Apparently veteran Al McCoy gave Louis a hell of a lot of trouble fighting out of a crouch, and Tony Musto (5'7") went 9 rounds with Louis and puzzled him with his lack of height and crouching style. Also, Tony Galento had most success when he stayed low, and got admonished by his trainers when he came up to slug and got KO'd. And Godoy baffled Louis with crouching and other spoiling tactics in the first fight. Louis beat all these guys - and beat men of just about every style - but observers noted that the crouch style troubled him somewhat.
Louis himself admitted that. He also said Marciano would always trouble - or even beat, don´t remember exactly - him.
yeh i agree they troubled louis but i think louis on the day he beat schmeling could have bet any heavyweight ever to live he was one of the best fighters i have ever seen
Personally, I've always felt that Frazier would have a good chance against Louis. Most people tend to write him off, though.
Louis was use to boxing opponents and then channelling them into counters, so when a fighter rushed at him his actions were forced and blunted. Having said that, this generalized weakness of Louis' does not hold completely true. A fighter like Godoy for instance was not just a 'crouching' fighter but a spoiler who smothered his own punches and forced clinches. While Frazier has that 'crouching' and 'come-forward' aspect he leaves Louis with far more to work with off the counter, so the old theory is not as much as a Louis repellent as others would have you believe.
I think that Louis's punches were to perfect for these fighters, if that makes any fricking sense at all. He wanted to punch short, but especially against Godoy, this often meant punching around waist height. No torque, it's not a "natural" feel, and he was a natural fighter. Watching him with Godoy, i'm always shaking my head that he doesn't go to the body with looping punches, big Sugar Ray style looping shots, stoppage punches really. But he just doesn't do it. Louis was not adaptable. He fought to the plan. If the plan wasn't working he had trouble. Which is why he fared so well in rematches, a perfected plan.
Crouching fighters are trouble for anybody, because they're awkward - awkward, but not that effective, so it shouldn't matter too much. Godoy got half a decision (somehow) but he never did much work. Galento scored, but that was probably more a case of Louis being careless. Rocky Marciano was one of the few fighters in history who was awkward from a crouch and massively effective, because being a natural puncher he knew how to make the angles happen. Joe Frazier would make Louis miss but he was neither low enough nor leant back enough to make Louis reach. As Frazier pops up with hooks or bobs forward, Louis will be hitting him. Not to say it isn't a close fight, infact Frazier is a top five threat.
After the first Godoy fight Blackburn had Louis in the gym throwing uppercuts with both hands to crouching sparring partners ,he opened Godoy's face up like a can of peas in the second fight.Joe was not very adaptable while a fight was in progress, but he had no problem giving guys a return if they troubled him first time around,then it was usually a different story.Ive allways felt Dempsey would have the answer to Louis,slipping his jab and hooking two handedly to head and body .Marciano made his lack of height work for him ,turning a negative into a positive,film of him ducking completely below the heavy bag ,coming up with short power hooks reveal how completely he had mastered this discipline.
Shorter fighters are a hell of a time for any taller guy I think. Im 6'0 and guys shorter than me hate my reach and how I can keep distance but I hate it when ever Im to the ropes and they're crouched and covered and/or swingin. Shorter guys just seem more difficult for taller leaner guys (though Louis was by no means lean).
Yes they did cause him problems but like with every style that gave him problems there is a bit of a mixed picture. I dont read too much into the first Godoy fight because Godoy was crouching so low that his elbows touched the canvas. The second Godoy fight is basicaly the textbook on how to beat a crouching fighter. I felt that Tony Gallento and Tony Musto both had him a bit puzzled with their crouch. Ironicaly Louis often reliued on the crouch himself against bigger fighters.
