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At his absolute peak, didn't he get taken to a 15-round split decision by Arturo Godoy? Godoy was nothing special. At his peak, didn't he have a helluva time with little Billy Conn, too?

Joe Louis could've lost to any of the other heavyweight champions or some of the title challengers. Louis may not have lost the rematch, but a peak Louis certainly could've lost the first time he fought Charles or Walcott or Rocky or Patterson or Johansson or Liston or Ali.

Patterson wasn't exactly a slouch the night he stopped Moore and Johansson for their titles. Same with Walcott and Rocky and Ingo and Liston the night they won their titles by KO. They weren't exactly soft touches those evenings.

Joe Louis wasn't without his own flaws, even at his best.

Joe's reign likely would've ended about the same time it actually did. Even at their best, fighters can have off nights. And the other guys were pretty good the night they won their titles, too.

 

Louis had terrific footwork. Always making tiny adjustments so he was set to punch.