Why is Joe Louis Rated so Highly?

[tangalog2200]

I won't pretend I'm an expert on his resume, but he has a lot of good names from that time period and did set the record for most defenses of the HW title.

Just as a boxing fan watching, he was a tremendous offensive fighter. Technique, variety, balance, moving forward or back, he was a treat to watch. As good an offensive fighter as has ever existed in the HW division.

right on the button, you are!

joe was a great talented hw boxer when boxing was the "political arena" for supremacy between nations...that's why his fights with max and company were not only great in the boxing sense but also of the political victory rightfullly or wrongly attached to these bouts...

[Capaedia]

Wlads resume is nowhere close to Louis's...Joes resume was far from great but Wlads is even further away

Walcott x2
Conn x2
Schmeling

Farr
(Max) Baer
Braddock
Bivins
Carnera
Sharkey

Mauriello
Godoy
Galento

I could expand on the third tier but I don't feel the need to.

Louis' resume was great.

[Larry the boss]

Walcott x2
Conn x2
Schmeling

Farr
(Max) Baer
Braddock
Bivins
Carnera
Sharkey

Mauriello
Godoy
Galento

I could expand on the third tier but I don't feel the need to.

Louis' resume was great.

Touche'........

[Weltschmerz]

Joe Louis was a chinny fighter, he was dropped countless times during his career and we have the bad KOs handed to him by Schmeling and Marciano.

As mentioned previously, his footwork lacked, no lateral movement. The first Walcott fight was highly controversial, with a majority of the ringside boxing writers present giving the decision to Walcott. The fight showed that Louis had little answer to boxers who moved well. He was also truly outclassed by Ezzard Charles, who gave him a boxing lesson.

[Godsfly]

Joe Louis was a chinny fighter, he was dropped countless times during his career and we have the bad KOs handed to him by Schmeling and Marciano.

As mentioned previously, his footwork lacked, no lateral movement. The first Walcott fight was highly controversial, with a majority of the ringside boxing writers present giving the decision to Walcott. The fight showed that Louis had little answer to boxers who moved well. He was also truly outclassed by Ezzard Charles, who gave him a boxing lesson.

wlad would have gotten knocked out of the ring considering that louis was fighting in A era of small puny gloves for heavyweights. taking a flush shot on the chin with 12 ounce gloves is A lot different then taking a punch on the chin with 5oz or 8oz gloves at heavyweight.



joke comparison.............

[soul_survivor]

I'm not one to denigrate Wladimir's title reign, but Joe Louis' reign is the benchmark for all champions. Not just the heavyweights.

You can count the #1 contenders he didn't face on one hand, and the #2 contenders on the other. As I said above, he fought every heavyweight champion between Sharkey and Marciano (beating all of them except Charles and Marciano. These bouts were after his first retirement). How many fighters can you say did something similar?

This is a timeline from 1929 to 1952 as well, not just the years from Louis' title reign. He managed to do this alongside joining the army during WWII.

Wlad's longevity and title reign are impressive. But it doesn't compare. Very few do.



It was known as the bum of the month club because a know-nothing journalist referred to it as such once.

Most of those men were top 10 contenders. They weren't all time greats but they definitely weren't bums. They look worse in hindsight, however, Louis lined them up like bowling pins and knocked them down at a rate of ~five a year. What more could you want?

Most of Wlad's opponents are top 10 contenders too

[soul_survivor]

Walcott x2
Conn x2
Schmeling

Farr
(Max) Baer
Braddock
Bivins
Carnera
Sharkey

Mauriello
Godoy
Galento

I could expand on the third tier but I don't feel the need to.

Louis' resume was great.

-Walcott is a top tier guy...ATG? No.
-Conn is a great light heavyweight
-Schemling, decent fighter, good top level at the time but not someone who would be ranked in a heavyweight top 30

The other names speak for themselves. That's a good to very good resume but not great, the p4p elites have name after name of ATG fighters or HOFers, just look at what Ali went through, or Robinson, or Armstrong, then come back to me and say Louis compares in terms of resume.

[Sceptic]

Imagine a heavyweight as spectacular as Roy Jones was at middleweight. Then imagine a fighter like that who stayed on top for many years. Hard to imagine someone that great. Someone that fought everyone.

[Weltschmerz]

wlad would have gotten knocked out of the ring considering that louis was fighting in A era of small puny gloves for heavyweights. taking a flush shot on the chin with 12 ounce gloves is A lot different then taking a punch on the chin with 5oz or 8oz gloves at heavyweight.



joke comparison.............

yeah so imagine what would happen to Louis taking that ramrod jab, let alone the right steelhammer to follow. Smashed insect on the canvas.

[paulf]