On June 18, 1941 at the old New York City's Polo Ground, The Pittsburgh Kid, the great Billy Conn, challenged the great heavyweight champion of the world Joe Louis. Louis behind on points, came from behind in the 13th round to stop Conn. It was one the all time greatest fights.
Conn almost becomes the first light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight crown. It was The Pittsburgh Kid finest hour. All he had to do was run around the Rosie, but, he elected to trade with one of history's greatest punchers and paid the price. It was one of The Brown Bomber's toughest fights.
It also pointed out that Conn came too light for the fight and by the middle of the match, he was weighting only 168lbs. That was suicidal!
Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
elmersalsa wrote:On June 18, 1941 at the old New York City's Polo Ground, The Pittsburgh Kid, the great Billy Conn, challenged the great heavyweight champion of the world Joe Louis. Louis behind on points, came from behind in the 13th round to stop Conn. It was one the all time greatest fights.
Conn almost becomes the first light heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight crown. It was The Pittsburgh Kid finest hour. All he had to do was run around the Rosie, but, he elected to trade with one of history's greatest punchers and paid the price. It was one of The Brown Bomber's toughest fights.
It also pointed out that Conn came too light for the fight and by the middle of the match, he was weighting only 168lbs. That was suicidal!
How did they know that, was he weighed.
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Ambling Alp II
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Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
Obviously each fighter was weighed between rounds. 
The story goes that Conn really only weighed 169 and they fudged the weights. Who knows.
What I have always found baffling about this fight is that it really was not all like what it is reported as. Supposedly Conn moved around for 12 rounds and then suddenly started going toe to toe in the 13th.
Really, Conn fought a lot more in closer range during the 12 rounds than you would think. In the 13th, it doesn't really look like Conn did anything stupid. It was really more of Louis waking up after sleepwalking for 12 rounds.
It's also often mentioned that Conn just had to last the final three rounds and he would have won. That isn't true. Louis was not that far behind on the judges scorecards. If Louis would have won the final three rounds, he still would have retained the title with a decison.
The story goes that Conn really only weighed 169 and they fudged the weights. Who knows.
What I have always found baffling about this fight is that it really was not all like what it is reported as. Supposedly Conn moved around for 12 rounds and then suddenly started going toe to toe in the 13th.
Really, Conn fought a lot more in closer range during the 12 rounds than you would think. In the 13th, it doesn't really look like Conn did anything stupid. It was really more of Louis waking up after sleepwalking for 12 rounds.
It's also often mentioned that Conn just had to last the final three rounds and he would have won. That isn't true. Louis was not that far behind on the judges scorecards. If Louis would have won the final three rounds, he still would have retained the title with a decison.
Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
If it were a 12-round fight Conn would have won it... He hurt Louis in the 12th and dominated the round. His shoes gave him problems. Conn was wearing very slippery slidey shoes. He lost his footing a few times and slid to the canvas.
Conn overplayed his left hook throughout the fight almost like Joe Frazier. His favorite combination was a left hook to the liver, left hook to the jaw, right uppercut, double left hook to the jaw. He needed to change it up more with jabs and straight rights. He didn't have good range or power on his right or a consistent punishing jab. If you have one brilliant weapon, you need to work overtime on your other weapons to bring them up - or your opponent will sit on your hook like Foreman did Frazier with the right uppercut - and Schmeling did Louis's jab with the right counter. In speed and athleticism Conn was ahead of Tunney. What Tunney had over Conn was every weapon was excellent. Any time an opponent made an adjustment Tunney hit them with something new.
After Blackburn screamed at him enough times Louis started to counter Conn's hook with the uppercut.. In the 13th he got Conn several times with right uppercuts and other rights and he knew Conn was in trouble.. Conn tried to fake it instead of grabbing or running. Louis finished Conn off with all the passion of a guy loading a pickup. Joe had been well behind in a really exciting fight, but he didn't celebrate to change expression. I've never seen a boxer react with as much indifference to victory as Louis.
Conn overplayed his left hook throughout the fight almost like Joe Frazier. His favorite combination was a left hook to the liver, left hook to the jaw, right uppercut, double left hook to the jaw. He needed to change it up more with jabs and straight rights. He didn't have good range or power on his right or a consistent punishing jab. If you have one brilliant weapon, you need to work overtime on your other weapons to bring them up - or your opponent will sit on your hook like Foreman did Frazier with the right uppercut - and Schmeling did Louis's jab with the right counter. In speed and athleticism Conn was ahead of Tunney. What Tunney had over Conn was every weapon was excellent. Any time an opponent made an adjustment Tunney hit them with something new.
After Blackburn screamed at him enough times Louis started to counter Conn's hook with the uppercut.. In the 13th he got Conn several times with right uppercuts and other rights and he knew Conn was in trouble.. Conn tried to fake it instead of grabbing or running. Louis finished Conn off with all the passion of a guy loading a pickup. Joe had been well behind in a really exciting fight, but he didn't celebrate to change expression. I've never seen a boxer react with as much indifference to victory as Louis.
Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
This was Louis 7th fight in 7 months and he was contacted to weigh in under 200 lbs. for the fight. I think there is a good case for Louis being "stale" in this fight and the footage appears to show that.
Regarding Louis deadpan expression after the fight it is common knowledge that being a black man, certain behaviours drawn up by his own management had to be adhered to by Joe regarding celebrating victories so not to draw comparisons to Jack Johnson.
Regarding Louis deadpan expression after the fight it is common knowledge that being a black man, certain behaviours drawn up by his own management had to be adhered to by Joe regarding celebrating victories so not to draw comparisons to Jack Johnson.
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elmersalsa
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Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
Was this the great announcer Don Dunphy's first major call in a fight?
Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
i've got dunphy's auto biography around somewhere in my shelves o boxing books but i'm too lazy to get it out. but, i think he said how lucky he was in getting this as his first fight to call. if no one else comes up with a definite answer i'll look it up.
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Counter-puncher
- Heavyweight
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Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
Ambling Alp II wrote:
What I have always found baffling about this fight is that it really was not all like what it is reported as. Supposedly Conn moved around for 12 rounds and then suddenly started going toe to toe in the 13th.
Really, Conn fought a lot more in closer range during the 12 rounds than you would think. In the 13th, it doesn't really look like Conn did anything stupid. It was really more of Louis waking up after sleepwalking for 12 rounds.
It's also often mentioned that Conn just had to last the final three rounds and he would have won. That isn't true. Louis was not that far behind on the judges scorecards. If Louis would have won the final three rounds, he still would have retained the title with a decison.
good points
Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
Louis was doing his best. Conn was just very difficult to nail with jabs, Louis's favorite weapon.. Louis was getting riddled with hooks and couldn't stop them. The solution was the right uppercut, but that takes your guard away from your face and the hooks are getting you. Louis was reluctant to throw them. Blackburn really ripped into Louis before the 13th round and told him he needed a KO. He got the right uppercut going.
You have to go underneath with these smaller, shorter hookers. That's what Archie Moore kept yelling at Foreman in the Frazier fight. Ali threw a lot of straight shots at Frazier's bobbing head. Foreman came with uppercuts and 45's and he couldn't miss.
You have to go underneath with these smaller, shorter hookers. That's what Archie Moore kept yelling at Foreman in the Frazier fight. Ali threw a lot of straight shots at Frazier's bobbing head. Foreman came with uppercuts and 45's and he couldn't miss.
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Ambling Alp II
- Super Middleweight
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Re: Louis vs Conn I: 75 Years Later
Louis clearly was not doing his best. He was lethargic. Louis wasn't using his jab (or anything else for that matter). That was the problem. It wasn't that he was missing punches, he simply wasn't throwing nearly enough. He should have done what he did in the 13th round sooner.
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Caractacus
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