Gotta go with Louis. Johnson could make it difficult for awhile but as a previous post said, Louis would be throwing combinations that Johnsosn wasn't accustomed to dealing with. If the ref allows alot of holding then Jack could go the distance. But if the ref has them break quickly and fight Joe will get to Jack sooner or later.
I agree, Joe Louis may well be the most economical heavyweight of all time, was capable of scoring late round knockouts and never showed stamina problems, despite being a puncher.
I see Johnson very differently. The closest present day analogy would be a heavyweight version of an even better Hopkins. Not exciting but extremely cagey and tricky. Suttle moves and angles that throw a guy off, their timing not there ... the ability to fight in different gears ... I see Johnson able to give Louis more fits than Walcott did and do a number on him ..
Good post. Nice to see someone else appreciate how great Johnson was! Stylistically he was a bit like a pre-Ruiz Roy Jones for me. The fast hands, the power, the footwork. Brilliant fighter. Louis was awesome too. But Jack would have too much for him.
My fav quote in the history of boxing "Don't ever tell chappie I said this but Jack Johnson woudda wooped the earlocks offa that boy!! Jack Blackburn
louis wins by a very late stoppage his punches would eventually take thier toll on johnson ,johnson was a very good defensive fighter but louis`s combinations would be the difference at the end of a tough fight for both men
The whole thing about Johnsons amateurish swings is a bit harsh. Watch the film , its not in normal speed, its of poor quality. I bet most if not all fighter would look "amateurish" if they were filmed with those cameras. Its hard to judge Johnson or other fighters of that era based on the film available. Had Louis or Ali fought in that era and were filmed with those cameras, theyd look "amateurish" too.
It's completely wrong ... funny how Joe Louis was trained by Jack Blackburn who was a master boxer from Johnson's era. When did Jack learn to fight ?
In one fight, with 2 all-time greats in the ring, anything could happen. Hard fight to call. Prime against prime, if I had to bet, I would go with Joe Louis.