Marciano stops Louis October 26, 1951 & How good was 1951 Louis

I agree, but whatever the circumstances, Savold was still the #2 contender!

We have to take old Louis seriously as a contender, based on his wins over Savold, Brion, and Bivins.

 

You cannot compare Louis is his later years vs Ali. Incomparable.

Ali lost and then beat Spinks but was just a shell of what he was just a few years earlier the night he rewon the title a third time. It was not just a question of age. Ali was physically/neurologically damaged in the latter part of his career and this became evident to all Spinks 2 and then caused Ali to completely crash and burn against Holmes and Berbick.

In comparison Louis PREDOMINANTLY was just old (although I am sure there was some level of neurological damage being a pro fighter for nearly 20 years).

Thus both were shot to different degrees while Ali was also a very sick man.

 

You’re changing your argument from a note worthy win to a top win. No no

 

Fine. Neither are noteworthy wins.
Other than name, they are nothing wins.

 

Nothing is a very strong word.

Would you want to fight them?

Would the mid table contenders?

 

Ali had won 15 out of his previous 16 and avenged his only loss. AND he went on to be robbed against future champ Berbick, putting up a fantastic effort that saw him reinvigorated.

 

There he goes again.....spinning history into a fantasyland. Get your rocks off yet?

 

Louis had lost one fight since his defeat to Schmeling. From that point he went 40-1, losing only to Ezzard Charles. In 1951, the same year he fought Marciano, he won 7 fights, and lost zero until his defeat to Rocky. Just two months prior to the Marciano fight he defeated Brion and Bivins 14 days apart. Oh, and during this period he fought countless competitive exhibition matches against serious fighters. He was winning those too. He had never been knocked out cold in his whole career until the Marciano fight. In the film, you clearly see an able, competitive, tough fighter.

Ali fought Holmes more then two years after his previous bout against Spinks. He had incurred symptoms of Parkinson’s Syndrome. He had a debilitating disease that robbed him of his motor skills.

But hey, lala land is bliss. God forbid we go against the church of Coming to America.

 

Seamust applies his signature skill. Deception. Spinning history, the little he knows of it, into something other than what it was.

 

Every boxer in the ring past 25-30 fights and many with less have neurological problems. A guy with 68 fights at the top level certainly did. Are you really going to contend that Louis wasn't damaged goods himself? He had no business being in the business but for the business he had with Uncle Sam.

 

Nobody is saying Louis wasn’t past it.
That’s a straw man.

 

Contextualizing another's argument with the reversal of the same is not a strawman.

 

Stating that Louis was past it introduces zero contextual relevance to the argument.

 

It erodes your premise as being unique in validity

Hell I completely forgot my post, just read it, and am fully convinced.

Remember, tho he owed plenty, Louis retired after Marciano.

Ali was reasonably comfortable and went on to put up an excellent effort against a future champ.

Compare/Contrast at your leisure.

 

Technically you are spot on. Ali won 15 out of 16. There were a few highly questionable decisions that went his way. Realistically he deserved to lose a couple of years before he officially lost the crown.
Muhammad was fading fast from '76 on.