Joe has too much accuracy and underrated defensive proficiency for the hittable Holyfield here. Pre WW II Louis is the better boxer, as he demonstrated when his right was impaired against the skilled Tommy Farr.
I favour Louis, too. I think Holyfield would have his moments, though. Louis was pretty hittable(and he's my favourite heavyweight by a mile!). I recently watched Joe against Nathan Mann and Mauriello and both hit him quite cleanly. The thing is Louis usually recovers and hits back harder and I don't think Holyfield would be able to take it. An earlier poster made a great point about PEDs, though. I refuse to believe Holyfield was built like that at heavyweight without "help"!
Qawi is one who has no doubts whatever about this, and looking at Holyfield-Qawi I, then Evander's HW career, well let's just face it. There is no precedence in boxing for gaining weight and climbing up divisions like that while retaining chiseled musculature in that way. If you want such a weight gain with what seems to have been achieved without PEDs, you can have Michael Spinks, who looked pretty much the same at 170 for David Sears as he did at 212 for Tyson under the training and weight gaining methods he learned from Mackie Shilstone, and has pretty much retained his slim physique in retirement. (Most of his weight gain was evident in his legs, particularly his thighs, according to witnesses.)
I don't see Louis winning by KO because Holyfield had a granite chin. Louis on the other hand didn't. I think Louis wins a fairly close decision and if he does drop Holyfield it would likely be by a bodypunch, much like Toney did.
I don't have a problem with Joe's chin. Sometimes he could be caught off balance when squared up, countered with a trap by JJW or beaten to the punch by Galento, but he got up very quickly except when Schmeling knocked him out, or Marciano dropped him. But he took Max Baer's best hooks, and Maxie laid out King Levinski with one of those hooks in an exhibition. Not seeing Holyfield as the kind of shooter who's gonna catch him just right for a dump to the floor.
If it turns into a slugfest with both men teeing off on each other then I think it's very difficult to back against Joe Louis no matter how good Holyfield's chin is.
Michael Moorer was able to box behind a similar type of jab and at a similar range to that which Louis fought at. Holy found himself being picked off with that short jab and getting frustrated and having his own timing interupted continually bybthat jab - he struggling a lot to set himself and as a result kept getting set back by the jab and couldn't get into the fight enough to really press Moorer - i think Louis' jab would take everything away from Holy and he would be made to look a little limited his guts would keep him in there and he'd keep trying but by the end Louis would have him looking like an old man
Moorer is left handed... apparently you have never boxed if you missed that because that was the reason Holyfield struggled and it was still a razorthin decision... and knocking down Moorere in the first. Louis was decked by beanstick cab drivers, fact, if he brawls with Holyfield he is toast.
That and he had a bum shoulder and some other health issues. He showed vulnerabilities at times when one would think that he shouldn't have. But to be fair he also annihilated plenty of men who weren't " beanstick cab drivers" and did so with ease.
Holyfield's speed of foot should see him regularly control distance and beat Louis to the punch and his workrate would see Louis stuggle to keep up with him. His weight would see him being stronger and pushing Louis back. Louis would counter him with brutal punches at times but Holyfield's chin and recuperative abilities would see him rally back. Holyfield late KO