Joe Louis vs. Max Baer - His best fight?

Schmeling II. :good

 

All 3 performances were brilliant. Louis was phenomenal in all of them.

 

It might be his best fight, but it was not his prime.

There is a crucial difference.

 

Agree. Anybody doubting Louis's physical strength watch those buddy baer fights.

 

Louis specifically said no to Schmeling II when stating he felt as if he could have fought for three or four days against Max Baer. I believe his quintuple hook combination to produce the first knockdown of Maxie's career is Joe's greatest moment as a boxer. He missed the first two while maintaining balance and positioning to connect with the final three hooks for the round three ending knockdown. (This was actually the moment where Maxie took out his mouthpiece and waved to the crowd, but the bell "saved" him, and Jack Dempsey brought him back to his corner where the Mauler threatened the Larruper with, "Do you want him to knock you out, or do you want ME to do it." Says something that after being on the receiving end of the best moment of the Bomber's performance as a boxer, Maxie was more afraid of his chief second.)

His mobility, footwork and hand speed were at their fastest for Max Baer, who was at his peak at 27, although hampered with an injured right. It was Joe's Ali against Cleveland Williams moment, where he was bursting with energy and completely in the zone.

Second best display of his career was in a bout he didn't like very much. Godoy II was a situation where I don't recall the Chilean taking a backwards step. Louis, moving in reverse, ripped his face apart. This is the fully evolved version of Joe I like against Marciano and Frazier. Louis didn't like being crowded, sometimes had difficulty moving backwards, but Godoy II proved that Blackburn was a good enough trainer and strategist to implement that plan with Louis when necessary.

 

The Joe Louis version of the Max Baer fight was Joe at his zenith. He combined panther like movements and unparalleled trip hammer combinations that was never equaled before and after. Remember this. Max Baer might not been a clever boxer but Baer had a truly concrete chin equaled by few and surpassed by none...But against this version of the Brown Bomber, no one ever could take his combinations for long and survive...This quote from a prominent boxing physician of those days tells it all, "the human body was not made to survive the
powerful combinations of Joe Louis once he has you hurt"...Along with the
young Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis were my favorite heavyweights ever...

 

i know he was a light heavy...but what about the 1 round stoppage of john henry lewis ?...what was he ?...25 ?...and never stopped in 100 fights or so....even though he had the bad eye.

 

I've never seen his entire fight with Lewis but from what I have seen Louis physically looked incredibly fit and mature. The manner in which he went from head to body effortlessly was beyond impressive.

Fleischer who was at ringside for most all of Louis defenses stated this fight and his second with B Baer were Louis at his best.

Younger Louis you tend to see a less mature fighter but one who exhibited a bit broader skill set. As example his bout with Max Baer he nimbly side stepped and jabbed/countered Baer prior to attacking for the ko.

His bout with Lee Ramage you can see a bobbing and weaving Louis neatly avoiding his dancing opponents punches and countering with both hands.

 

The Baer brothers definitely got the worst of Louis - my favourite is Buddy Baer II too - some of, if not my absolute favourite combinations ever thrown in this fight - if I could fight this is how I'd want to fight - this guy would absolutely smash the likes of Fury and Klitch to smithereens these days

 

No heavyweight in history has thrown combinations like Joe Louis, they were so precise, accurate and economical.
I have to agree, the hammering he gave Maxie Baer was Bomber Joe at his best.

 

Watch the first KD of B Baer in fight one. Baer was nicely hiding his chin behind his broad shoulders making it a difficult target. Louis nimbly ducks a hook and counters with his own hook to the body that nearly breaks Baer in half. With this body blow Baer lists his chin away from his shoulder. Then a perfectly timed straight right to the jaw and Baer pirouettes to the canvas. Picture perfect punches.

 

:good in the Max Barr fight he ducks a jab, pops up and throws a perfect overhand right.it looks simple when he threw it, but isn't