How rare was Louis' mentality?

Ray Robinson
Marciano

 

Nah. Louis was being out boxed and beaten on. It was unnecessary bravado from Conn and Walcott that cost them. Louis did not tactically change things to change the tides. These guys line right up in his big guns cross hairs.

 

Exactly, Conn got carried away and tried to trade punches with Joe... never a good idea!

Louis was a very patient fighter, though - perhaps overly conservative, which led to him getting beat on some occasions when he could have just ran the guy over (Schmelling).

 

Well, okay. But Louis never became flustered or got wild or reckless, even when things got quite desperate.
His ability to keep calm and collected at all times was quite astounding.

But I do agree with the post above that sometimes he could be a little too studious.

 

That is not entirely fair.

Firstly it is debatable to what extent it was bravado and to what extent it was their luck giving out.

Secondly Louis in both cases was given a split second oportunity and took the oportunity when he was given it.

Liston, Foreman or Tyson might well have come unraveled one way or another by then in either case.

 

It was the quick stutter-step forward before landing that crushing right hand that made the difference.

 

The "Conn got optimistic and started to trade" story has begun getting its own life and seems to grow day by day. On ESB anyway. :yep

The way i see it, Louis started closing the gap better and better the further the rounds went. While Conn was ahead, it's not like it was a shutout. 7-5 in rounds something. You can't run for the entire 15. Louis was crashing right hands home in the 12th already, and there was nothing Conn could do about it.

 

Conns effort was magnificent and should not be overlooked.

Some things have to be said in Louis's defence however.

1. Louis could still have won the fight on the cards if he took the last two rounds (not implausible given how things were going)

2. Louis also had a chance to finish Conn in the 10th when Conn slipped and Louis backed off and let him get up.

3. Louis backed Conn against the ropes before he got "overconfidant".

4. It says a lot in a fighters favour if his critics have to focus on a fight that he won to denigrate him. That would not be necisary for a few great fighters.

 

Credit given where credit is due. The way it should be...Louis won.

 

Felix Trinidad
Diego Corralles
Bob Foster
Azumah Nelson

all very cool heads.Total confidence that they would get their man eventually

 

Some fighters that were unflappable:

Salvador Sanchez
Jose Luis Ramirez
Alexis Arguello
Carlos Monzon
Eder Jofre
Emile Griffith
Ricardo Lopez
Zab Judah

 

Bob Fitzsimmons.

 

I think B-Hop may be the same way, almost to a fault at times (Taylor fights).