Joe Louis vs. Muhammad Ali

SPECIFIC THINGS ABOUT LOUIS THAT WOULD BOTHER ALI:

Quick hands.
Great body to head attack.
Very good on the inside.
Impossble to intimidate.

SPECIFIC THINGS ABOUT ALI THAT WOULD BOTHER LOUIS:

Great agility.
Smart, smart fighter.
Excellent footwork.
Great counter-puncher.
Good at evading counters.
Excellent, excellent jab.


The key, for me, is Ali's stamina. The Ali peak was cut short - for me these men have it in common that their best years as fighters were contained within their first stretch defending the title.

I say stamina for many reasons. First, Ali will not KO Joe Louis. He may be physically capable of the feat but Louis is far, far, far to dangerous for him to try. He will win this (if he wins it) at distance and by counterpunching and by evading counterpunches.

How long can he maintain this pace? Louis wasn't the smartest of fighters, perhaps, but he doesn't have to be against Ali, the smartest heavyweight champ since Johnson, because his game plan is the same as it ever was - get this guy to fight. Although Ali brings new quality, Louis will employ the same tactic of persuing whilst shipping as little punishment as possible.

It is my opinion that Ali HAS to keep his distance where Joe is concerned because he can't afford to ship punches against this guy. It is possible that Ali can manage 15 at the pace Louis will set, I have to admit, it is possible that Ali's punches will have taken enough from Joe that Louis will not be able to capitalise when Ali starts to waver.

But that is not my prediction. Ali starts to run out of steam a little bit in the 9th and gets caught by the ropes. The body-head attack upsets him and he misses one coming over the top. Up at 8 his great chin and guile get him out of the round, but Louis is no Cooper.

The ref rescues Ali early in round ten, Louis TKO 10.

My top 5 heavywieghts, all time: 1) Ali, 2) Louis, 3) Liston, 4) Johnson, 5) Lewis.

 

Good post. I agree with you about Ali's jab.

And I hear you about Louis' feet. But the thing is, Louis often encountered this problem. And Billy Conn was quicker than Ali. People always talk about Conn's "mistake" but i'm not convinced. It must be sheer hell moving at that pace against a man who hits you, really hard, every time you try to stop and catch a breath. The desire to drive him of, even if just temporarily must come to every man due either to necessity or desire.

I submit that Ali, who was a big man, would not be able to run (and he'd win most rounds whilst doing so) for the full 15 at the pace Louis would set. I also submit that Louis' combination attacks (maybe #1 all time champ in this department) and finishing skills (#2 only to Tyson?) give him a very great chance to KO Ali.