A lot of posters on here mentioned that Joe Louis at some point in his career lost his power and the elite ability to punch with right hand. What was the point where he started to decline? Was it his 4 year break during the WWII? He still KOed Conn and Walcott after that even tho he had another break that lasted over a year between Mauriello and Jersey Joe. Was inactivity the biggest factor?
He didn't lose his power so much as he lost his speed. It's clear that Louis had exceptional speed for his size, and speed is what helps get punches through before the other guy is ready.
A fighters legs go. Louis kept the pop in his jab and hook, ask Marciano, but he didn't have it in his legs to really turn on a right hand. You saw the same thing in Archie Moore as he aged; he got front foot heavy. His jab worked and he could push his weight back on his hook but his right hand declined. For a more modern example look at Terry Norris. As fighters age they lose the zip in their combinations and it isn't that their hand speed is gone; they don't have the legs to make it work. As fighters age, you will see their stances get wider and more front foot heavy. In this era their are guys teaching fighters to start out that way, which is why you see guys in their early 20s with 'dead' legs.
I don't think that he lost his power so much as his reflexes. By the time the punches landed the recipient had braced for impact.
Let me add a bit to this, to clarify. The most fundamental thing in boxing, the basis of everything else, is the footwork and weight transfers involved in moving forward while throwing a jab, right hand, left hook combination. Everything else comes from that. Everybody says to step with your jab, butr you don't step with the left foot and leave the right foot, and you don't step with the left foot and drag the right foot along behind. The momentum comes from the right leg; you push off the right foot and that moves the left foot. That is the force behind the jab. Your right foot comes forward immediately and that is the torque in the right hand, and the base for the left hook. Because the weight immediately goes back onto that foot and you turn the weight in that direction to power the hook. When a fighter, Louis in this case, doesn't have the legs to push like that, he starts to step and drag. His jab will poke hard, but he will lose the snap. He will be able to push and left hook with his left leg but he won't get his weight turned behind it. His right hand will fall just a little short- because his right foot is behind his body, and his weight won't be behind it. Do you see why they get front foot heavy or spread their feet further? All of that affects timing, it affects everything.
It is obvious that post-war Louis was just slower, and with reduced speed and snap comes reduced power. Nevertheless, he still was a heck of a fighter and still had a punch. After retiring following his victory over Walcott, and sitting on the shelf, and not really being into boxing anymore other than to pay his bills/taxes, he really slowed down badly. And yet, his skill still carried him to wins in a lot of fights. But the speed and snap were badly diminished, his timing was off, his reflexes not there any longer, and he was just a shell of himself. The shell still was good enough to compete with most anyone, but that just shows how good Louis was in his prime - even a shot version was competitive with young guys in their primes. Personally, I find it sad to see once-great fighters continue on when they are old, shot, past-it, and hanging on by a thread for a payday or to recapture glory. The damage they do to themselves is not worth it, but I suppose it is their choice.
When you lose speed and mobility it affects your ability to set yourself in time to punch with power. That could be part of it. He certainly displayed power in the 2nd Walcott fight but not nearly like he had 5 years earlier for the 2nd Abe Simon fight when he was punching with dynamite. It started after the war and got increasingly worse. When he fought Marciano he wasn’t landing any power shots.
Its the year between the Mauriello fight and Walcott. Like McVea brought up Louis said as much. And the record supports that. The before and after is very stark. He went from getting routine KDs against 250 pounders to struggling to knock out a fairly diverse group of 190 pounders. Louis was otherwise still a fine fighter.
Walcott was one of the worst guys that old Louis could have faced. So damn tricky, experienced and one wrong move and your on the floor.
And he did not telegraph. He was great at it. So many of the heavies telegraph. Not Joe. Think how an opponent would have to be defensively to face a skill unlike the other heavies around.