Contemporary views on the Louis that faced Marciano

Wasnt Joe the betting favourite going into the fight? Was this the general consensus and if so, why did they have him favourite? In my (terrible) experiences gambling, i find the bookies rarely get it wrong.

 

I think the odds were something like 6to 5 favorite for Louis going in. But at the looks of it, the general consensus was Rocky was going to win.

 

It sounds like you’ve actually watched the fight JT?

You’re automatically disqualified from this thread for bringing honesty and insight rather than hyperbole based agendas.

 

You got that right on all counts. Repeat something enough times........

Thank god Candyman doesn't reside around here!

 

Louis was at his best against Marciano because he was the most modern version of himself.

 

I'm stealing this argument.

 

Look, there is little real rational arguing with these facts .. Louis was faded , likely a mid top ten guy in a pretty weak era and he got beat up .. anyone that builds Marciano on this has always been reaching to me ..

 

It was rather impressive truth be told.

 

Interestingly, after's Louis's last fight before Marciano (against Bivins), he actually stated he thought he'd come in too light.

 

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You can see the openings in Rocky's defence and stance that Joe in his prime would have exploited but his reflexes, accuracy and speed had declined too much to take advantage.

 

Absolutely, as Emanuel Steward said of Rocky ,he was clumsy ,awkward and easy to hit. I don't think Rocky makes it 8 rounds against a prime Joe Louis .Looking at that fight again Louis looked older than 37, he reminded me of a fighter in his forties.

 

I'm sure the stress of being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt contributed to it. Not to mention the drugs.

 

And all of this was common knowledge at the time. I've skimmed through some articles, and the commentators are all so matter-of-fact about how much Louis had faded and the dismal state of the heavyweight division at the time.

 

No, he was 37 1/2, which is not "almost 40". Was he a shell of his 24 yr old self? We all are!

The boxing reporters all loved Joe and disparaged Marciano. Of course they would downplay his abilities at the expense of Marciano. It happens now as well.

 

Louis was the 6.5/5 betting favorite, so somebody must have thought that he was a significant test for Marciano.