I researched a bit on Joe Louis, just enough to know all the basics. But he seems to be both regarded as an ATG and shafted as someone who cant hold up all at once. Is he truly fantastic at fighting? How would he hold up against definitive ATG? Whats your take?
Very good argument to being the greatest puncher in boxing history, it’s like watching a machine operate in perfect motion
This question comes up so often. Joe Louis was the best boxer there ever was and could potentially beat any fighter to have ever laced them up on his best day. He was big enough, he boxed masterfully as smart as guys many weight classes below him and could take anybody out with a good punch.
Main points I've seen brought up against Louis are his competition not being as great as some others and him being smaller than some of the later heavies. The thing is, he brutally knocked out and beat up much larger guys during his reign. Even if you don't think they were the best big men ever, he did prove his power was there against bigger men. For the competition angle, he beat who was around and he beat more during his time than any other heavyweights did during their time. As far as technical ability, I've heard some try to diminish his skill because of a low opinion of the skills during older eras. When trying to go in depth on that, I've never really heard good critiques of anything he did. On the other hand, I've seen some very good analysis on all the things he was great at. I'd say, watch the best quality footage you can find of him and make your own opinion on it. My opinion is that he is the single greatest boxer the sport has produced as far as in ring ability.
Joe's performance against Max Baer is generally considered his finest against top opposition. He put it all together in that fight. Max took the beating of his life and barely laid a glove on Louis. You see all of Joe's greatness in this fight -- the courage, timing, hand speed, accuracy of punching, the great jab, left hook, right hand and combinations. You see the respect and fear he inspired in other heavyweights. And he was just 21 and had fought professionally for only two years. In his next 26 fights, only one of Louis's opponents -- Schmeling -- gave him much trouble, and of course Joe avenged that loss with a one-round knockout. Tommy Farr was praised for lasting 15 rounds against the Brown Bomber but the referee scored the fight 13 rounds to Louis and one round for Farr. Fans grew so accustomed to Joe decimating his foes that the shock of seeing him fighting from behind against Conn is still talked about today. Of all the modern heavyweights, I think only Ali would be favored against him in his prime, and mainly because prime Ali had the foot speed to stay away from Louis's power. It's been 87 years since Joe won the title and in my opinion the best heavyweights who have come along since -- Liston, Holmes, Lewis, Tyson, Marciano, Frazier, Foreman and I suppose Klitschko -- all would be underdogs. That's how great he was.
While this may be true, I would argue that his rematch performance vs. Bob Pastor was really his best. Whereas Baer was a sitting duck for most of Louis' combos, the Pastor rematch showed how well he could break down a skilled boxer/mover. If Louis was ever capable of beating Ali, this is the night I would give him his best chance of doing it: This content is protected