Who beats Joe Louis?

I'd say Ali's career would have spoke for itself...

 

You know as well as i and everone else that when talking prime Ali we look at the 1967 version, not the 21 yr old from four years earlier.
You can assure me all you want to Burt but when i see what Walcott managed in the first fight, along with Billy Conn i envisage a beating similar to the one Ali gave Terrel, if he was feeling vindictive.

 

Of course Louis was in his "prime" for Walcott!

 

R, 100% correct. Joe Louis who "lost" to Joe Walcott in their first bout was a shot version of his prime, for Louis was 33 years of age. Soon after Louis ko'd JJ Walcott in 1948...He still had a little gas left in the tank, though his lightning reflexes were gone...

 

yes and end thread. Comparing Louis to modern day super heavies is completely unfair. Louis and his classic brethren wouldn't stand a chance against modern day fighters.

 

Yet he beat huge behemoths with relative ease.... That's what makes these debates so fascinating.

 

Louis fought some giants in there. Carnera, Simon, The Baer bros. Dude can definitely hang with the neanderthals of today.

Dempsey might beat Louis. Ali might beat Louis. Holmes...maybe. I think Tyson beats him. Frazier would be scintillating.

In my opinion, Joe Louis vs. Sonny Liston would be the best heavyweight fantasy match up of all time.

 

I would not make any HW in history a favourite over the Brown Bomber.

 

He had the ability to play with all the big boys, the only doubts I have though is would his mandible be able to survive against the likes of Liston, Frazier, Foreman, Tyson???

 

Yes, but not to the same extent...Take a great lightheavyweight as Ezzard Charles was. One of the very top LHs in history who whipped a prime Archie Moore many times. Ezzard was in my eyes a greater LH than Ali was a heavyweight but lacking in
self serving charisma . If Ali had Ezzards laid back personality
he would not be the godlike figure he was IMO.

 

W, you got the question backwards. Would the big but slower
punching behemoths as Liston, Frazier, Foreman survive against the fastest and greatest most accurate puncher in HW history?
I have found that the fighter who get's there "fustess with the
mostess" usually wins...
One other thing. Joe Louis was a very powerful man for 200 pounds. If he or any other heavyweight ever weighed 25 or more pounds more, he would have sacrificed his greatest asset, trip hammer speed when he pulled the trigger...

 

I think when we talk about a prime Ali, we're referring to the fully matured one with several title fights behind him around 1966-1967. And not the 21 year old version 18 or 19 bouts that fought Jones and Cooper in 1963.

 

Dempsey would be a danger fight because he was essentially a refined version of Godoy with dynamite, and it's that arbitrary, marauding movement that gave Louis issues.

Tyson, though explosive and quick out of the blocks, may be easier for Louis to handle due to his more upright, orthodox approach. Further, Tyson had stylistic tells before exploding from mid range, things that Louis' boxing brain would identify and match with heavy counters. It was often sneaky shots that floored Louis - Braddock, Galento, not when you simply rushed him.

Ali is a natural pick because he had the movement, speed and resources to hustle a decision. What has always made this one interesting however is that Ali took breaks, Louis' economy kept him sharp for fifteen, and he would apply intelligent pressure, thumping those ribs. So long as Joe's eye aren't shut he'll be looking to spear that jaw with his cross.

The problems Lennox Lewis brings are palpable, though the opposite may be true if we're speaking of the young Louis who had that extra spring in his step.

 

Not endorsing but I just saw an interesting old article where boxing HoF'er James J. Johnston claiming that Gentleman Jim Corbett would have beaten Louis:

"And this fast, jabbing Corbett would have beaten Louis with his lightning speed, his blinding jab, and his marvelous footwork."

https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=8CIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2575,3987196&hl=en

 

The actual question is "Who would beat Louis > 50% of the time. Obviously many fighters COULD beat him. But who would beat him more than he beat them?

Taking into account differences in the size of fighters, etc, I think he and Ali are about 50-50, and maybe Jack Johnson. Prime Tyson maybe. I think Lewis and Wlad would beat him some because of their size, but Im not sure about 50%. Tunney probably could outbox him some, but i dont know about 50%.

IMO, he Ali and Johnson are pretty close.