Canelo vs Prime Joe Louis

The original post didn't lay out any parameters. In any era, Canelo gets ironed out brutally by Louis. But if we're having Canelo travel back to 1938 to fight the Schmeling II version of Joe Louis, he's going back to an era when fighters -- even Heavyweights -- wore six ounce gloves, weigh ins were on the morning of the fight and referees only really stopped fights when fighters were knocked out cold, unable to beat a ten count, or completely out of it and not punching back. If this is the case, then Joe Louis will get some of those short, explosive right hooks in (he threw an extremely nasty right hook to the kidney) and win by homicide.

It has to be said, I want Canelo to be tested by these hypothetical fights, not murdered. So have him travel to 1983 and fight Marvelous Marvin Hagler at 160 over 15 rounds instead.

 

Let's face it, love him or hate him, it speaks volumes about Canelo that some are already mythically matching him up vs some boxing's greats.

 

It's more a backhanded compliment than anything else when people are doing it with an active fighter: "This guy is so good, nobody at 168 can beat him, so let's dream match him with prime Joe Louis". Next thing you now, people will be dream matching the current Bantamweight version of Naoya Inoue against the Lightweight version of Henry Armstrong!

At least I proposed a mythical matchup for Canelo against someone who fought close to his current weight class. I won't ever propose a hypothetical matchup between Canelo and Joe Louis because I really wouldn't want Canelo's subsequent hypothetical murder on my conscience.

And for what it's worth, I think Canelo, with his defence, timing and shot selection, has an extremely good shot at running Hagler close in a hypothetical matchup at 160 the way Duran did. And if it goes down in Vegas, then the Marvelous one could be forgiven for this salient detail playing on his mind just a little, given what happened to him in his first fight with Vito Antuofermo.

 

Smith is tall and lanky, but nothing about him is built like a heavyweight and Smith certainly doesn’t hit like a heavyweight. Canelo was walking through flush hooks by Smith.

Heavyweights from the 30’s like Joe Louis, Farr, Pastor, Schmeling, Godoy, Walcott, etc.. were all well over 200 lbs and had to train and diet down to be under 200 lbs on the day of the fight.

 

What has become of this board?

 

Joe Louis comes in wearing 6 oz gloves ready to fight 15 rounds against undersized Canelo....they'll have to charge Joe with 1st degree murder after this.

 

There was big jump in class technical abillity, footwork, movement, hand speed, speed wise in the rise of Patterson/Johansson from previous years which still heavily romaticised.

You only have to watch a Joe Louis or Maricano fight on youtube without rose tinted specs to see the lack of quality of them comapred HWs from Patterson era untill present.

 

According to reports, Conn managed to keep Louis from getting set with his movement and jab: as soon as Louis would plant his feet and look to unload, Conn would stick Louis with his jab and glide out of harm's way. People at ringside said Louis looked out of sorts for the first six rounds, but that was likely down to Conn's movement.

Since the original post said the fight was for Louis's Heavyweight Title, the real question is whether Canelo can do all the things that have been mentioned -- such as employ his jab, use his movement and avoid standing in front of Louis, pick his spots, stay off the ropes and out of the corners (Louis was excellent at cutting the ring off) and avoid hitting the deck (Louis was a ruthless finisher, one of the best in Heavyweight history) -- for every single second of the full 15 rounds. If he can, he has a shot at springing the upset.

And if Canelo gets by the Brown Bomber, he can fight the consummate ring general that was prime Gene Tunney next (who Canelo would likely outweigh). That one would be a purist's wet dream.

 

lol at this thread topic.

 

**** no

 

Maybe against Hagler but not Louis.

 

Louis would have a rough go at it but would catch up to him eventually.