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Jack Blackburn was a very good fighter himself, and very experienced. Without Blackburn there is no Joe Louis. Blackburn had 100's of fights and fought some of the best to ever lace them up. What he never got was fame and money.
Joe Louis had possibly the most educated boxing style in the history of filmed boxing.
To list some of his finer qualities that often go unnoticed:
1: He's poker bodied: Louis never did more than the bare minimum as to not give away his intentions and to save stamina. He slips punches by an inch, rolls them by an inch, moves in by a few inches - in other words he gives you almost nothing to read. Old fight films will showcase this as a stiff fighter, but this is hardly the case at all once the films get upgraded. It was very surprising to see how Louis avoided so many of Walcott's and Charles punches that we previously thought were landing.
2: His stance is defense: Louis stands at a staggered angle that not only allows him to jab very straight, but also offers almost 0 openings to even punch. This is why he pivots on his backfoot to keep this angle facing the opponent at all times. This is why many fighters will end up moving and backing up against Louis, as they don't feel in a position to even hit him. Schmeling had to come up with a plan (and a bit of luck) to even catch Louis with anything. With this in mind Louis barely get's hit at all, and it requires very little slipping or blocking.
3: His Jab: With almost no tell at all, great snap and thrown from an angle that is hard to see coming - Louis out jabbed and controlled every single opponent with his jab - even those that beat him (ask Rocky). He out Jabbed Charles, Walcott, Marciano and everyone else in-between. In terms of versatility Louis may have had the best jab ever at heavyweight. Nobody could out jab him.
4: His leverage and balance: Louis has been schooled in the art of leverage very well. He keeps his elbows in close to his body and punches right through the target. His weight distribution is excellent with a strong set of legs and a lean but strong upperbody. Louis was always in position to attack or defend.
5: His footwork: The biggest telegraph is your feet, because your feet get you into position. This is why leaping in all fast might look exciting to the audience - but you need to hide this by sneaking into position with smaller less noticeable steps aided by an almost casual deceptive movement. Louis kept his feet close to the ground minimizing the lost time of taking a big step, he was very light in his upperbody in regards to his weight distribution - making his movement very effortless and smooth. Louis was a master of getting himself into and out of position. Louis had deceptively fast and educated footwork. Just watch the background of his fights, he's moving into position very quickly without giving off any signals.
Louis' style is a great display of the subtle nuances of boxing. He understood what was needed and what should be discarded. I am not totally certain Charles even beat him - and we can't view the Walcott fight in its entirety - but I suspect this fight was a lot closer than people think (the ones that claim robbery) due to the fact that Louis doesn't telegraph anything - you can't always even see what he is doing unless the viewer is aggressively paying attention.
When Louis is at his very best he is almost unbeatable with this style. Anyone who ever gave him trouble was honestly also aided by a bit of luck. Lucky that Louis' was so bored with winning so much or Lucky that he needed money so badly. Louis style broke boxing down to a game of inches, even centimeters.
Joe Louis had possibly the most educated boxing style in the history of filmed boxing.
To list some of his finer qualities that often go unnoticed:
1: He's poker bodied: Louis never did more than the bare minimum as to not give away his intentions and to save stamina. He slips punches by an inch, rolls them by an inch, moves in by a few inches - in other words he gives you almost nothing to read. Old fight films will showcase this as a stiff fighter, but this is hardly the case at all once the films get upgraded. It was very surprising to see how Louis avoided so many of Walcott's and Charles punches that we previously thought were landing.
2: His stance is defense: Louis stands at a staggered angle that not only allows him to jab very straight, but also offers almost 0 openings to even punch. This is why he pivots on his backfoot to keep this angle facing the opponent at all times. This is why many fighters will end up moving and backing up against Louis, as they don't feel in a position to even hit him. Schmeling had to come up with a plan (and a bit of luck) to even catch Louis with anything. With this in mind Louis barely get's hit at all, and it requires very little slipping or blocking.
3: His Jab: With almost no tell at all, great snap and thrown from an angle that is hard to see coming - Louis out jabbed and controlled every single opponent with his jab - even those that beat him (ask Rocky). He out Jabbed Charles, Walcott, Marciano and everyone else in-between. In terms of versatility Louis may have had the best jab ever at heavyweight. Nobody could out jab him.
4: His leverage and balance: Louis has been schooled in the art of leverage very well. He keeps his elbows in close to his body and punches right through the target. His weight distribution is excellent with a strong set of legs and a lean but strong upperbody. Louis was always in position to attack or defend.
5: His footwork: The biggest telegraph is your feet, because your feet get you into position. This is why leaping in all fast might look exciting to the audience - but you need to hide this by sneaking into position with smaller less noticeable steps aided by an almost casual deceptive movement. Louis kept his feet close to the ground minimizing the lost time of taking a big step, he was very light in his upperbody in regards to his weight distribution - making his movement very effortless and smooth. Louis was a master of getting himself into and out of position. Louis had deceptively fast and educated footwork. Just watch the background of his fights, he's moving into position very quickly without giving off any signals.
Louis' style is a great display of the subtle nuances of boxing. He understood what was needed and what should be discarded. I am not totally certain Charles even beat him - and we can't view the Walcott fight in its entirety - but I suspect this fight was a lot closer than people think (the ones that claim robbery) due to the fact that Louis doesn't telegraph anything - you can't always even see what he is doing unless the viewer is aggressively paying attention.
When Louis is at his very best he is almost unbeatable with this style. Anyone who ever gave him trouble was honestly also aided by a bit of luck. Lucky that Louis' was so bored with winning so much or Lucky that he needed money so badly. Louis style broke boxing down to a game of inches, even centimeters.
Bronson66
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