Joe Louis is still the greatest combination puncher in heavyweight boxing history

Ngannou would waltz through most the 30's heavyweights in an afternoon.

 

Right—So, a 0-2-0 guy goes back in time - wipes out the 30s heavyweight division - and is back in time for tea?

Look, I love the romance of the modern-day psychedelic experience as much as the next guy... ... ...

 

What would happen if Derrick Henry went back and played pro football in 1935? Once they got over his skin tone and dreads, that is.

 

I haven't a clue. I've run out of mushrooms.

 

He would be excellent but he would not be Superman playing in the exact conditions of the era. Just like if you took Aaron Judge back to 1905, he would be a great hitter but he would struggle to reach double figures in home runs, because I don’t care how big he is and how many muscles he has, he’s not having any more success hitting a misshapen mush ball dripping with tobacco juice, that’s never taken out of play unless it’s really and truly lost, over fences that are 500 feet away than Honus Wagner. Where if you bring Wagner forward to the modern era with juiced baseballs and bats and short fences he’s hitting 500 or 600 homers.

 

Baer is such a stiff omg

 

I don't think that Baer really wanted to be there. And any enthusiasm he had about the evening evaporated after he got hit a couple times.

 

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The sport hasn't evolved, it actually has regressed. And at all weight classes.
Especially the last 15 yrs .
Louis was the greatest offensive heavyweight in boxing history, and judging by the very basic heavyweights of the last 15 yrs , always will be. I've wrote this in many post on this site over the years.
Ali had faster hands, and underrated punching power, but wasn't as powerful as Louis,
Tyson may have hit harder , but was predictable.
Louis was much more intuitive, and creative with his combination punching, and faster with better technique.
Holyfield before the steroids was a great combination puncher, with great technique, but wasn't on Louis's level with speed, precision, or power.
Granted, Louis didn't fight the caliber of competition those other 3 faced, and it's easier to look like an ATG against sub par competition ( See the latest fanboy love of Usyk for example)

A Modern day fighter like Usyk, isn't near as technical proficient fast or powerful as Louis was.
It's all on film, easy to see if one doesn't have on fan boy blinders.

 

They look decent in parts but were all teeny. Walcott was wildly inconsistent, even in his depleted era.

 

The same fan boy blinders that prevented you from seeing Usyk’s head movement?

 

Derrick Henry would dominate in 1935
But boxing and football are completely different, have different history, pro football doesn't have weight classes first point.
2nd point is Pro Football is much more dependent on speed ,size and power, especially in today's game.
Boxing is a sport built on repetition to instinctivness. The way instinctivness is developed is by fighting.
If all things are equal like physical ability, and mental toughness, and size , who's going to win a fight between a fighter that's fighting once or twice a year for let's say five years, or the fighter who's fighting five or six times a year over the same time frame.
Especially if unlike today's fighters where sparring isn't nearly as hard or as frequent as it was in the past.
Of course if all things are equal the busier much more experience fighter is going to win.
Boxers today are thinking in the ring. They are not intuitive or instinctive. They're not allowed to be, because of the inherent dangers of the sport the hours of training to get to that point.
Boxing is the only sport where the athleticism is not as important as the technical ability, and instinctivness.
Yes so, modern heavyweights or any weight classes maybe able to bench press more, squat more, Eat a healthier diet, proper sleep , get pure oxygen , and ice bath for rejuvenation etc.
But they will never be better boxers become societal tolerances will not allow them to be in comparison to what was allowed in the past.

James Toney I don't believe ever lifted a weight, absolutely hated running, probably never met a hamburger or rib sandwich he didn't eat.
How was able compete with so called World Class heavyweights yrs past his prime, 50 - 60 pounds over his best fighting weight?
He loved to fight. Some of his sparring sessions are legendary. He stayed in the boxing ring got in shape in it. He sparred to instinctivness.
He was a throwback to the way boxing used to be.
He's all the proof necessary to demonstrate how great skill developed thru repetition to instinctivness can overcome naturally much bigger, supposedly better conditioned boxers.