Zhang goes back in time to 1939 and Galento gets sick and can't take the fight. Zhang is put up as a challenger to Joe Louis. What happens next?
That makes him a very good contender, perhaps the best right now. However, it is not up to Louis to give him his chance. That is down to the current belt holders.
Zheng is going to need more than just one big right hand to beat Louis. Despite the modernist notion Louis was as fragile as a stack of cards, anyone who stopped Louis had to hammer him with dozens and dozens of solid shots before finishing him off. The question is if Zheng could avoid getting pelted by Louis' snappy piston jab, and if he his defense and chin could endure Louis' ferocious combinations. Louis might also target the big guy's big belly which wouldn't be hard for a sharp shooter like Louis. That could severely deplete Zheng's stamina which could leave him a sitting duck given his immense weight and older age. I think the safest bet for now is that Louis either stops the much slower, less experienced Zheng by the 10th round or wins a very clear decision after a few mild scary moments. Maybe Louis has to get off the canvas once or twice, but Zheng is simply not in his class right now.
Louis avoiding southpaws because Mario Bettina pieced him up in sparring isn’t a good look for Louis in this matchup. Zhang wins it
The success of a guy like Joyce says alot about the recent state of the Heavyweight division. So does Whyte being a top 5 guy for several years. Chisora, Ruiz etc. Dont see them doing much 20-30 years earlier. Joe louis vs Zhang? No idea. Zhang does bring some things to the table that simply werent around back then. Its not a fair matchup.
It’s not like Louis ever beat a mediocre giant before…right? Carnera is considerably more proven than Zhang.
Louis might be better off against Zhang than Foreman, since this is obviously drawing inspiration from the OTHER thread. I say this because he's much faster and was not that bad defensively when he was on form. Zhang likes to bait the other guy in and nail him on a counter and Louis has a lot more speed than your typical Zhang opponent. It's much harder to counter the other guy when he has blistering speed. If Louis fought a disciplined fight and didn't get greedy I could see him pull it off. Of course, there's also a healthy possibility that he has some success, gets carried away and then put to sleep. Louis didn't have the best chin and Zhang is a colossal puncher.
You need a lot more than just a big punch to beat Louis. He didn't have the best chin, but it wasn't the kind that woudl bail an opponent out either.
Zhang would give Louis a good fight, and I believe that Louis would rise from the canvas once or twice to win a hard fought decision.