Joe Louis vs Lennox Lewis

How often did Louis have a guy 6' 5" and 240+lbs with a reach as long as Lewis jabbing him?

 

Lewis was out jabbed by Bruno.
Mason and Tua are not reliable yardsticks to measure how Louis would do against Lennox. Mason was slow and lumbering ,Tua essentially gave up trying to win after he sampled the first decent right hand.

 

How often has Lewis faced a man who can throw blistering punches accurately, with top end power ,and in combination?

 

While I pick Lewis to beat Louis, the Gary Mason fight is NOT what I'd base my argument on.. Mason was slow as they come and not terribly impressive in that bout. Just rewatched that fight about two months ago.

 

Lewis is just all wrong for Louis... It's really that simple. Not like Louis couldn't win.. he could obviously... but imo it's Lewis fight to lose.

 

Aside from Ali I think Lewis is the most difficult champion stylistically and physically for all the other heavyweight champs to deal with. I'm just playing devils advocate really.

And winding up Mr Angry, Poxy O1

 

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You seem to be basing this on what you think ought to give Louis trouble, rather than what actualy did.

 

Negative my friend... Louis didn't fight anybody like lewis with his combination of physical tools and dimensions as well as boxing ability. I'm am basing it on how Louis fought for most of his career and how that wouldn't work with Lewis. Louis was a plodder... that is how he fought... he didn't use angles/speed well in his movement in the ring. That kinda plodding come forward style would be bad against Lewis. It would have Joe dropped at least once early.. and once Lewis got the lead.. he wouldn't need to take any chances and would just smply outbox the rest of the way if he didn't KO and end it.

 

If Lewis comes prepared, with Manny in his corner, he wins a convincing decision. The only version of Lewis that was caught were two distracted, ill-prerared versions. This does speak to his professionalism.

However, Lewis faced a deep list of power punchers in his career, perhaps the deepest heavyweight resume against big time punchers in the division's history. He was expert at boxing his way away from danger while inflicting his own. He was great with the distance maker jab and as strong as an ox in the clinch. He also had a first rate set of whiskers. Laziness and complacence were his biggest problems.

 

You could justify any fighters losses by saying that they were “one off examples of distraction and poor preparation”. The only excused that carry a lot of weight with me, are being old or inexperience. The bottom line is that for every Max Schmeling who can find a formula for beating Joe Louis, there are a dozen Rahmans who can land a bomb on Lewis.

 

Firstly, it is not a justification. It shows that Lewis lost focus in preparation. As did Dempsey. As did Johnson. As did Ali. As did even Marciano against ****ell. It is merely a fact, and perhaps should not be considered the best version of Lewis.

The formula, as you call it, is reliant on Lewis' professionalism or lack thereof. He spoke of that fight as a great wake up call for him, that he had allowed himself to get caught in the celebrity and was lazy in training. Lewis faced PLENTY of bombers, Ruddock, Mason, Bruno, Morrison, Golota, Briggs, Grant, Tua, Tyson, Klitschko... in addition to stopping both Rahman and McCall (or whatever you call that) in returns. Louis' resume doesn't approach that depth of powerpunchers.... and please don't tell me that Schmeling hit as hard as Briggs or Morrison. So, obviously, not every puncher had the key to the fortune. And conversely, Louis did not face that depth of modern powerpunchers which Lewis faced so he, in a sense, gets a pass.

 

I think people are overlooking Louis's hand speed.
You can talk about him being a "plodder", but his foot work got Joe where he needed to be; then his speed and accuracy took over.

I have a hard time seeing Lewis out boxing Joe; Lennox has one advantage and that is size. At times in the first Buddy Baer fight Joe was being leaned on and physically manhandled, so there is a chance for Lewis to bully Joe.

The thing is that Louis still overcame this size disparity with his class and power. I think he would prevail against Lewis; I can't forget the fact that Bruno was doing so well against Lennox before launching a kamikaze attack. Louis knew when someone was in trouble; Bruno didn't.

I still say a young, fearless Foreman had a better chance against Joe because he would use his physical advantages better.

And the final thought is this: Rahman and McCall can kayo Lewis, but the best two handed heavyweight puncher of all time can't?

 

If you have a hard time seeing Lewis outboxing Joe... then maybe you should think about picking up a new sport to watch. I'm not trying to be mean... I simply can't fathom a statement like that. Most everybody in this thread concedes that if Joe just tries to box with Lewis he will lose a UD in the process. Thus, I don't know how you can't even see Lewis outboxing Louis. I think it's really easy to see. That doesn't mean Joe won't land a bomb and finish the fight.. he certainly could.. he's Joe Louis after all. However, he's not going to win a UD against Lewis... if it goes to decision I would wager a lot that Lewis would win.