Why is Joe Louis Rated so Highly?

[Tom Cruise]

Louis was the goods. Period. There are a handful of guys who could have handled that footwork on his best day. Something worked there.

For perspective: Marco Huck kicked Povetkin's ass and got the business on the cards. But Louis couldn't hang with the Heavyweights of today.

Too big?

No, seriously?

Lamon Brewster huh?

These threads always kill me.

Plenty of guys around Louis's size have continued to compete at high levels in the division even recently (Chambers, Haye, Adamek, Byrd) and none could carry his jock.

Exactly. With a bit of weight training he could hit 220lbs+ easy, thats if he would even want to, and that is plenty big enough to mix with todays heavyweights when you are as skilled as Louis was.

Sorry TS ive helped side track your thread a bit here...

But i believe Louis is one of the top 5 heavyweights of all time with Ali being top and guys like Louis, Lewis, Holyfield, Holmes, Johnson etc making up the other four in some order (i dont really like lists). I think the lack of any truly great heavyweight rivals hurts his legacy a bit, but the opposition he did have, good heavyweights and great smaller fighters, he destroyed with such ruthless precision and skill that you have to give him credit.

How that transates to a P4P ranking i dont know. Heavyweights will always be at a disadvantage in this case because they cant move up and seek out other opponents. I wouldnt rank him as highly as i do the SRR's, SRL's and Duran's of the world though

[Elroy1]

Louis was the goods. Period. There are a handful of guys who could have handled that footwork on his best day. Something worked there.

For perspective: Marco Huck kicked Povetkin's ass and got the business on the cards. But Louis couldn't hang with the Heavyweights of today.

Too big?

No, seriously?

Lamon Brewster huh?

These threads always kill me.

Plenty of guys around Louis's size have continued to compete at high levels in the division even recently (Chambers, Haye, Adamek, Byrd) and none could carry his jock.

Huck is a multiple champion boxer who stepped up to face Povetkin... Did well. Ultimately LOST! Chambers, Haye and Adamek, all have 2 things that separate them from Louis..

They are all massively larger than Louis ever was through muscle development. They are all massively more athletic than Louis ever was. And they are all supremely more skilled than Louis ever was.

Byrd was no bigger than Louis naturally but Byrd highlights supremely how someone of Byrds calibre competes with HW's by being a master escapologist. Louis competing as a "puncher" is almost comedy really.

The boxer-puncher types like Louis these days are all 6'5"+, 250lbs and highly athletic with supreme skills.

Really, Louis lost to Max Schmelling ffs!

And can you imagine Cunningham or David Haye being knocked out of the ring by Max Baer?

We are talking about a guy (Louis) who was knocked down and nearly out by an ACTUAL emporer penguin!

This Danny Devito look alike, one 2 tonne Tony Galento managed to nearly waste Louis with his so called supreme skills

Anyone interested should look him up. This guy apparently used to get paro before the fight to deaden his nerves

Anybody who lends any credence (again) to this Louis competing with REAL LIFE top level elite boxers should be boycotted and thoroughly dressed down for their ignorance!

[Elroy1]

We are seriously comparing drunken boxers and box car Joe types of the 30's to full blown professional super athletes of today?

None of you REALLY believe that.

Come off the grass!

[Weltschmerz]

Plenty of guys around Louis's size have continued to compete at high levels in the division even recently (Chambers, Haye, Adamek, Byrd) and none could carry his jock.

Based on what? I believe a guy like David Haye would knock Louis through the ropes, which indeed did happen to Louis. He was flattened too several times in his career, buy guys nowhere near the level of todays top guys.

That's just a fact if you look at the taped recordings, compare them, and use common sense.

[Sugar Adam Ali]

Joe Louis was the goods...

I would give him a great chance of beating wlad... Joes combination punching is something that isn't used in the heavy division and I think he would blister everyone but wlad.. And he would have a great chance of beating wlad.. Wlad would be in all sorts of trouble if Louis got inside and ripped some combos... Wlad ain't never seen nothing like that...

[Tom Cruise]

Based on what? I believe a guy like David Haye would knock Louis through the ropes, which indeed did happen to Louis. He was flattened too several times in his career, buy guys nowhere near the level of todays top guys.

That's just a fact if you look at the taped recordings, compare them, and use common sense.

KO'd once as a youngster by a Hall of Famer, and once as a shot old man vs a Hall of Famer. Not that bad really

[Elroy1]

Joe Louis was the goods...

I would give him a great chance of beating wlad... Joes combination punching is something that isn't used in the heavy division and I think he would blister everyone but wlad.. And he would have a great chance of beating wlad.. Wlad would be in all sorts of trouble if Louis got inside and ripped some combos... Wlad ain't never seen nothing like that...

So not only would Joe beat top level CW's who have stepped up to HW who are faster, fitter, more skilled and stronger than he ever was. Not only would he KO the natural superheavyweight punchers that also never existed in his day...

NOW he has a good chance of KOing possibly the most successful technical boxer-puncher to date who always comes in at supreme athletic condition at 250lbs and 6'6"?

How anybody could swallow that is beyond me.

Good old "BoxCar" Joe Louis

This has turned into "ComedyScene"

[Elroy1]

One of these guys fights for millions of dollars. The other fights for sandwiches

Which do YOU think would edge it?

[Weltschmerz]

KO'd once as a youngster by a Hall of Famer, and once as a shot old man vs a Hall of Famer. Not that bad really

He was the same age as Vladimir is today, actually a year younger or so.

[Weltschmerz]

Joe Louis was the goods...

I would give him a great chance of beating wlad... Joes combination punching is something that isn't used in the heavy division and I think he would blister everyone but wlad.. And he would have a great chance of beating wlad.. Wlad would be in all sorts of trouble if Louis got inside and ripped some combos... Wlad ain't never seen nothing like that...

Except that it never happens to prime Vlad, he would find himself in a big, nice, warm bear hug, and Vlad would use his 45 lbs weight advantage to push little Joe down and drain his energy.

Vlad would massacre Joe Louis and KO him badly. Joe Louis was a very stationary fighter, he didn't move around well and was very hittable. Vlad would probably rock him badly with his very first 1-2.

Louis was knocked out by little Max Schmeling, ffs.