If Joe Louis,was never born

Boxing might have had a real champion and not some bum impersonating a fighter.

 

O bummy! I was looking for a old post I made on this topic, it was VERY LONG but dammit Bummy, its nowhere in sight! but im hooked on this thread, and looks like I have to make a new one.


to start it off

I think the only fighters capable of being heavyweight champion after max schmeling gets dethroned in 1939 are Lem Franklin, Harry Bobo, Billy Conn, Bob Pastor, Lee Q Murray, Elmer Ray, Jimmy Bivins. Those right there are the best of the bunch.

 

In my opinion there would have been at least three aditional undisputed champions and perhaps more.

Who they would have been is hard to say.

In adition I think that it would have precipitated the first two time heavyweight champion because it is likley that either Schmeling or Baer would have retaken the title.

 

Of course it is hard to say when the murder row crew would have been alowed to fight for the title if they were alowed to fight for the title.

 

I think Schmeling definately would have regained the title. Had it not been for Joe Louis, Braddock would have had no choice but to go ahead and defend against the mandatory, and I think most people agree that Max would have been a heavy favorite. How long would Schmeling have reigned???????? Who knows. But, he'd probably make a lot of people's top 10 list today by virtue of becomming the first two time champion.

 

But Maghoo, take away schmeling's victory over Joe Louis and alot of his image is destroyed. That hurts his legacy Louis not being there.

 

Well, i think Schmeling would get a titleshot at Braddock instead of Louis, and i'd be amazed if Schmeling didn't win that one. An interesting question is: Without Joe Louis, would guys like Turkey Thompson, Walcott, Charles, Elmer Ray, etc, even get a shot at the title in the first place??

I'll post again later on the other champions if they didn't exist.

By the way, check your mail Bummy.

 

This is very true, and I thought about that right after I clicked " submit. " The fact however, is that Schmeling still would have been a two time world champion even without the Louis win. And without the loss to Louis, Hitler would not have punished him by forcefully inducting him into the German Army. Therefore, its likely Schmeling's career would have resumed and may have led to an actual title reign with multiple defenses.

 

That's an excellent point, though these guys never got title shots even with a black champion at the helm, what would their chances be with a white man holding the crown..

 

Good Point Chris. perhaps the color line would have been further drawn all the way until 1950s when Rocky Marciano came up and started defending against black fighters. That would mean white heavyweights like Pastor, B baer, Simon, Conn, Bettina, Savold, Mauriello, Baksi, Woodcock, Oma would all be live championship bound contenders in the 1940s.

 

But heres the exception Maghoo, We really don't know that or not. Louis lost THREE long years 1943-1945 of defendins his Linear Heavyweight Title...when he came back he fought a # 1 rated Black Heavyweight named Jersey Joe Walcott 2x. If we look at the Ring Magazine ratings 1943-1945, Lee Q Murray Jimmy Bivins Elmer Ray and Turkey Thompson were all hovering around the top spots....is it same to assume based on his past history of fighting top contenders and his subsequent title shots he gave to Walcott that Louis would have at least fought a couple of those top rate black fighters 1943-1945?

 

Who knows. Maybe some of those guy would have actually ascended to a championship spot. Elmer Ray had the most impressive record on paper in my opinion. I think he went on a streak where he won something like 70 out of 72 fights in like 6 years, and had wins over Lee Savold, Walcott and Charles. He is in the ring's top 50 all time great punchers, and looks like one scary son of a ***** in photographs.

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