Joe Louis vs George Foreman

DidN#tLouis fight with 6 oz goves and Foreman with 10 oz? Wouldn't Foreman's be even more devastating with smaller gloves of the Louis era?

Louis can certainly outbox Foreman, but this is a fight where one punch is actually likely to decide the fight. If Braddock can knocj Louis down, Foreman can stop him with one punch, even if Louis is winning the fight otherwise.

 

I usually pick the sharper, more accurate puncher against the wilder, cruder one but Foreman's raw, overwhelming punching power, strength and ability to take punishment would make this match-up interesting for sure.

One could look at the Baer fight and make their prediction based on that fight. Louis looked very good indeed and picked apart Baer with accurate counter punches and combinations in between Baer's wild swings.

Foreman however is not entirely similar to Baer. Baer ate Louis' jab with his face and came back with nothing. Foreman was not exactly known for his defense either, he also didn't counter punch, but he did possess a strong, reachy jab and was very good at cutting off the ring. Louis likely wouldn't survive if pinned against a corner with Foreman unleashing power punches on him.

I think that in a rematch Louis would come up with a gameplan to pick apart Foreman. Anything could happen in a single fight though.

 

Wow PetethePrince, I actually agree with you, more than just marginally.

Foreman is being underrated in this thread, probably based on comparing the quality of opposition and the fact that Joe Louis' title reign far surpasses Georges in length.

I recently revisited the Foreman fights vs Peralta and Chuvalo, and from what I saw, young George moved pretty good on his feet even though he was a little green at this time. Still, he kept his hands in good guard position and threw more straight rights off the jab. By the time he got to Frazier and Norton, he seemed to be a little bit more wild and daring perhaps with respect to his confidence growing at the time.

One can make an argument that Foreman's fight with Chuvalo was stopped way too soon. Chuvalo, although absorbing George's heavy shots before he was stopped didn't look to be in any considerable danger, albeit Foreman was backing him up and landing some wicket shots. Chuvalo did fight back and not surprisingly, he still has a slightly bitter tone today when discussing the Foreman, Patterson and Terrell fights because he believes he was robbed. The Patterson fight was a close win for Floyd, but I'd rank the Terrell fight as one of boxing's biggest robberies. Every news reporter and sports media person goes to Chuvalo's corner offering congratulations and then the decision comes. As for Foreman, Chuvalo strongly feels he could have gotten to him as the fight progressed because George was tiring.

Now with respect to a fight between Louis and Foreman. I'd have to go with Joe Louis because he was technically a better puncher than George, especially countering and jabbing. George could win this fight based on power alone, if he lands the same shots that he did against Frazier, Norton and Jose King Roman. I think's it's unlikely though, in a prime for prime match against Joe Louis.

 

Louis, and easy. He was champ way longer, what did Froeman do in prime? Outside of Frazier fight, he lost to Ali, Young, and almost got knocked out by Lyle. If not for comeback at old age, he would be forgotten.

 

what did Foreman do his his prime? destroyed frazier and norton who were bums and lost his title to some crap fighter called Ali who had lost to those useless bums.

 

This could look like Louis vs Baer, with Louis getting in range and throwing very quick accurate combo's as Foreman is wide open. I think Louis stops George in the mid rounds.

 

George Foreman wins because he is black, really what 200 plus pound heavyweights did Joe Louis beat? Joe Louis was slow, had a glass chin, was physically weak ( Billy Conn backed him up for crying out loud).

No slow 205 pounder like Joe Louis could beat Foreman

 

Hank what did Joe Louis do? Besides fight 190 pound bums, almost get knocked out by Billy Conn, Get knocked out by Max Schmeling, get the crap beat out of him by the 190 pound Joe Walcott. Could you name any 200 plus pound black fighters Joe Louis fought?

You mentioned Ron Lyle like he is some bum? Lyle is better than anybody Joe Louis fought

 

I see George winning this fight at 15 rounds by KO. ALi was much better than Joe.

 

1973 Foreman was the peak version of "Foreman I"... and that Foreman defines what a rampaging beast looks like in the heavyweight division. He would go through most heavyweights who ever lived because he would physically overwhelm most guys.

Louis, by his own admission, did not like guys "crowding" him. He is on record almost admitting that Marciano would have beaten him in his prime. However, Foreman is a different fighter than the Rock. And Louis is a different fighter than Frazier or Norton.

This sounds like an installment from "Creature Feature" -"The Beast meets the Technician".

I'm going with the technician. Louis had the power to nail George when he is coming in, or when he is swinging those logs in those wide arcs. Louis will be stepping right inside with quick devestating shots to the point of the chin -and lest we forget, Louis will have the balance and the discipline to follow-up with 4 more shots, one as hard as the other.

Foreman did have a spectacular chin -but it was better when he added inches to his neck in the late 80s and fought with more care. The younger version will have his own physics working against him (coming in carelessly and with disdain) and Louis will compute that and capitalize on it. Foreman tasted the canvas in '74 and '76... and those weren't from 5-6 punch combinations from a serious puncher in Louis -they were single or set-up shots from Ali, Lyle, and Young.

I see Louis wearing out and then chopping down Foreman after going down once or twice himself.

.....
Too many of these new posters are infatuated with recent guys, and with athleticism in the form of size, power, and speed. Boxing is a character sport first and a skills-sport second, if it wasn't a skill sport then football players would do far better. They don't.

The best fighters, aside from a handful of superlatively-talented guys like Ali, are usually those who had an optimum command of fundamentals.

 

Nice one, Stonehands.

 

Okay we need to use this phrase more often around here, very very good post as well S89.

By the way, before i even read your post i was about to say i pick Louis.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dMaf97Decs