Prime Joe Louis vs. Prime Tyson(86-89)

Tyson midrounds TKO.

I don't think Louis has the mobility to keep Tyson off of him, which is a shame because he has the jab to keep Tyson on the outside, and the power to make Tyson respect him coming in.

But an explosive fighter like Tyson gets inside eventually, and if you're smaller than Mike you better make sure you're quicker on your feet than he is. Louis is a good infighter, but I don't think he would be fighting his "natural" fight against Tyson, and I don't think he'll find his rhythm.

 

Even if Louis did have slightly slower hands his delivery was quicker because his punches were straighter and more compact. Look at Louis when he opens up ant Schmeling on the ropes. Even Ali didnt have delivery time like that.

Iwould also point out that whileLouis's chin was inferior he might actualy have been harder to stop overall due to his recuperative abilities.

 

Here the plot thickens.

Tyson might have been hell on weels on the inside but he couldnt actualy infight. He was a mid range fighter who just hapened to have verry short arms.

It is posible to imagine Louis using hius suite of infighting skills to turn the tables on Tyson and take the fight closer in still.

 

I would expect Louis to knock Tyson out, inside 6 rounds.

 

Vice versa.

Louis had better fundamentals, I think we can agree to that but Tyson being an explosive fighter would make Louis fight uncomfortably on the back foot until Joe finally succumbs to a Tyson onslaught.

 

if there's one hard lesson i learned from the lewis fight - it is don't count on the puncher's chance and don't quickly label someone a glass chin. joe louis is the better boxer, he is more clinical, he'll follow a neat strategy. mike tyson wasn't a sloppy slugger but he wasn't as consistently strategic as you need to be in a championship fight. i see him coming forward and looking for wild swings and headhunting. occasionally he works the body or throws his excellent right hand lead. or maybe one of the three punches he throws in a combination land and as result joe is rocked knocked down but gets back up. if joe could hang in there with a heavy hitter like max baer - i will pass his chin.

anyway, what joe does to the wildly swinging & coming forward tyson is tagging him with his COMPACT, well placed & timed shots that earn tyson's respect. tyson had a great chin, he could come back quick from a deadly shot with his own - but what is different with louis is he punches in very coherent & deadly combinations. no chin can quickly recover from some combinations of joe louis! joe louis not having a cast iron chin like holyfield OR a very long reach advantage like douglas is my biggest complain. just one of the two would have been fine. so i'm not putting money on the fight but following conventional wisdom, track record, and style of fighting - joe louis is the 2-1 favorite.

 

Whether Louis wins looses or draws here he will want to fight on the back foot.

It would be key to his fight plan.

 

It is interesting to see how Louis reacts to a very aggressive Max Baer straight-forward barrage in Round 1, readying his arsenal and meeting the Clown Prince head-on, immediately turning the tables inside with swift, straight, accurate blows that nearly stopped his foe right then and there.

Louis had a scary, pure killer instinct; if Tyson makes a mistake, he could be shocked.

 

I should argue that if Louis makes a mistake he could be counted out.

Tyson was not the wild swinging max baer, he too was a precision puncher who offered a varied attack. Louis would need to set the pace early and earn Tyson's respect early. If he is unable to do so then he's finished. Tyson doesnt blow leads or let his opponents get warmed up enough to turn the tide. Joe has got a difficult task infront of him. Tyson's gotta be the favorite in this one.

 

Holyfield pounded on Tyson, and Holy doesn't punch like Louis.

Galento and several others floored Louis. Conn wobbled him.

Before 6 rds Tyson. After six , I take Louis.

 

Being floored by Galento can happen, he had one of the best left hooks of all time.

 

Bad stylistic matchup for the Bomber. Tyson early mainly because of their styles. There are some guys inferior to Louis that fought to survive and went the distance with Iron Mike. Louis would be fighting to win.

 

i pick louis too but i don't agree with your logic. one of the key reasons why holyfield beat tyson is because he was able to stand up to a few of tyson's best shots. joe louis had a decent chin but he wouldn't pull something like that. he'd win different.

 

Tyson is definitely a live one in this. Tough fight to pick.

 

Louis isn't fast enough for Tyson.

Get with it people, Imperial1 has spoken!





:rofl