1942 Joe Louis vs 1976 Ron Lyle

A gif I made from the Louis video:
https://streamable.com/aiqoe

Abe Simon throws four jabs.
Louis slips the last one, and lands a terrific counter hook at an off angle.

I cast my vote for Joe Louis KO.

 

Joe Louis by KO. He just had too much of everything. Probably be a good entertaining slugfest though. Even if Lyle does hurt Louis Joe would recover and rock back with more. Joe Louis was too sharp to stand in front of. Quicker hands than Lyle and he put those combinations together better than any heavyweight we ever had.

 

Lyle would make it interesting that's for sure, he had a great right hand and could use it cleverly. Schmeling showed in their first bout Louis was susceptible to a well timed right hand.

 

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If you look an Lyle's record, it's not that impressive. Show me BIG wins. Not beat downs on has been fighters. He, arguably, would have been a tough out in any era but he had his shortcomings. You could hurt the guy! Show me a BIG win that cemented his legacy? Two lopsided losses to Young, a gutty performance against a brain dead Foreman who Lyle could never knockout. A faded Ali had him gasping for breath. OK, Shavers, and Earnie had the bad luck to nail him with that big left hook at the end of round 2; middle of the 2nd? Ron's in a puddle out like a light. I don't want to take anything away from Ron who was a true warrior, but it seems like so many point to the Foreman fight to prop him up! A brain dead Foreman and, by the end, I thought George might have killed him! My $0.02

 

Lyle made some mistakes in his life but turned out to be a pretty good guy.
There is that story about his heart stopping a couple of times when he had that
operation in prison I believe.

 

Louis gets dropped early, but comes back and impressively stops Lyle in the 8th round.

 

Lyle feared no one but a big difference in skills here. Joe could be
ruthless and in a clinical textbook display he would dismantle a game
but out classed Lyle. After numerous knockdowns the referee stops a
game but battered Lyle in 5 rounds.

 

Good recall^^ compadre.

 

I remember Quarry, before his Feb. 73 s c r a p with Ron saying he was a little bit scared going in given Ron's rep as a banger. Jerry: "I hit him with a left hook in the first round and his knees buckled. I relaxed after that knowing he could be hurt."