It could have hypothetically happened. Moore was born in 1913 or 1916. Louis was born in 1914. So they were approximately the same age. Louis turned pro in 1934, Moore turned pro in 1936. What if in 1939-1942, Moore was the light heavyweight champion and a top heavyweight contender? It would have put Moore and Louis on a collision course. Imagine instead of Conn vs Louis in 1941, we had Moore vs Louis, both in their primes.
A prime Moore could certainly have climbed the heavyweight ranks in Louis’s era. But he said repeatedly throughout his life that Louis was the one fighter he feared more than any other. Was this truly the case or was he just being humble ? No way to tell. My guess is that if he were given that chance, a shot at the greatest prize in boxing and all the money that came with it would have been too difficult to resist. In either event I would make Joe Louis a heavy favorite
When he was younger he didn’t want any part of Louis or Walcott. Not sure how he would have felt in the 50s when he was at his best.
In the real timeline, he was a middleweight when Louis was a heavyweight. By the time Moore grew into a heavyweight, Louis was retired.
There was a time when the thought arose in the late 40s. Moore was fighting HWs his whole career really. Think his first fight was against a hw