Now that I think about it, it may have been closer than I realized. But I do think that Louis would have been able to copy and perfect Norton's strategy for troubling Ali, but with faster hands and devastating power that Norton didn't possess. Louis/ Ali may have turned into a trilogy in the 70s. Who knows, they may have been playing "hot potato" with the heavyweight title.
He and Ali enter in to a trilogy with Ali coming out on top. Frazier gets stopped in the fifth after dropping Joe early. Norton is kod in3. Foreman I see the most dangerous., George could hurt Louis early and Joe may not recover. With that in mind I predict a 4th round stoppage for foreman.
I could see Fraizer giving him serious problems with the speed and bobbing n weaving. . Same way SRR has absolute hell with carmen basilio twice. I wasn't around in the 50's but im sure he probably thought those fights wouldn't be as hard as they were.
Fraizer could turn into a nightmare of a fight for Louis, but Louis was just as accurate, almost as quick with the hands and as adept at throwing combinations like Ali. Except with punching power more closer to George Foreman territory than Ali territory. In their 1971 fight, if Ali hit as hard as Louis, he'd have brought Fraizer down. It was Louis that told Foreman that the uppercut was key and if he were fighting Fraizer, he'd work the uppercut. If Fraizer can survive 3, 4, 5 rounds without being too hurt, he could take it. But that's a very big "If".
Louis is a serious damaging puncher. Whilst not as hard hitting as foreman certainly not far from it. Foreman smashed him in two, Louis I see getting hurt early but coming back to stop him. JF is right there for Louis to off load those short damaging punches. He would go down several times but the end result is Louis winning.
Ali called the supposedly easy to hit Frazier the hardest opponent for him to hit cleanly. Louis never met an opponent like Frazier with the out of sync head movement firing off that hook while keeping monster preasure on. Louis doesnt have the footwork to step around Frazier and counter. Yes I could c Louis decisioning Frazier in a 2 out of 3 but stopping him. Cant c that at all.
That may have been in context to other opponents Ali fought. But Louis had nimble, even Holyfield like footwork when he needed it. Like vs Max Baer or Carnera and Arturo Godoy. Even still, Ali landed many, many clean punches. Fraizer was just able to plow through them all.
That could well happen, Fergy but it's worth remembering that Foreman though was able to use his greater height, weight and strength to literally push Frazier back before off loading his own punches on him, something I'm not sure that Louis would be able to do. Frazier was also a serious damaging puncher himself and I would say had a better chin than Louis so in a shootout, it's no foregone conclusion that Louis would be the one who would come out on top.
That's the thing Ken between Frazier and Louis. Both could be stopped and both could hit. I based it on Louis only been stopped in his prime over a long distance fight and Frazier early by foreman. But your correct in it not been a foregone conclusion. With bangers , it never is.
Louis was more susceptible to flash knockdowns, but he for the most part got up seemingly unfazed. Far from being "hurt". Max Schmeling had to give Louis a beating similar to what Tyson absorbed from Douglas. Schmeling was known as a puncher probably comparable to Holyfield. At least the smaller heavyweight version of Holyfield. And a comeback Joe Louis absorbed 8 rounds of punishment vs a prime Rocky Marciano. Who many say hit harder than Fraizer. Though Joe Fraizer might have been sharper and more accurate
Louis CERTAINLY DID possess the footwork to step around Frazier. The idea would be to always side step to your left away from Joes hook so he has to constantly reset. Louis at his best had great counterpunching ability. He would step in and counter with his own lethal hook hurting Frazier then move in for the kill. Watch his bouts with Max Baer and Galento.
