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I was sat in a sun-seared Villa in a Spanish village watching the sports channel with my grandfather, we were watching a boxing show from France and two young fighters were contesting the regional novice title. My grandfather had boxed as a youth and as the bout began one fighter caught his eye; the guy was tall and upright and got tagged early on in the bout. His enemy advanced on him, as the hurt fighter retreated he vainly tried to return fire yet his balance was off. My grandfather said: “He won’t last long in boxing, he is trying to punch, defend and move; you can tell by the way he hits that he can’t punch. The other guy is going to walk through him.” [details]
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I’ve been watching some Louis fights and his punching power, accuracy and ability to throw combinations is unparalleled in boxing, IMHO. I watched the Galento massacre and my God, Two Ton Tony could sure take pain and punishment. By the way - there is a short but fabulous read on Tony Galento entitled Two Ton: One Night, One Fight -Tony Galento v. Joe Louis, by Joseph Monninger. What a character Galento was. Back to Joe Louis. Everyone talks about his right hand but the left hook, thrown from various angles and especially the short left hook was his “Good Night Irene” punch. It dropped Galento to his knees, ending that fight and made Max Baer quit after multiple knockdowns. Sure, you can criticize Louis for his defense and unguarded stance but that was common back in his era. Watching colorized and upscaled versions of past Louis fights is a real treat. What a chiseled body with no wasted movement and precise punching. A true legend.
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