Joe Louis vs Lennox Lewis

Joe Louis has a puncher's chance, but the question is, will he be around to cash in on it?

Here's one vote for no. Joe's slow feet, low guard, and propensity for being knocked down or caught early spell doom.

Lewis right hand would easily find home, and his superior range size, and ring smarts would prevent Louis being in his confront zone.

Lennox did have a questionable chin at times, but his greatest weakness ( I have seen most of his fights ) is when his ego prevents him from respecting opponents. No way would he take Joe Louis lightly.

I would pick Lennox inside of six rounds.

 

This is basically how I see it too. Its valid for some to point out that there may be some stylistic advantages for Louis, but the problem is that the only comparisons which exist were against far lesser men.

 

No it wasn't ,and at times he was inclined to paw with it.

 

Not unlike Primo. Of course Lewis was better than Primo, but the point stands its a shared characteristic that Louis has a realistic chance of exploiting.

 

Lewis of course had genuine top power.

 

Primo Carnera was a fighter who's career is widely believed to be farcical. He was very likely the product of fixed fights and lacked in mobility, defense and anything that Lewis has 10 times over. I can't see Louis's win over him as a template for beating Lewis.

 

-That is under selling Carnera. In truth he was a good but not great big man with a solid run of legit wins.

-Only if your template is based on the opinion that Carnera was as great as Lewis, which is not what is being considered. However, a shared characterstic that Louis could exploit should be considered.

 

I don't see any significant characteristics between Lennox Lewis and Primo Carnera, asside from just being "big" and the tendency to employ the jab from a distance "sometimes".. Carnera's shots were highly telegraphed, he was even less aggressive than Lewis and not quite the boxer that Lennox was when he wanted to be. His chin was good, but Lewis's was better as was his defense. Its also not preposterous to think that he hit harder than pretty much anyone the bomber ever met and had a better delivery system for doing so..Joe Louis got in trouble in fights early, was frequently decked and even KO'd by a 190 lb man who spent most of his career at light heavy and was off for a year with only 4 wins in his last 8 fights. Hell, Louis himself would barely qualify as a heavy in the 90's at 6'1", 205 lbs.. And he had some flaws in his style that Lennox could expose too like dropping his guard when he threw shots or hanging out on the inside too long when it wasn't in his best interest to do so..Sure I understand that styles make fights, but if you took the best fighter Louis ever shared a ring with, he's likely not half the man LL was.

 

I could not have said this better. Louis may have been technically better and he may even have been a better finisher, but the guy in front of him could drop 240lb men with a single punch and he was significantly stronger and has a great upper cut, so even if Louis got into the inside, there's no guarantee that this leads to victory, but if he can't get in on the inside, he really has no way of winning. Bottom line is that Lewis simply has too many tools at his disposal for Louis to handle.

 

Agreed,

And while its true that Louis often rose off the canvas to win, something tells me that a knockdown from Lennox would be a bit more consequential than one from Jim Braddock..

 

What bothers me a bit about Lewis detractors is the comment that "He never got off the floor and won a fight" Isn't more impressive to have only been on the floor twice? Seems to me not getting on the floor in the first place should count for something.

 

Very true, and in fact he DID get off the floor after McCall decked him, but the referee stopped it just seconds before the bell rang.

 

Louis kod some big men too, he also manhandled a very strong man in Carnera.

 

Then rewatch the Mason and Tua fights.