This is a bout I'd like to learn more about ... any film exist ? How about some good fight coverage about the fighters going in and the actual fight ?
"One thing Louis still had was his punch. He could still hit very hard. His skills and reflexes were no longer there, but his punch was." - Jimmy Bivins Ring Magazine post fight 1951
This content is protected BALTIMORE, Aug. 16. - (AP) - "I'll never fight light again," vows Joe Louis. _ Whether it be Rocky Marciano or Ezzard Charles next on his comeback parade, the Brown Bomber will come in as close as he can get to 208 pounds. _ He blamed last night's weight of 203, lowest for him in 10 years, for a disappoint- ing although unanimous 10- round victory over Jimmy Bivins of Cleveland. _ "I didn't improve none to- night," he said disgustedly. _ He was downhearted mostly at his failure to deck Bivins in the last round when he hit the 180- pounder with everything he had. Bivins was still hanging on to him at the end. The last minute flurry was the most savage of the fight which otherwise fol- lowed a dull pattern. Louis jabbed and jabbed and Bivins ran and ran. CROWD PLEADS _ The crowd of 18,215 which paid $75,217 pleaded time and again; "Joe, open him up." But Louis was able to land only half a dozen telling blows with that once- feared right and never could he follow through. _ "I was just too light to get that right hand over," explained Louis later. "No question about it, I was five pounds too light." _ Bivins puffed up Louis' left eye early in the fight but his spasmodic hit and run tactics took little advantage of it. The only other mark on either fighter was a slight cut over the left eye of Bivins. NO KNOCKDOWNS _ There were no knockdowns. Referee Eddie Leonard took from Louis his biggest round, the 10th, because of a low blow. Then Leonard scored seven rounds for Bomber Joe and three for Bevins. Judges Lee Half- penny and Bill Ellis voted in unison: six rounds for Louis, three for Bivins and one even. _ Louis' weight was the lowest he had registered since Sept. 29, 1941, when he knocked out Lou Nova. When Louis lost to Charles in their title fight last September, he scaled 218. As you see kind of a dull fight, Louis basically jabbed his way to a 10 round decision over Bivins, and had one big round in the 10th which he teed off on bivins(he actually lost the round due to low blows). Louis always claimed he came in too light at 203lb, and felt much more comfortable fighting at the 210-213lb mark. He felt weak and powerless at 203lb. Interestingly enough, Bivins claimed it was Joe Louis' power which he still felt was there.
Louis a 4 to 1 Favorite http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...=5963,4929805&dq=jimmy+bivins+joe+louis&hl=en Pre-Fight http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...=6924,1653377&dq=jimmy+bivins+joe+louis&hl=en Louis "Ripped into Bivins in savage fashion in the 10th" http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...g=1857,210975&dq=jimmy+bivins+joe+louis&hl=en
Bivins was much smaller and did little actual fighting, only picking his spots and trying the occasional counter. It was his saftey first tactics, designed to hear the final bell, that ruined the fight more than Louis' age or condition.
Do you think Bivins was intimidated a bit by Louis' far superior size combined with his powerful jab? Bivins seems like the type not to care about a fighters size, but he was in the ring with a 6'2 200lb + man who had much better skills than most fighters of that size during the time period. Perhaps he felt out Louis in the first round and realized he was in over his head and played it cautious from there out to the final bell?
Here's some footage of Bivins [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVJPgXWk7RM[/ame] [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmBHz6vDwuA[/ame]
