You could write a small book on Joe Louis's title fights that were proposed but never happened. Her I am going to focus non rematches that verry nearly came off. Louis Braddock II Braddock was virtualy offered this fight on a plate after he outpointed Tommy Farr, but his family persuaded him to retire. Louis Farr II Had Farr been granted the decision over Braddock he would not have retired and would likley have been given a return match with Louis. Louis Baer II This one nearly came off twice. After he lost the title, Baer battered his way to the #1 ranking to loose it to Lou Nova, then worked his way up to the #1 ranking again, only to loose it to Lou Nova a second time. Dates were set for a Louis Baer rematch and I have a hunch that this might have been the most interesting of the ones listed. Louis Gallento II After he beat Lou Nova, Fat Tony was squarely in line for a rematch with Louis. Because of the controvertial circumstances of his win over Nova he was matched with Max Baer as an eliminator, and of course he lost. Louis Schmelling III Schmeling rebounded from his loss to Louis with a brutal destruction of Adolph Heuser. Louis's managment offered him a rubber match, but his induction into the army prevented it. Louis Conn II If Billy Conn had not broken his hand beating up his stepfarther then he would have fought Joe Louis in a rematch before the war, while he was still at his peak. Despite this setback it nearly came off after
I think that Walcott Louis III was a more likley scenario. e.g. Walcott had helped himself to the title by the time that Louis was being seriously lined up for another title shot.
Janitor, Thomas Farr had the best argument for a rematch........ I can't really see the paying public dying to see Joe Louis feast on "Baer, Braddock and Galento" for a second time each...... Sure, them bouts had some thrilling action in them, but Louis slaughtered each foe like a cow at a slaughterhouse in the end...... We need not go into the 'Schmeling' rematch of '38....... MR.BILL
I have the live TV video / copy replay of "Louis-Charles" from '50 on video....... A painfully SLOW moving fight that was tactical and boring....... Louis looked bloated / soft at 218 pounds and had the doughnut top haircut going on..... Christ, poor Louis looked age 65 when he was infact aged 36 yrs in 1950 against a spry Buzzard Charles...... MR.BILL
There were real talks of Louis vs Charles II when the Brown Bomber was making his comeback. He claimed he had little time to train for Charles and was rusty, yet he put up a fair effort regardless. During the broadcasts of several Louis comeback fights, the commentators talk of Louis wanting a rematch with Charles after first having tested waters. However after Louis crushed the Britain's version of world champ in Lee Savold, Charles was upset by Walcott. Walcott vs Louis III then became a legitimate possibility, until Rocky ended Louis's career.
Lets look at each in turn. Farr as you say had the best argument. Baer although he had been slaughtered by Louis, had put together a good winning streak and was being touted again. A cover of Ring Magazine was actualy devoted to this match. Braddock would always draw beacuase of his ethnicity and cinderella story. Gallento was a brilliant self publicist and he could always draw crowds, even if it was only to see him beaten up. After the gate of Louis Schmelling II, what promotor would not have given it a throw of the dice.
Of all these proposed rematches, I think that it would have been interesting to see how Max Schmeling would have handled his brutal loss from the second fight. Schmeling was not the type to be ruined by a defeat, and in fact was a very intelligent fighter who learned from mistakes. The only thing that makes me hesitant to give him any sort of a chance, is the fact that I believe he would have been past his prime by the time a third fight came off. I also don't think Louis would have shown him much respect, and in truth was a vastly improved fighter to this point.
Well, I admit that I would've rather have seen Louis fight a few more rematches against past named opponents' than Louis going after some of the bums and stiffs that he KO'd to pad his 25 title defense record......... In truth, Joe Louis has at least 10 guys he defended against in the 1940s who were sorry son's of bitches...... I cannot think of all the names right now.... I'd have to check the books....... bbb MR.BILL
Louis fans back then were a bit like Tyson fans before the Lewis fight. When Louis beat Fredie Beshore more convincingly than Ezzard Charles had, they started to say that Louis was getting back to his old self. When Walcott won the title from Ezzard Charles, the talk was of Louis making it a hat trick.
That could have been interesting in many ways. In practice I suspect that Schmelling would have tipped over the cliff just before this fight materialised. Allowing for the contracts and other stuff he would likley have been about 35.
i actually fancy conn here but i still think louis gets the nod in a disputed decision win (i have not slept in two and a half days :-()
