Should Joe Louis Have Really Struggled With Conn?

No. But anyone who's a defending champ for 11 years is going to have an off night here and there.

 

I heard Louis was pretty drained prior to the fight to try and make the fight more marketable by coming in the weigh ins well under his proper fighting weight.

 

I think there was an element of both.

 

Billy Conn was on a 19-fight winning streak and was 23 years old in 1941.
No one has a win over Billy Conn after 1938 except Joe Louis in 1941 and 1946 (knocked him out both times).

Billy Conn was a great fighter at his absolute peak (he might have got on to do even greater things if not for WW2).

 

Yes, and then Luis showed what was what in the rematch.

 

Yes. Quite a few people thought that Conn would be a very tough challenge for Louis and some even expected Conn to beat Louis. Dempsey himself thought that Conn would be a very tough match for Louis style-wise, but also predicted that Conn's overconfidence would result in him making a fatal mistake late in the fight, which is exactly what happened. Conn's ring experience, hand speed, and fearlessness would make him a tough match for anybody.

 

The rematch is a bit of a misnomer for this one tho. They were completely different men, miles removed from their initial match 5 years (almost to the day) earlier. The war saw to that. Louis had one completely meaningless fight in 4 years, Conn not one.

Having said that i have little doubt Louis would have won an immediate rematch.

 

Louis was twice as good in rematches see Arturo Godoy. Watch their first fight it was Louis’ toughest defense then watch what he does in the second. That said with the Conn fight Louis himself told Conn that he had the first fight all along he was just letting Conn hang himself. It was just a matter of time.

 

Likely a combination of multiple factors:

1. Conn was brilliant. Likely the 2nd best HW in the world at that point.

2. I've read that Louis was pressured into coming in below 200lbs to make the fight more marketable, so he may have been a little drained.

3. Conn, as well as being brilliant, had a nightmare style for Louis.

4. When you make 25 x defences over 11 years, you won't always be at your best, for a multitude of reasons. Conn was at his best that night and Louis wasn't at his.

One of the many things that marks Louis as so great, is that despite the above 4 factors all likely being against him, he still won.

 

Billy could run but he could not hide.

(One of the most brilliant quotes in the history of sport imo.)

 

So if Billy Conn fought Mike Tyson on June 27, 1988, Mike Tyson would have trouble?

 

Irrelevant!

 

lol I guarantee Jacko would have Conn as the favorite.