was no Joe Louis, and he beat him two out of three (I'd say three, as I'm not entirely convinced Bowe lost the second fight, but let's go with on paper).

Holy would try to duke it out with Joe and get stopped in 8.

 

we had 2 holy's the 80s brawler and the semi brawler/boxer 90s which was the best of him both beat joe no problem

 

holy would always beat joe he was to much for him joe defense was bad and he wasnt to tough for taking damage

 

Holyfield had a justifiably high opinion of his abilities and had extraordinary self-belief. It was that self-belief that he took into the ring against Riddick Bowe, a fighter who had most of the physical advantages over him and meant that even after defeat (and gallant defeat at that), he would step into the ring again and take victory. It was that same self-belief that made him face Mike Tyson in a fight that almost all experts and fans thought was tantamount to suicide on Evander's part and not only take Tyson's best but bully him into submission not once but twice. A guy like that doesn't have a mindset where he entertains defeat against anyone, regardless of who they are. It doesn't surprise me at all that he would think he would beat Joe Louis. He'd pick himself over a mack truck too.

 

no he wasnt and he got hit more where did you get that lie from the people joe beat would get beat by holy easy

if joe was more skilled he wouldnt have struggled with those dudes holy wouldnt holy had everything joe had he was a better ver of him without the bad footwork and way tougher watch the vids

 

Holy in arguably his prime struggled with both Foreman and Holmes, who were in their 40s...neither was a runaway victory. Watch the fights.

 

That sounds pretty convincing.

So were you one of them that picked Tyson to KO/Stop/Kill Holyfield in '96?

 

To be completely honest, I didn't like Tyson at the time and thought Holy was amazing. So, I wanted Holy to win but was bummed out expecting Mike to beat him.

I was cheering when Holy won, probably as loud as when Ali beat Foreman. It was a very happy upset for me.

I like Mike better now, but Holy for me is a Boxing God.

 

I don’t care about what one fighter “ says “ he’d do to another. Especially when it’s a fighter making a comment about another who’s long deceased. Truths are proven in the ring. Nowhere else...

 

Bitter is as Bitter does to those fighters. Talk is cheap.

 

Holy was not as powerful as Louis.