Could Joe Louis beat Mike Tyson?

Lewis was facing much better and bigger competition, not the 180-200 lbs guys that Marciano had. Lewis will KO those with just a jab.

 

AH c'mon man.
You cannot really believe that anything makes Louis worse than even the decent but non-elite boxers he fought, let alone the cannon-fodder he & most everyone started with.
Look at who he fought just before his prime-who was around the size of Prime Louis, & had lost 4 of nhis last 5 fights.
James "Quick" Tillis gave Tyson a quite close fight, & came on stronger at the end.

Now every fighter seems to do worse than expected sometime-& I also favor Tyson.
But you can be comically biased in favor of the more recent & bigger (Tyson just in muscle) fighters!

 

How could possibly the GOAT heavyweight even dream of lasting as long as the 0-3 Hector Mercaid?

Probably the most delusional comment I've ever seen on this board.

 

It's possible.
But White Bomber is trying & succeding at being nicer!
He may get more rational bit by bit.

But yes sometimes he reminds me of Ye Olde Tymers who insist any relatively tiny athlete who emerged trumphant from a small homogenous talent pool absent modern training maybe during segregation & even with glaring flaws & sometimes near prime losses...
Could beat the best superbly trained, SHW sized athletes.

EDIT: I see you meant Tyson;s debut, & it is Hector Merced.
Who was 1-10 for his career.
I noted that he fought a single decent fighter-Paul Poirer, undefeated.
This guy was 31-3: but never fought anyone decent until he was near the END of a n almost 20 year career.
It was a huge leap up from who he had been fighting to...Alex Stewart. Tony Tucker. Larry Holmes.

I wonder how common it is for guys to take so long to move up, but then it's huge: well he did fight a 21 year old "John L. Sullivan", who had also beaten nobody...
And Poirer started boxing at a max of 16 year s old.

 

Wrong. Tyson had faster feet not faster hands. Louis had more power in his punches and easily knocked out guys that were much bigger than him. If you think Tyson is more 'skilled' than Louis then you clearly have never watch footage of Louis in your life or you're willfully blind. Or you just don't know sh*t about boxing. Tyson was a one dimensional fighter who went for the same attacks over and over again. Louis could fight on the inside, mid-range and on the outside and was the best counter-puncher in the history of the heavyweight division - not to mention being the greatest finisher. He had the most superior boxing IQ of any heavyweight that's ever live. You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

 

What good fighter did Lewis KO with his jab? How does being over 200lbs make you a better fighter?

 

He couldn't even stop glorified cans like Mitch Green and Quick Tillis and Bonecrusher Smith. Those guys actually gave him trouble.

 

Tyson wasn't really a "crowder" in the vein of inside fighters such as Frazier or Duran. He could throw combinations up close such as his signature hook to the body+uppercut, but sometimes he looked lost and got tied up at close range. The point being, Tyson wasn't the type to plant his feet staying at close range for an extended period of timing crowding and chipping away at the opponent. He preferred mid range to use head movement for counters or to build momentum for a bomb.

 

Styles make fights.
Tilis had good movement and didn't stay still in front of Tyson.
Poor ol Joe, with his steady inching towards an opponent, will get his arse handed to him by Tyson.

 

Those guys might also beat Louis. Can't be sure about the first 2, but Smith definitely does.

 

Yes, size does matter, that's why they invented weight classes.

 

Tyson was way more skilled. And he had faster hands and also hit harder.
Louis only looks skilled cause he faced weak opposition, it's easy to land and look good against that.

 

He might be the GOAT HW based on what he achieved in his own era, but put him in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and he wouldn't even be a contender.

 

I do believe that Tyson would win, as I already stated.
But you are doing the classic avodance: what I said was that your assessment of how poorly he would do, such as KOed within 1/6th of a round, faster than ANYONE who ever fought Tyson, even complete novices & those who had almost no victories, & some who have poor movement...

That is completely bonkers!
Can't you admit that?

 

With respect, you are as extreme & biased as those who think an ancient HW that is modern SHW-sized would be the GOAT.

You REALLY think Louis would not even be a contender from the 1970's onwards?!?!?

So take even guys who say were contenders in the "Golden Age" 1970's.
Not extremely far removed in time or in so many cases size.
Many contenders did not even move very well-Chuvalo.
Some were not big & at best near Louis's size-Quarry.

There are so many other examples.
But these guys are not even BAD contenders for their error.
They got multiple title fights, just counting Ali.
And you believe they would both beat Louis, & he is not even able to be a fringe contender?!?

Are you & your ego OPEN to learning from folks here?
OK you favor & believe more recent & larger boxers are better & athletics progress...
Let me issue a

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challenge:

But are you really so sure that the most EXTREME conclusions one can make (outside of certifiable/commit to a mental institution, such as claiming The Brown Bomber would lose to say every modern boxer, or the fighter's WIVES...)

EDIT: OK how about just a few of the 1970's contenders that Ali fought?
You think these guys are BETTER than Joe Louis?

Rudi Lubbers.
Juergen Blin (27-9-6 when @ his peak then...Against '70's Euro competition).
Alvin Lewis
Jean Pierre Cooperman
Richard Dunn (33-9-when also @ his peak...Against '70's Euro/mostly British competition).
Few would think they can carry the jockstrap of The Brown Bomber-yet you believe they are markedly

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to him?
Before posting, do you indulge in hard libations much?

That you are correct that even 20 years after the Most Successful HW ever retired, he could not even be a CONTENDER?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!??