I like Weaver but cmon man thats insane. I think Weaver v Witherspoon would be a really cool fight to make though. Weaver would never beat Louis. Aside from that yeah I think Louis can handle Holmes 49 wins, and probably Spinks as well, but I see Tyson overwhelming him too quickly.
Too true, Vic. Some of those challengers for Holmes belt could definitely wack. I see it like this, Louis going thru Holmes Title fights, is more at risk of losing than Larry facing Joe s.
I think he could do it but there might be a few stumbling blocks, Shavers could knock him out with a right hand a punch Louis was a sucker for. We all know Louis is vastly superior to Shavers, but 2 fights against a monster puncher ? and Shaver's best weapon the right hand a punch Louis was vulnerable to could be dangerous. Cooney may be dangerous for Louis early on ? just because of the size difference and punching power of Cooney. Galento rocked and knocked Louis down early with a left hook, which was Cooney's best punch just keep that in mind. Witherspoon would be another dangerous opponent, but i honestly think Witherspoon is too lazy to beat Louis. For me despite Witherspoon having talent and ability, never really went through the gears and quite alot of the time coasted too much for my liking. The only other stumbling block i see is Carl Williams, Louis did have some issues against boxers who fought him on the outside. And yes i do believe stylistically Louis would have alot of issues with 6'5 Williams who a fantastic jab, but saying all that Williams's chin was suspect and i don't believe, he could avoid Louis's bombs for the entire duration of the fight, and i think somewhere down the line Louis catches up to him and finishes him off. And finally if were being fair Louis fighting Spinks at the same age Holmes did, might be a stylistically issue for Louis aswell.
Yes I think Joe Louis could have made 49-0 with Holmes opposition. But IF his title reign started when he was a bit younger
Shavers didn't have the best chin and you're putting him up against a prime Louis? He's lucky if he makes it out of round 1.
I don't see it. In a shootout I'd HEAVILY favour Louis. Louis fought punchers his whole career (Carnera, Baer Brothers, Schmeling, Galento, Walcott & Marciano). It took PRIME Marciano EIGHT rounds to stop an OLD, SHOT, WASHED-UP Louis, and not without Marciano having to eat a lot of hard leather (which was evident on his face after the fight). Cooney may hurt & drop Louis early, but Louis had GREAT recovery prowess & would recover quickly, taking Cooney out soon after. Louis was most dangerous when hurt. This looks like the B Baer fights (Cooney doesn't get past the 3rd IMO).
The easy one would be Norton. If a wild swinging young Foreman and a relatively unskilled Shavers could bomb him out with ease, what happens when he meets big power combined with big skills? Instead of that brutal war Holmes needed to take the title from Norton, Louis grabs it inside of a minute. Are there fights that Louis's power would have helped? Spinks? Or fights where Larry's jab is what made the difference? Interesting questions.
Of course I’m putting him up against Shavers since he was one of Holmes’ opponents. That’s what the thread is about…how would Louis do against Holmes’ opponents. So I have no idea what you mean that “I’m putting him up against Prime Louis.” That’s the premise of this discussion! Incidentally Shavers with the dodgy chin went 11 and 12 rounds with Holmes, 15 rounds with Ali, 6 with Lyle. He did however get sparked out in 1 by the limited Quarry though…the only boxer to do that to Shavers in nearly 90 fights. So I stick to what I said…it would be fun while it lasted.
Of course he can't do it. Ain't it obvious ?!? Holmes couldn't do it, and he's way better than Louis ever was.
I could see Joe doing it but there are potential stumbling blocks as people have pointed out. One factor is would Joe age more/faster fighting generally bigger men than he did in his run? And his sparring partners surely would have been bigger guys too. More cumulative damage taking a bit out. And did Joe having those war years basically off preserve him a bit to extend him past where his sell-by date would have been? By the time we get into the Shavers II territory, I’m seeing Joe beginning to backslide, and there’s still a lot of real estate to traverse to complete the 49-0 gauntlet. Max Schmeling beat Joe and he’s not the only guy out there with a right hand who can do damage.
I think Louis learned a lot and grew as a fighter thanks to his first loss to Schmeling. So with him never having that experience I think one of Holmes' opponents beats Louis, who does it is debatable. But if we are talking Louis after Schmeling 1 then I think he can run the gambit. Fight #49 against Spinks is his toughest fight by far. I'm not exactly sold on Norton because Louis was a big puncher and a terrific finisher. A relevant question is can Louis avoid the other pitfalls of the 80s like Holmes did and many of his peers succumbed to? Because if he can't then taking an L to a Witherspoon or Weaver is more of a possibility