Who were the best punchers during Marciano's era?

GreatA,

You don't consider Layne a puncher with his right hand? Also, Joe Louis may have had only one knockout(actually he knocked out Andy Walker, the guy who went 10 rounds for a draw with Rex Layne) but look at the men he was facing....Cesar Brion, a man known to have a granite chin. Jimmy Bivins, a man known to be able to go the distance with anybody, omelio agramonte(ran from Louis after he was knocked down in the 2nd round). Im not saying Louis was a great puncher anymore, but you have to take into consideration he was once the greatest puncher of all time. Surely, even at age 37, he still had his RAW power even if his reflexes had badly deteriorated. Why is it all the other great punchers foreman, liston, lewis, tyson get credit for still being dangerous punchers in their late 30s but Louis doesn't? I think a 37 year old Louis at a solid 6'2 215lb certainly could still be rated in the same punching class as john friggin holman and earl walls no?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRsAbgV3tdk[/ame]
Louis looks pretty brutal here at age 36.

He also knocked out Savold with one shot...a man rocky marciano could not put down
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR9zg7B-4p8[/ame]


Honestly from the men on your list, outside of Walcott Marciano and MAYBE moore...could you any of those men have lasted with Joe Louis? Louis would have knocked out Walls, Satterfield, and holman for sure. He already knocked out Nino Valdes in 1 round in a exhibition. Clarence Henry would have been a good fight...I think Louis would have jabbed him to death though and knocked him out late..Henry was fast powerful and young though he had a shot.

 

Satterfield over Walcott and Moore? What about Clarence Henry who outslugged satterfield in 1 round?

 

You don't have to be a "Great Puncher" to qualify for the list. Do you consider John Holman or Earl Walls great punchers?

 

December of 1949...Might as well say 1950

 

Savold was rated # 2 in the world by Ring Magazine. He was also known for having a very sturdy chin. Was any of the men on the list Holman or Walls knocked out rated higher than # 2? I doubt it. You can make all the excuses you want for Marciano, but bottom line is flu or no flu, marciano hit him with everything he had and could not put him down. Louis knocked him out with 1 left hook.


Let's go down your list for Holman:


Ezzard Charles. Pretty much washed up. He might have still been rated in the top 10, Im sure he was, but this was the same Charles who lost to 12-12 Toxie Hall.

Cesar Brion- another washed up fighter. Not the guy who fought Joe Louis in 1950.

Bob Satterfield- You said knocking out bob satterfield doesn't mean much

oakland billy smith- light-heavyweight


Im unimpressed here. You honestly believe Holman was a bigger puncher than joe louis? Louis had far better punching technique, a much better more powerful left hook. His right hand was almost gone, but it was still probably as good as holman's, and he threw it with much better technique. He also threw a much wider array of punches mixing up hooks and uppercuts. Checkout that Valentino finish. Even at 37, he still probably had faster hands and better timing than holman.


As for Earl Walls:

Rex Layne: Layne was on his last legs. He was finished as a top level fighter. It his impressive Walls got him outta there so quickly. Louis knocked down a younger better layne a bunch of times in exhibitions in the early 1950s, i have no doubt Louis would have knocked out Layne had they fought for real in 1951.

Tommy Harrison- Please. It's embarrasing enough Walls lost to him. Would harrison even win a round against Louis?

I have a feeling Walls on film would look good. He's often underrated. He was supposed to fight Moore in 1955, would have told us a lot. He had a powerful right hand from what i have read.


You have to take into consideration Louis was a big man(6'2 215lb) in a small mans division ruled mostly by 185lbers. It's safe to assume with his size, and his reputation as once the greatest puncher of all time, that he could still hit a bit at any point in his career. Especially compared to the litttle guys.

 

THis was the same Valentino was rated # 3 by Ring Magazine and who had just fought Charles for 8 even rounds before getting stopped. Louis absolutely destroyed him.

 

From 1941- to 1951, let's take a 10 year window to be fair he fought an estimated 60 times. He was only stopped 2 times during that period, despite fighting most of the best 1940s heavyweight contenders. The men who stopped him were Elmer Ray(Ring Magazine top 100 puncher of all time), and Harry Bobo(6'4 220lb known for being a big puncher, Louis's camp feared him). Savold fought PLENTY of punchers during that period too, and plenty of big men. I think it's fair to say Savold had a well above average chin.

 

Louis showed up grossely out of shape(over 223lb). Didn't look like he was trying. They fought in other exhibitions and Louis floored layne multiple times. Layne actually said "Louis hits harder than Marciano"...very telling considering Layne fought an old Louis and a young Marciano.

So you honestly believe their were a bunch of 185lb men who hit harder than the 215lb Joe Louis?