On paper you'd have to favour Louis but if you watch just a few reels on Moore you really get to appreciate how awkward and goddamn slippery Moore was. Louis had but an average chin, well within the scope of a big hitter like Moore to smash. On the other hand, Louis has a great jab, and the jab is a great punch to keep the cuties honest with. I'll take Louis, but I can see the arguments for Moore.
I have all the love and respect in the world for Archie Moore but this is the wrong kind of match for him. Louis is a very heavy favorite here. Archie once said that the only man he feared in boxing was Joe Louis
Beat me do it. His career peak was past his physical peak, but then he was great to a ripe old age, so...
MOORE was an amazing man & athlete. An ageless wonder, & incredibly skilled. But I cannot see him likely to beat Louis unless he had a Shmelling 1-like lapse. It would take a large stylistic advantage to make it at all likely. Which did not exist. Marciano or a comparable great swarmer maybe, or a great modern SHW...but not another boxer type who moved up from LHW. Louis was both tremendous in skills, execution, hand speed, power... The Special Conditions for especially a contemporary-unless an ATG swarmer-are rare to justify a pick against him.
Joe Louis wouldn't be what he is, and he wouldn't have defended his title 25 times, even if he lost to the GOAT LHW
Louis by KO but Moore had enough power to hurt Louis and his upper body movement could make Louis miss. Moore's counters could ɓuzz or drop Louis, but Louis by KO