Is Prime Joe Louis good enough to beat Riddick Bowe?

If Holyfield dropped Louis like a sack of potatoes I'm pretty sure Louis's right hand would end his night.

 

The blueprint to beat Riddick Bowe is totally there in the first round of the third Bowe-Holyfield fight. That being said pulling off the footwork and quicker hands when countering is no easy job at all and I’m not sure who I’d actually back to pull that off. Louis ain’t got the pure boxing talent to pull it off imo despite being a great fighter. I can’t see him winning standing and trading. Bowe too big, relentless stamina, good power and puts them together well at mid and close ranges.

 

I wonder if Futch has ever said anything about this. I remember a poster claiming that he’d spoke to Futch and Futch himself had said Bowe would beat Frazier and Norton like Foreman.

 

Louis certainly had the skills and firepower to beat Bowe. Holyfield had Bowe hurt multiple times and dropped him with a single left hook, in their three fights. Holyfield wasn't as skilled or as powerful a puncher as prime Louis was, or as fast. My biggest question is would Louis be able to take what Bowe was capable of dishing out. After all , Louis was dropped by fighters like Galento, Scmeling, Braddock , and others, he was seriously hurt by Conn and was out on his feet by him.
I don't believe any of those fighters would've seriously hurt Holyfield or Bowe.
If Louis had the chin of Holyfield, no question In My mind he'd beat Bowe.
But he didn't, And I don't believe he would.
Bowe would take a beating early, but eventually get to Louis with something substantial and stop him.

 

ok fair enough. Louis beats Bowe and you’d bet your house on it. Somehow I bet you wouldn’t.

 

The prime Bowe was a monster but he got hit and Louis was a much deadlier two handed punch than Holyfield ... I like Joe ..

 

This pretty much sums it up, if Louis was allowed to smash a load of PEDs like Evan fields, he has a very good chance of beating bowe, otherwise no, too small, would end up having a brawl and getting took out by a 240 inside guy like bowe

 

PEDS? Evander was 205 for the first match and a very skinny 185lb guy at cruiser. I would likely buy that the Holyfield of the rematch at 215lbs who learnt to punch harder was on enhancements yes, but not for he first fight.

I think when people say Holyfield’s PEDS for Louis, deep down they’re concerned that Louis isn’t the same caliber of athlete as a Holyfield who possessed immense strength as a smaller man coming up and also with fast feet had the look of a supreme athlete that Louis never had. And the big doubt being uncertainty of Louis’ chin standing up like Holyfield’s did.

 

Louis would win by ko. People keep bringing up size but Bowe’s toughest opponent was cruiserweight Holyfield who started his career at light heavyweight. Then there’s other cruiser Herbie Hide who was piecing up and rocking Bowe pretty bad as well. Even if you have such a big size advantage you can’t be so defensively reckless against Louis.

 

This would be as much a one sided travesty as either fight with the Baer brothers.

 

Louis had his chin tested he passed, he also wouldn’t need to take a third of the shots Evander did in one Bowe fight to win out.

A lot of the advantages you’re prescribing to Evander are signs of his inferior boxing including his chemical support. Louis had faster hands, proper footwork and was more powerful three fold because he knew how to actually punch, more importantly when.

I don’t give a damn how fast Evander moved his feet (only to still get dragged into a dog fight) the mind moves the feet and his wasn’t enough to outsmart what Blackburn could fix up - the stuff that matters in boxing is all in Joes corner and it’s piled up like a hoarders living room.

 

Louis was punching bums with tiny gloves.

 

I hope you gain some wisdom as you get older.

 

I think it would be a really good fight, Louis slipping Bowe's jab, the inside brawling where Louis would easily hold his own, Louis catching Bowe with a little space before it's inside, Bowe landing a big right or uppercut here and there, I think Louis would take a decision or possibly tko or ko over 15 because he would have the better work rate and composure of technique in deeper water, but inside of 10 Bowe would be rumbling and more than just formidable