Has there ever been a long tenured heavyweight champion who avoided no particular opp

Don't forget Lee Q Murray he was considered a big threat to joe louis

 

Perhaps rightly so, but what was his case and when?

 

Ali in his first reign .. in his second he wanted no part of a Norton fight after Ken was robbed in Yankee Stadium and he didn't exactly offer Foreman a rematch either .. I won't say Holmes heavily ducked anyone but he did not go out of his way to always fight the best guys ..

 

Ben

1943-1944. Bad luck huh? Louis was in the army. Still Murray was able to knock out the dangerous Harry Bobo to win the duration heavyweight championship of the world recognized by Maryland and Ohio.

Had Louis been active in 1943 I'm sure he would've fought Murray Murray deserved to share the ring with the greatest fighter of all time and would've put up a valiant effort before being knocked out

 

I don't even have Louis in my top two all time heavies.I don't give a f*ck what colour a fighter is or anyone else for that matter.

I'm also white myself so why would I be biased against white fighters?:huh

The purpose of this thread,which you started is blatantly obvious, to boost Wladimir and tear down Louis.
To tear down Louis you provided a list of black fighters you claim he avoided

.I've looked at their records during Louis's title tenure and found your claims to be NONSENSE, and I gave my reasons.


Now it is incumbent on you to provide an argument that proves that :
Tiger Jack Fox
Leroy Haynes
Elmer Ray
Curtess Sheppard
Lem Franklin
Jimmy Bivins
Larry Gains


deserved title shots.

A case might be made for Franklin during a brief period but the underlined names are farcical.

You show that Louis's management were numbers runners something that everyone and their Granny already knew.
That does not make Louis "mob controlled".


Louis was under a stringent microscope from the moment he became the obvious heir to Braddock's throne.
No fighter and his connections had to be more careful of their words and deeds. Louis was tutored in how to use the correct cutlery, and basic reading and writing skills ,something you could surely do with!
Never to be photographed with white women ,never to be seen eating watermelon , all this was to prevent him being stereotyped as the ignorant n*gger who lusted after the pure white lady and reinforcing the racial hang ups that people like yourself harbour.
Several of Louis's opponents were mob connected or had management with mob ties.
Braddock
Baer
Beshore
Are just three , and Al Weill,Marciano's manager was in Frankie Carbo's pocket. In comparison Louis was squeaky clean.

I have Jacobs Beach,which by the way is written by an Englishman, Kevin Mitchell ,chief sportswriter for the Guardian.


Now looking forward to you making a valid case for Louis defending against .
Fox
Gains
Haynes
etc.

 

I'll have a look at his record during Louis's reign.
The proof of the pudding;

 

Louis had a mere 10 fights in the 50's out of his career total of 69. Why the f&&k, would the mob be remotely bothered about him, or them?

 

Murray is a bit hard to get a handle on, he was rated highly in some years but also thrown out for not giving of his best in a couple of fights.
He had two up and down series with Sheppard and Bivins and was on the floor a lot but he would have been a credible challenger at some point.The War and Uncle Sam impacted on his chances to some extent. Murray seems to have been a hot and cold performer.

 

Louis was in the Army when he fought Simon in1942,and since he fought Simon for nothing,his purse going to the Army Relief Fund, perhaps we can give him some slack? Louis not only fought for nothing he bought $3000 worth of tickets and gave then to black G I's. Louis's share was $65,200 and he gave the government $ 49,000 the rest going in training expenses

Simon not a worthy challenger?
Well he had gone 13 rds in their first fight and 19,000 turned up to see the second, the gate was over $200,000
.Louis and the promoter Mike Jacobs gave $ 75,000 to the government and Simon donated 15% of his purse. Louis was without Chappie Blackburn for this fight because he was ill with pneumonia, shortly after the fight Blackburn died.
Not many know that the second Louis Conn fight was also planned to be for the Army Relief Fund. but Secretary of War Stimson vetoed it.

 

Lem Franklin should have been given one of Abe Simons title shots..this is undeniable. Ray should have been given a shot in 47.. Bivins should have been given a shot in 46.

 

Franklin beat Simon in1939 but was stopped by Eddie Simms and Tony Musto, both ko victims of Louis
.Louis stopped Simon in March 1941
Franklin stopped Simon in Oct 1941, but Franklin was then kod by twice Louis victim Bob Pastor so he in effect disqualified himself he then went into a downward spiral from which he never recovered.

"Jimmy Bivins should have got a title shot in1946"?

1946 Bivins had 7 fights won 4 and lost 3.
His wins were over:
Watson Jones 34-16-7 he had been stopped in his previous 2 fights and would be stopped in his next 3.


johnny Haynes 11-4-0 he had been beaten in his previous fight by twice Louis victim Arturo Godoy.

Oakland Billy Smith 29-11-3 a career light heavy.
Yancey Henry 24-16-4 he had won 4 of his last eleven fights he would have one more fight be stopped and retire.

The other three men Bivins fought that year were the best 3.
Ezzard Charles Lee Q Murray and Jersey Joe Walcott.Bivins lost all three.

Louis had one fight that year, beating Walcott the number one contender, who had beaten Bivins.

" Elmer Ray should have gotten a title shot in 1947"?
Louis defended his crown twice that year against Billy Conn , the number one contender and Tami Mauriello ,also the number one contender.
1947 Ray beat 4 ham and eggers, lost to Walcott and got a very disputed decision win over Ezzard Charles.
1948 Louis had his last title defence ,against the number one contender Walcott.
1948 Ray beat three journeymen and was then kod by Ezzard Charles.

 

Wlad never fights his best opposition, who from 2008 to 2012 held the WBC heavyweight title. Hint: it's his big brother. Stop with the family love nonsense, this is the TRUTH

 

"perhaps we can give Louis some slack"

The fights with Baer and Simon were for army and navy relief. Louis was in the army, which meant he was not a free agent and could only do what the military allowed or demanded.

As for Baer and Simon--to be blunt--they were the opponents because they were Jewish and so were felt to be appealing to the folks who would be buying the war bonds.

Any criticism of what Louis did between 1942 and 1946 is ahistorical and absurd.