How was Moore able to stay a top level fighter for so long but Joe Louis couldn't

Moore and Louis were around the same age. Louis was born in 1914 and Moore was born either in 1913 or 1916. Moore turned pro in 1936 I believe and fought until the early 1960s. He remained a top, relevant name in the HW division as late as the late 50s and retired as the LHW champion (although I believe his title was stripped for technical reasons but he didn't lose it in the ring).

Joe Louis retired at 37, the same general age that Moore defeated Maxim and became LHW champion. How did Joe Louis become washed up so quickly compared to Moore?

 

All in the genes..

 

The answer to this question would be the same as to the question - "What made Moore such an outlier in terms of longevity?"

 

Archie Moore is the blueprint for longevity in boxing, I feel like this thread is framed as a slight at Joe Louis because he wasn't as durable as the most durable/clever fighter ever. Louis took two years off twice and was only in title fights and Army exhibitions from 1937 to 1950. Louis is the gold standard for longevity in heavyweight boxing. Carried on until he fought the next great heavyweight as well. Why didn't he hang around as long as the literal definition of boxing longevity? At that point it's in fate's hands. Is it a knock on Joe because he only held all the heavyweight records and not every single boxing record? That's what I feel the original post is getting at, which I disagree with. Moore is an impossible to recreate legend of boxing and many of his records will never be touched by anyone.

Edit: Also I'd look at when Joe Louis got his first title shot, and what age Moore was at when he got his.

 

Not a slight on Louis. I just thought about how Moore and Louis were basically the same age and started boxing professionally at about the same time, Louis in 1934 and Moore in 1936. How did Moore manage to last so long at the top is what I was wondering.

 

Their styles alone would account for much of it.

 

For one thing, Joe Louis could not get down to the Light Heavyweight requirement, so he had to stay at Heavyweight, with heavier hitters like Rocky Marciano. If Joe could have made it to 175 pounds I believe he would have lasted longer. Then some of it is styles, and I think the rest is genetic.

 

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This is Archie Moore in 1998, 6 months before his passing. After 225 fights and being in his 80s, he was still mentally sharp. He was in better condition in his 70s and 80 than Louis was in his 60s

At 12:23 he says Billy Conn would never fight him because he knew he would lose.

 

Probably because Moore spent so long fighting for state titles, and Louis was fighting for world titles.

 

Because Louis needed his fast handspeed and Moore did not.

 

Archie Moore's career lasted extremely long from 1935 to 1963 (1962 he fought Muhammad Ali). There are other examples of such a long career; Larry Holmes 1973-2002, Bernard Hopkins 1988-2016 etc. There are few boxers with such a long career that is successful until the end, and Hopkins is a real example.
Only genetics can explain that Moore was in so many fights (220) without his health being damaged.
Joe Louis' career was not short, but the end would not have been successful if he had continued his career. He knew when to retire and if he didn't they might be watching Joe Louis Vs. Archie Moore.

 

Archie was either a mutant or an alien.

We’ll never know which because they didn’t test for the X gene in his day.

He was also known to be part mongoose.

 

Hell, he was probably in better condition in his 70s than anyone on this forum at whatever age, myself included.

 

By the 50s, I think Moore would have taken Louis. Imagine if Louis kept fighting and he ran into a young Floyd Patterson or, God forbid, Sonny Liston. Do you think Liston would have had the heart to decimate an ancient Louis?

Also, I don't hold Moore's loss to Ali against him because he was almost 50 years old by then. Prime for Prime, I absolutely favor Ali over Moore, but it would have been interesting to see a 1949-51 Archie Moore vs a 1962 Cassius Clay. That may have been a winnable fight for Moore.

 

IMO Liston would have mercy on Joe Louis as well as Floyd Patterson.