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# 2: Mike Tyson vs Joe Louis
The obvious version of Joe Louis to use in this match-up is the one who fought Max Schmeling in 1938. For that fight, Joe was 25 years old when he climbed into the ring with the Black Uhlan for the second time and had compiled a record of 38-1 (32) with Schmeling handing him his sole defeat two years prior. Louis was a shuffling technician who could hit you and hurt you with either hand. Early in his career, Louis’s trainer would tie his right hand to the ropes so to teach Joe how to defend with his left hand alone, the result was one of the most accurate and devastating jabs in history. In addition to his powerful left, Joe had a right hand that was simply deadly. To this day, no one has defended the title more than Louis (25 times) or held it for as long (12 years).
Mike, as always, would come out looking to check Louis’s chin and midway through the opening stanza, a sizzling hook would deposit “The Brown Bomber” on his backside. Slightly stunned, Louis would proceed to fire the jab-right with fury, breaking Tyson’s rhythm and allowing Louis to reach the bell. Now knowing full well the raw power he’s in the ring with, Louis comes out for round two with more intention on dictating the pace, throwing jab after jab to position Mike for the follow-up right hands. On the occasions when Tyson gets past the jab, Louis meets him with uppercuts.
As the rounds mount up, Tyson’s frustration starts to show as do the lumps around his eyes as Louis keeps dictating the pace of the fight. By round 7, Tyson’s left eye is nearly shut from right after right, jab after jab and Mike is increasingly hesitant to get on the inside where Louis is jarring his molars with uppercuts. Late in the 9th, Louis catches a nearly blind Tyson with a crunching right and drops him for a five count. Upon reaching his feet, Tyson is met by the hardest punches he’s ever endured as a professional or amateur; rights, hooks, uppercuts, each one landing exactly where it’s owner meant for it.
Firing back blindly at an opponent he can no longer see, he finds himself stumbling forward to the canvas when his legs disappear from his consciousness as if they were no longer attached to his hips. Unable to rise, Mike finds himself to be a victim of the potent Joe Louis right hand in round 9.
AND Finally #1: Mike Tyson vs Muhammad Ali
On November 14th, 1966, a 24 year old Muhammad Ali climbed into the ring with Clevand Williams in Houston, Texas and showed us what a complete fighter looks like: blinding speed of hand and foot and with that speed, power that belied his frame. Ali would never look so good in the ring again as he did against Williams, so that’s the Ali we’ll use. At the time, he had a record of 26-0 (21) and weighed in at a svelte 212 ¾ lbs. For those that do not know, Ali had a rapier-like jab, and had arguably the fastest hands of any heavyweight who ever lived and most assuredly the fastest feet. Ali could start throwing a punch when he was out of range and his feet would carry him in range to land the shot and out again before his opponent could get off a counter.
When the opening bell sounds, it has to be rung twice because neither fighter can hear it over the roar of the crowd. When the bout does get under way, both men rush to ring center, with Ali, at the last second sidestepping while pulling back to miss a murderous left hook. Tyson, while fast of hand, has to be within range for that hand-speed to amount to anything and Ali is quite content to keep him at the end of a blistering jab, which, to his surprise, isn’t landing as often as he’d like. The whole round consists of Tyson bobbing and weaving very quickly towards Ali, only to be alone when he gets to where Ali was just a second before.
Every time Mike gets close, he is peppered with razor-sharp jabs and rights for his efforts and has no one to get revenge on when the punches stop. At the end of the first round, Tyson motions furiously at Ali, angry that he apparently didn’t come to fight. By the third, Ali has Mike’s timing down and begins to rip in a few hooks of his own amid the jabs and rights. While nothing seems to be affecting Tyson, the points are piling up. When the bell rings for the 8th, there is a visible swelling around Mike’s left eye and he still has yet to connect with anything solid and is starting to swing wildly, lunging out of desperation and frustration at a target that is never in range.
At the start of the 10th, Mike’s right eye is also swollen with a good sized gash above the lid and his left eye is all but closed. Smelling the end, Ali suddenly plants his feet and unloads a blur of straight rights, hooks and uppercuts on a Tyson, who is totally caught off guard by this sudden offensive outburst. By the time he can fire off a counter, Ali is out of the way again. As soon as he thinks Ali’s onslaught is over, Mike’s caught with a solid double hook off the jab, which causes him to visibly wobble.
Lunging for retribution with a whistling left hook, Mike catches nothing but air and is blasted for his trouble with a surprisingly powerful right cross, which knocks him off balance into the ropes. Before he can steady himself, Tyson is caught in a blizzard of punches that seem to be coming from every conceivable angle. Again he lunges forward with an uppercut that misses and catches a solid hook for his trouble, followed by another straight right and drops to the canvas as much out of confusion as out of hurt. Mike reaches his feet at the count of eight and affirms to the referee that he wants to continue. However the ref is now looking at Mike’s right eye, from which is flowing a cascade of crimson and waves the fight off, determining Tyson can no longer see incoming shots. Mike protests to no avail.
The obvious version of Joe Louis to use in this match-up is the one who fought Max Schmeling in 1938. For that fight, Joe was 25 years old when he climbed into the ring with the Black Uhlan for the second time and had compiled a record of 38-1 (32) with Schmeling handing him his sole defeat two years prior. Louis was a shuffling technician who could hit you and hurt you with either hand. Early in his career, Louis’s trainer would tie his right hand to the ropes so to teach Joe how to defend with his left hand alone, the result was one of the most accurate and devastating jabs in history. In addition to his powerful left, Joe had a right hand that was simply deadly. To this day, no one has defended the title more than Louis (25 times) or held it for as long (12 years).
Mike, as always, would come out looking to check Louis’s chin and midway through the opening stanza, a sizzling hook would deposit “The Brown Bomber” on his backside. Slightly stunned, Louis would proceed to fire the jab-right with fury, breaking Tyson’s rhythm and allowing Louis to reach the bell. Now knowing full well the raw power he’s in the ring with, Louis comes out for round two with more intention on dictating the pace, throwing jab after jab to position Mike for the follow-up right hands. On the occasions when Tyson gets past the jab, Louis meets him with uppercuts.
As the rounds mount up, Tyson’s frustration starts to show as do the lumps around his eyes as Louis keeps dictating the pace of the fight. By round 7, Tyson’s left eye is nearly shut from right after right, jab after jab and Mike is increasingly hesitant to get on the inside where Louis is jarring his molars with uppercuts. Late in the 9th, Louis catches a nearly blind Tyson with a crunching right and drops him for a five count. Upon reaching his feet, Tyson is met by the hardest punches he’s ever endured as a professional or amateur; rights, hooks, uppercuts, each one landing exactly where it’s owner meant for it.
Firing back blindly at an opponent he can no longer see, he finds himself stumbling forward to the canvas when his legs disappear from his consciousness as if they were no longer attached to his hips. Unable to rise, Mike finds himself to be a victim of the potent Joe Louis right hand in round 9.
AND Finally #1: Mike Tyson vs Muhammad Ali
On November 14th, 1966, a 24 year old Muhammad Ali climbed into the ring with Clevand Williams in Houston, Texas and showed us what a complete fighter looks like: blinding speed of hand and foot and with that speed, power that belied his frame. Ali would never look so good in the ring again as he did against Williams, so that’s the Ali we’ll use. At the time, he had a record of 26-0 (21) and weighed in at a svelte 212 ¾ lbs. For those that do not know, Ali had a rapier-like jab, and had arguably the fastest hands of any heavyweight who ever lived and most assuredly the fastest feet. Ali could start throwing a punch when he was out of range and his feet would carry him in range to land the shot and out again before his opponent could get off a counter.
When the opening bell sounds, it has to be rung twice because neither fighter can hear it over the roar of the crowd. When the bout does get under way, both men rush to ring center, with Ali, at the last second sidestepping while pulling back to miss a murderous left hook. Tyson, while fast of hand, has to be within range for that hand-speed to amount to anything and Ali is quite content to keep him at the end of a blistering jab, which, to his surprise, isn’t landing as often as he’d like. The whole round consists of Tyson bobbing and weaving very quickly towards Ali, only to be alone when he gets to where Ali was just a second before.
Every time Mike gets close, he is peppered with razor-sharp jabs and rights for his efforts and has no one to get revenge on when the punches stop. At the end of the first round, Tyson motions furiously at Ali, angry that he apparently didn’t come to fight. By the third, Ali has Mike’s timing down and begins to rip in a few hooks of his own amid the jabs and rights. While nothing seems to be affecting Tyson, the points are piling up. When the bell rings for the 8th, there is a visible swelling around Mike’s left eye and he still has yet to connect with anything solid and is starting to swing wildly, lunging out of desperation and frustration at a target that is never in range.
At the start of the 10th, Mike’s right eye is also swollen with a good sized gash above the lid and his left eye is all but closed. Smelling the end, Ali suddenly plants his feet and unloads a blur of straight rights, hooks and uppercuts on a Tyson, who is totally caught off guard by this sudden offensive outburst. By the time he can fire off a counter, Ali is out of the way again. As soon as he thinks Ali’s onslaught is over, Mike’s caught with a solid double hook off the jab, which causes him to visibly wobble.
Lunging for retribution with a whistling left hook, Mike catches nothing but air and is blasted for his trouble with a surprisingly powerful right cross, which knocks him off balance into the ropes. Before he can steady himself, Tyson is caught in a blizzard of punches that seem to be coming from every conceivable angle. Again he lunges forward with an uppercut that misses and catches a solid hook for his trouble, followed by another straight right and drops to the canvas as much out of confusion as out of hurt. Mike reaches his feet at the count of eight and affirms to the referee that he wants to continue. However the ref is now looking at Mike’s right eye, from which is flowing a cascade of crimson and waves the fight off, determining Tyson can no longer see incoming shots. Mike protests to no avail.
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