If Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali were in their primes at the same time. . . .

Interesting question. People are naturally reluctant to conclude that lightening has suck the same place twice, but there are other fields where exact contemporaries (or near contemporaries) are considered to be -at least arguably- the two greatest of all time:

Leonardo and Michelangelo
Newton and Leibniz
Mozart and Beethoven (If Mozart hadn't died at thirty-five he would have been composing new pieces at the same time Beethoven's greatest works were written.)
Tolstoy and Dostoevsky

Then again, anyone at all familiar with jazz has heard of Charlie Parker, but far fewer know who Sonny Stitt was. (Spellcheck doesn't even recognize his name.)


It might be illuminating to draw parallels from another one-on-one sport like tennis, but I don't know anything about tennis.

 

Much would depend on how things panned out, but quite possibly.

Somehow greatness never seems to be contained.

Provided the great fighter can actually get a title shot, they always seem to get through somewhere.

 

Since i hardly see Louis beating Ali, Louis wouldn´t have an endless title run like he did in a low era.

Conclusion: Ali would be first like he is, Louis won´t make it second.

And no, its doesn´t depend on the era. Ali in Louis era might be losing because of beeing bored, Louis in Alis era had to fight real tough fighters in his 30s.
Louis chance when Ali is banned is beating Frazier. But I see Ali coming out on top.

 

I'd say it depends more on the audience than the actual rivalry. If the audience of the day is really jazzed up and excited they're greatests. If the audience doesn't have the stomach for them, like say Wlad in the US, then no sir.

 

they'd still be beating so many others. Its completely different from the Klitschkos who got beat up by dedbeats all the time.

 

Great analogy and comparison.

IMO it wouldn't be much different when two greats in any trade are compared. As a kid who was better Larry Bird or Magic Johnson in basketball? Hell of a rivalry for those who lived through it.
They both won a lot, and both have detractors claiming the other is better-thus subjective analysis?

Culver butter burger beats Wendy's Classic. Wendy's claim it beat the Whopper. Whopper claims it beat the Big Mac.
But McDonald's compares its franchise to no one, so who has the GOAT Burger? Subjective analysis?

Ali or Louis is the result of what a fan is looking for. Sesame seed bun or none.
Fast hands, fast feet, or precise punching with pure power?
Ali & Louis would both have fans claiming the best.
While Ali would brag he is, and Joe would let the people decide..and if it was in the 1950s? Ali would've been really hated. Not just kinda.
But then again he would've said no to WWII or Korean War and gained support from that?
Ali IMO still wouldve turned down the draft for WWII or Korean war...thus I say he would lose his best years. We'd have to eliminate his teacher Malcolm X, then I'd say he would've been better than Louis in longevity because he wouldn't have been kicked out of boxing for being an objector to war based on his religion.

 

Of course Ali would think he is Number 1. He would ridicule Louis over and over, they would fight 3 times with Ali losing the first because of a flash knockdown. Ali tightening things up to win the 2nd fight and Ali and Louis killing each other the 3rd fight until one of them couldn't make it out the corner for the last round.

Sound familiar?

 

I see the Louis that choose to use movement as he did vs the larger men he fought, Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Abe Simon to be a terrific match up against Ali .. this myth that Ali was unhittable, untouchable is great but just not true, even in his prime .. Chuvalo pounded the crap out of his body, he had challenges w Mildenberger, he had a very close fight w Doug Jones, being badly rocked in the first round with a straight right hand, old Zora Foley stung him with multiple right hands in his final pre-exile fight and Norton showed over 39 rounds how jabbing back stiff and fast could throw Ali off .. of course Ali was a great fighter but folks that are gaging this fight as Joe fighting a bigger Conn are only looking at a fragment of a career .. Joe had a jolting jab, very fast hands and far and away the best two handed power Ali ever entered the ring with .. who knows what would happen ?