Joe Louis vs. Vitali Klitschko

The cut was a factor and it hampered Vitali's vision but watching it again, the 5th was a good one for Vitali and Lewis gave it his all in the 6th...I think the stoppage was more than fair but knowing what we know know about Vitali and his solid chin and late stamina and knowing that Lewis did not have late power..I dont know if Vitali knew how close he was was...this is the fight that gave him confidence to know how good he was. Lewis was 38 but he did not have a career with a lot of wars, so he was not burnt....I would have to say now barring the cut Vitali has a great shot of beating Lewis and I would bet big money that a 38 year old Vitali would beat a 38 yr old Lewis. Foreman happened to be right Vitali did not know how close he was, that comes with experience...also Vitali has power but not the snap of Vlad.....a fight between Lewi and Vlad the power punchers with suspect chins...now that could have played out either way

 

Hmm you'd bet a 38yo Vitali beats a 38yo Lewis where a 32yo Vitali failed? I don't know why you think Lewis didnt have late power, he stopped Tyson in the 8th and Vitali was badly hurt in the 6th, could he take those uppercuts and rights for 2 more rounds anyway? I just wish this fight went on because Lennox had figured Vitali out and started to really hurt him.

 

on thoughts of who had won ,the footage i have of the last round (which is only about 35 seconds) walcott appears to of been told by his corner to keep moving and not take any chances so they obviously thought the decision was thier's.

 

Show me how Louis won the majority of the rounds in the first fight. Use the highlights or the full round version that exist, and you won't be able to come up with enough clean rounds for Louis to say he won. Since the scoring in this fight was not a 10 point must system, we will simply go on who won which round.

Yes, Louis had management with a heavy infulcence his ref and the judges. Who here has seen the full Godoy fight? My opinion might be unique in that respect, because I have seen it, while most here have not.

 

I said I would bet on that fight largely...nothing is certain in boxing....Lewis still had a chance to stop the 32yr old and the fight was stopped correctly. What I am saying is that Vitali improved his vision and confidence in himself after that fight. Lewis came on in the 6th but he was also running out of steam ( the cut gave him energy) Lewis never KO'd a man after 8 rounds...watching Vitali now, there are rds that he looks winded and breathing heavy but comes out stronger in the next...I do think Vitali's mindset improved after this fight. I saw it happen with Mike Weaver after a loss to Holmes. I saw it happen with Azuma Nelson after losing to Sanchez. Experience is a big factor in boxing, lets not forget how invincable most thought Kelly Pavlik was before Hopkins. Lewis had experience at the top and knew how close Vitali was to winning that is why he turned down 20mm to 30mm for the rematch

 

i only have H/L but i am favouring louis but it is close and the full fight might put a different slant on the fight but it was not a robbery a fight as close as it appears could go either way.

 

Maybe sprinting isn't the most perfect comparison there is obviously a big diffrence between these sports, what I was pointing out is that athletes of all sports continue to improve with better training techniques etc, and I think in general this also applies to boxers.
And as for all the people debating about stoppage or knockout wins keep in mind they stop fights much sooner in todays boxing than they did in Joe Louis era where they very often did it to late to be honest.

 

Ever thought competition maybe why Vitali looked better? Vitali also hasnt fought anyone remotely close to the ability of a Lennox afterwards, most of them were vastly overweight, and many old, which is why he looks 'better'. He actually looks much slower of hand and foot and more ponderous now than when he was 32, and actually he looked faster against Norris/Hide than he did against Johnson

Part of the reason Lennox didnt KO many after round 8, was because he got most of them out much earlier it doesnt mean he couldnt, he staggered Holy late

 

It's likely that people think Walcott did lick Louis. Jersey Joe had him dropped twice, but of course that had little relevance. I guess this further exposed the flaws in this scoring system. Under the system, Louis won officially but most believe Walcott won. The crowd seemed to dislike the decision, too.

I think due to Walcott's success, style, and the fact that he had hurt and dropped Louis more than once led a strong reaction. Maybe the writers who said that Walcott licked Louis are right. But on a round by round basis giving Joe the nod would hardly seem to be a robbery or the one of the worst decisions ever.

 

You nailed it, in my opinion! It was the system of scoring used that gave Louis the win and allowed him to keep his belt. He did give Walcott another shot, too.

I would like to mention that both fighters, and both corners, knew what scoring system was being used going in. If Louis had been obviously behind, under a different scoring system, he may have been given different instructions between the later rounds...and then who knows what would have happened?

 

Mmm...I don't know. Maybe. A case can certainly be made that they are better athletes now.
One area where we have seen a big shift is in the case of the really big heavyweights. They are more skilled and have better co-ordination (in general) than the super heavyweight of the past.

We're also seeing more and more fighters being able to fight at a high level well past the age of 35, which was rather uncommon in the past.

To me, it would be a hard sell to suggest boxers now are superior, in a general sense, to boxers of the past. A very hard sell.