Joe Louis vs Billy Conn I (19 minutes footage)

"What's the use of being Irish if you can't be thick?"

~Billy Conn

 

The whole fight doesnt exist. Conn's family told me that when Billy asked Mike Jacobs for a complete copy Jacobs replied: "When your HW champion you can decide how the film is edited!"

 

It always looked to me that in Round thirteen Conn stopped moving lateral as much, became more foreward and back. I suspect he was trying to draw Joe into a hard punch -- maybe Conn was loading up a right hand, or maybe he wanted to give that impression and throw a left, which had hurt Louis in the previous round; I don't know.

To do Louis justice, Conn had showed him a lot of stuff, but it's hard to go fifteen rounds without repeating yourself. I think Louis was beginning to get some of Conn's duckings timed.

 

My recollection is that Conn took some pretty mean body shots in the first five rounds; he most have been in very good condition.

 

It's easy to say in hindsight that Conn was being stupid and not sticking to the tactics that had worked so effectively throughout the fight,but he was also coming off his two greatest rounds in the fight.In rounds 11 and 12,he really beat the **** out of Louis and did so,not by boxing,but through out-fighting Louis.



Seems only natural that he would only attempt to resume what had worked so well in the two previous rounds.

 

a great performance by Conn, truly a period of hardmen,
fighting at their own natural weights, always active and not happy enough too just meet top fighters in their own division, but stepping up into the next higher weight - just awesome courage and fighters, sad it had to end!

now you see why the JCs and BHops and RJJnrs alltime rating stats is a huge compliment to them and doing them a big favour, where as they aren't nowhere near the same league as these guys.
JC, BHop, RJJ vs Tyson... Please,

never mind Joe Loius or any of the truly great HW champs and true contenders and even the same alltime champs and contenders at their own weights!

OVERATED = the last 30 Years!!!

 

"Why couldn't you let me hold the title for a year or so?", to which the Brown Bomber responded, "You had the title for twelve rounds and you couldn't hold on to it."

 

The way I see it conn did not blow the fight the way they say he did. he was winning rounds yes but he was forced to fight harder than he wanted to. that last rally of his, the one where they say "he foolishly chose to fight" was a last ditch desperation attack, hed already been hurt. He was cornered and had to fight his way out or he would have been flatened. conn was a tough, tough wildcat, he fought his way out of trouble throughout the fight, he did not blow it, he just could not keep it up. great fight though.

 

How much footage is there of Conn? The two Louis fights and Bettina is that it?

 

That's not how I saw the final exchange at all. I don't think he was forced into that exchange.

 

He was tired. Louis had hurt him. Billy had to fight back or hang on but Joe was stronger than he was and would have shrugged him away and hit him again. You don't think Joe hurt him first? Joe was beginning to tee off just before Billy fired back. It was on instinct!

As soon as Louis withstood that last attack from Billy it target practice. He had nothing left. A right hand from Louis started it off, taking everything out of him, Billy was truly out of it. I will give him that Billy went down fighting. He used the last of what he had just to stand for as long as he did.

Billy did not hurt Joe in that last round. He hurt Had joe in the previous two rounds. If billy was in control of himself And as strong, he would have hurt Joe again, but Joe hurt him first. so Billy was merely swinging on instinct. It's not how they say it was when you watch the round closely and decide for yourself I promise.