Re-reading Richard Bak's biography of Joe Louis and came across this passage just prior to his initial fight with Jersey Joe Walcott,Bak states that during a medical exam a physician noticed that," Louis' reflexes on either side, were unequal,that his left side responded with less agility than his right.On occasion there also was slight drooling from the right side of his mouth.These were signs of reflexsive deterioration,but Joe ignored any suggestion that he quit.He needed the money and the ring remained the quickest and surest way to earn it". Anyone know anything about this?
He went on to say Louis was focused on his weight and did not want to appear fat,so he dried out,ignoring Mannie Seamon's objections ,cutting down on his water and food intake. Bak said Brion was exposed as a mediocre fighter against Louis. Louis came in at 210 for Beshore and hit him when he wanted, landing jabs and hooks at will.Louis said he trained harder for this fight than any since the second Conn bout. Bak mentions that Beshore crowding Louis made it easy on Joe's aging legs ,but that Agramonte who had already boxed 2 exhibitions with Joe made Louis chase him,after the Walker exhibition and the second Agramonte fight the headline in the Detroit News read,"Joe Doesn't Know The Truth,He's That Bad"."Old Joe louis,in winning his decision was little more than a clinical study for biologists who might be concerned over what happens to muscles and reflexes of an aging athlete." Paul Chandler wrote."His punch was gone,his footwork was clumsy,he couldn't defend against a right hand,he telegraphed everything he threw,except light flicks and was bedazed when he had a knockout opportunity. Even on a clinical basis it wasn't enjoyable,and a psychological proportion of the study was discouraging. When the examiners reached Old Joe Louis after the fight he seemed to think he had done quite well."A hard man to fight,"said the Bomber,in a series of short,panting sentences.I'm happy about this one because it proved I can go ten rounds without getting tired...I'm satisfied I can throw my right hand.My right didn't show up much tonight ,cause he weaves away from a right.Sure I want to fight Savold then Charles...He hurt me just once with one in the belly. Here certainly was evidence that Louis doesn't understand that he's slipped so far.
Yeah good read. Louis was so great in his prime that even the far deteriorated 37 year old Louis still could whip most of the divisions best in 1950
I think its a testament and compliment that the reports are so disparaging,because without realizing it they are emphasizing and confirming just how great he was when prime!
Yep. He was so special 1935-1942..that even when he bashes in the noses of the Brions, Beshores, savolds, walkers, Bivins, Valdes’s Valentino’s with pulverizing left jabs...the writers are expecting early knockout wins that are vintage 30s joe...and all they see is a ancient mummy. But the truth was despite being a shadow of himself in 50, he was still no push over. As for 47 Walcott fight..he definitely was seriously slipping at that point...although he showed in 48 he still had enough left for one last devastating combination
Louis was exceptional in his prime .. the funny thing is that his management and Blackburn had his be a stalker when he had a natural ability to move more on his legs as you see in early bouts and especially in the M. Baer bout .. He showed this when he fought big men and moved in and out on them .. no doubt he was faded after the war and even more from Charles on. against Walcott he looked both slow and confused .. he didn't look much better in the rematch till he threw that amazing final combo that was pretty much the last great combination of his career ..
I have some formal training in neuroscience, but none in neurology. (The latter studies pathologies.) Even so, I know enough to tell you that asymmetrical response is a tell-tale sign of hemisphere specific brain damage.
From what Mcvey just described he definitely should not have been fighting. This really sheds new light on those later fights.
I have absolutely no knowledge in this field and just posted what I thought was an interesting bit of information.
Another interesting piece of info is that Seamon had Louis spar on a ring canvas three times thicker than the regulation fight one,so when he came to actually fight he would be naturally quicker afoot.
I'll say this: Joe seems pretty lucid to me in some later interviews so maybe his cognition wasn't much impaired. Damage to the brain is kind of like damage to a car engine, in that it can have incredibly specific effects on some areas and leave others functioning at full capacity. I know he had a stroke (or a series of them?) later in life, and he may have a had a minor undiagnosed one in his thirties (which might have had nothing to do with boxing). Does that biography mention anything about hypertension?
