Battle of the Joes, Louis vs Frazier?

I've always picked Louis but always felt uncomfortable picking him against Frazier. I think this would be a razor thin fight and whoever can find their rythym first will win.

 

I like Louis here, he was more of a 2-fisted combo bomber, Frazier would be competitive but both had trouble with short guys...Louis the better man Louis by KO 1-10

 

It would have the opportunity of being extraordinarily brutal for several rounds. It would never go the distance, no matter who won, imo. Not prime for prime.

I dig the way you put that. I can get on board here.

 

I don't know, you make some good separate points but don't conduce them as a stylistic issue.

I do think you've got a valid argument. I don't think Frazier would be the fastest man Louis fought. I think John Henry Lewis and Billy Conn were faster. But the point still stands.

 

I think Manuel Ramos's big right hand bomb in the 1st round vs Smokin Joe...the punch that Frazier said was the hardest he ever took (pre-Foreman) was really responsible for waking up the tiger in Joe's tank in that fight. He really went to town on Ramos after that and crumpled the Mexican in the 2nd. That big right helped Joe see the urgency of cranking it up a bit sooner, IMO.

 

Louis is a harder hitting but slower version of Ali

Frazier could cause the trouble Rocky caused Louis

tough to call can Louis withstand the left

can Louis keep off one of the most difficult inside swarm fighters

50 50 fight

 

I believe that Louis would and could ko anybody he could catch...and he WOULD catch Frazier and dispatch him harder and cleaner than did Foreman.

 

The Bomber never really had to go looking for his. If either of them ever seemed temporarily lost at times, it was SJF. Still, if he had his resolve steeled like he did in Manila he could easily walk through several rounds of JL's worst. Could he stand up to 12 or 15 rounds' worth? That's dodgier. He'll need a big surge around the midway point to score his own miracle finish here. Not impossible.

 

I honestly don't see where you're coming from there.

 

I have to pick Louis because he had the tools to outbox AND knock Joe out.

But Frazier is very lively here. I actually think styles might favor him somewhat, and he hits hard enough with that hook to score a knockout himself.

In a tough call, I'll always pick the more complete fighter with more options. But this is a really tough call.

 

Louis could always land the shot, but i think a more likely scenario is Frazier throwing an overwhelming beatdown on Louis and a TKO stoppage around the 8th. Louis has nothing for Frazier, technically. Perhaps the worst matchup for Louis.

 

Agreed,

Ali was a pure boxer who used the ring as his primary weopon, along with the duration of many rounds to outpoint his opponents and even wear them down... Louis was a pure puncher, who tried to CUT OFF the ring, and demolish his foes with overwhelming barages of hard combinations, and with the intent of finishing them earlier rather than later... There were never two fighters who were on more opposite ends of the spectrum than these two..

 

Joe Louis hated pressure. Joe Frazier would slip that jab, work the body, and destroy Louis with a barrage of brutal left hooks. It would be hard for Joe Louis to catch Frazier flush because of the bobbing and weaving. Frazier would not give Louis time to catch his breath or give him any room or time to counter-punch.