Since Greg Page beat the GREAT Jimmy Young ,and Bugner beat Page , Bugner beats Louis. Obvious really.
Ali was actually freakisly adept at cutting the ring down.he just hardly ever had cause to do it.Louis could be turned with ease by comparison.
I must see Bugner as a far better survivalist than he actually was then. Looking at his style and attributes, i see him losing a decision to Louis. I think the talk of early knockouts is really rather fanciful.
Bunger's modern nutrtion and size advantage would be too much for Louis. Joe Louis is a great super middleweight and its time you classic morons except it and move on.
Abe Simon and Arturo Godoy were big lumps who wouldn't even acknowledge pain. Simon even had a 'medical condition' where punches couldn't hurt him. Both guys were extremely tough or brave or stupid. To say Bugner would do better than them in lasting rounds is mistaken, I think. I wouldn't say Bugner had no heart, but he was always aware not to fight a losing battle. He had killed a man in the ring and fought with a style that reflected that he didn't want to involve himself in the kill-or-be-killed school of boxing. OK, Godoy went 15 with a crouching spoiling style against a sub-par Louis. I think Bugner would be beaten very quickly by Louis. Bugner liked to box at a slow pace and he liked to stop moving and pose leaning back into the ropes. He was a decent boxer but his style is too lazy to cope with Louis, and he's a massive target.
Anyone who stays on the ropes Anyone who is a massive target without impressive offensive weapons Anyone who isn't a spoiler, on the inside AND outside will take a horrible beating from a prime Louis as for the Godoy thing, look at what 15 rounds took from him This content is protected
It is often mentioned Joe was just glad to be there, when it came to big fights. And to a very large point this is true. Joe Bugner even on his very best day, cannot come close to beating Louis. But that said, for all the flack he took, Bugner had a professional pride about him, that got him though 27 rounds with Ali and 12 with Smokin' Joe, and I see that pride getting him to the final bell here, maybe even having to climb of the canvas to do it.
I will say, for a white boy outta Britain, Ol' Bugner had a chin.... He could take a punch.... Plus, Bugner had good size and above average movement than the typical flat-footed white boy heavyweight who lumbers about the ring.... I can see "The Bug" going 15 rds with Louis and losing 12 of them rds in the process... MR.BILL:bbb
I adore Joe Bugner, the bloke is an icon. I cornered him for a few of his later fighs inc Bonecrusher. He went 12 with Frazier and he goes 15 with Louis but is in trouble a few times.
And came back in the 80's to best Tillis, Page & Bey. Tillis early that same year (86) was 1st to go 10 rd distance with Tyson, Page kayoed Coetzee to becme WBA champion 2 years before.