How was Moore able to stay a top level fighter for so long but Joe Louis couldn't

All in the genes..

 

The answer to this question would be the same as to the question - "What made Moore such an outlier in terms of longevity?"

 

Archie Moore is the blueprint for longevity in boxing, I feel like this thread is framed as a slight at Joe Louis because he wasn't as durable as the most durable/clever fighter ever. Louis took two years off twice and was only in title fights and Army exhibitions from 1937 to 1950. Louis is the gold standard for longevity in heavyweight boxing. Carried on until he fought the next great heavyweight as well. Why didn't he hang around as long as the literal definition of boxing longevity? At that point it's in fate's hands. Is it a knock on Joe because he only held all the heavyweight records and not every single boxing record? That's what I feel the original post is getting at, which I disagree with. Moore is an impossible to recreate legend of boxing and many of his records will never be touched by anyone.

Edit: Also I'd look at when Joe Louis got his first title shot, and what age Moore was at when he got his.

 

Their styles alone would account for much of it.

 

For one thing, Joe Louis could not get down to the Light Heavyweight requirement, so he had to stay at Heavyweight, with heavier hitters like Rocky Marciano. If Joe could have made it to 175 pounds I believe he would have lasted longer. Then some of it is styles, and I think the rest is genetic.

 

Probably because Moore spent so long fighting for state titles, and Louis was fighting for world titles.

 

Because Louis needed his fast handspeed and Moore did not.

 

Archie Moore's career lasted extremely long from 1935 to 1963 (1962 he fought Muhammad Ali). There are other examples of such a long career; Larry Holmes 1973-2002, Bernard Hopkins 1988-2016 etc. There are few boxers with such a long career that is successful until the end, and Hopkins is a real example.
Only genetics can explain that Moore was in so many fights (220) without his health being damaged.
Joe Louis' career was not short, but the end would not have been successful if he had continued his career. He knew when to retire and if he didn't they might be watching Joe Louis Vs. Archie Moore.

 

Archie was either a mutant or an alien.

We’ll never know which because they didn’t test for the X gene in his day.

He was also known to be part mongoose.

 

Hell, he was probably in better condition in his 70s than anyone on this forum at whatever age, myself included.

 

IMO Liston would have mercy on Joe Louis as well as Floyd Patterson.