How Would Joe Louis Have Done In The 1960s or 1970s era

[GordonChen]

Could he succeed and possibly have the most title defense like he did in the 1930s-1950s before losing to Charles or would he have struggled and possibly lose more than he did now
As he had a 66 wins 3 losses and 0 draws so could his record be different if he fought in the 1960s or 1970s era

[Ambling Alp II]

Interesting question.

He would have had some success. He was a great fighter.
In the early 1960s, Liston was the only who would have had much of a chance against him.

He would not have beaten Ali from 1964-1967.
Late 1960s through the mid 1970s, he would have been in some interesting fights with Ali (after Ali came back), Frazier, Foreman etc. Would have won some big fights and lost some big fights. Might occasionally have been upset against someone like Norton, Lyle, Shavers etc.
Probably would have beaten Holmes in the late 1970s but if they fought more than once he might lose once.

He never would have a length title reign like he did.

[GordonChen]

How do you predict his record being

[DrDuke]

It's pretty easy to see him losing to Liston, Frazier, Foreman, Ali and Holmes. The first three had extremely good delivering skills for Louis, who had chin issues. The second too were simply much faster and more advanced. It's harder to predict an outcome in the bouts vs Norton and Young.

[GordonChen]

Only posting a reply for this post to be popular

[elmersalsa]

He would have probably lost to Jerry Quarry.

[GordonChen]

I don’t really think so tho I believe Joe Louis has enough skills and speed and power that will eventually cut quarry and stops him eventually especially quarry was hittable and Louis wasn’t slow

[goose 5]

If Galento could drop Louis with a hook, Quarry could conceivably do worse; but, I'd still take Louis to stop Quarry.

[Ambling Alp II]

The end result was that Louis crushed Galento.
And we are talking about one knockdown in a very long career.

Quarry just wasn't at this level. In his 5 fights against his best opponents: Ali 2x, Frazier 2x, and Norton. He not only went 0-5, but never even made it past the 7th round in any of them. Hard to imagine it being much different against Louis.

Joe Louis was technically sound, had great power and determination, and was a very accurate puncher, maybe the most underrated quality of a fighter. Except for a prime Ali, he had at least 50-50 chance against anyone.

[gilgamesh]

If we're gonna go with the idea of a guy fighting in a different era, I think we could go with the idea of him being a different person as a result of being in that era also right?

So he'd probably be anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds heavier, and preparing to compete in THAT Heavyweight division instead of the one he competed in.

I think he'd have done well, and would've been right in the mix with the best of 'em.

[BroughtonRulesRefuge]

- Ali would've melted in Joe's era and any previous era, ie running around mouthing off to nick decisions or TKOs on minor cuts would not be tolerated.

He did change the face of boxing in his era that was unique in the number of significant changes that occurred in one of the most fractious periods of US and world history. Lining of the Beatles for the KO hard to beat...



BTW, Sir Paul and Sir Ringo are still around and kicking...yeah

[Caractacus]

depends, where there more contenders who were "movers" during the 1930's/1940's
or 1960's/1970's ?

[stac]

A prime Ezzard Charles would have given Ali a very good fight... aka Doug Jones fight...very difficult to compare fighters from different eras..training diet fitness... etc...

[goose 5]

Louis versus Frazier is one of my top dream fights.

[Caractacus]

Joe Louis and Joe Frazier in the same ring !
Joe Louis was 60 years old here and Joe Frazier was still only 30 yrs old in 1974.

[elmersalsa]

I don't think that the great Joe Louis, as great as he was in the 1930s and 1940s decade would be as good as int the 1960s and 70s decade.

One reason? I don't trust his chin. If guys that weighed less than 200lbs knocked him out, I can't fathom him surviving wicked shots like the likes of Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams, Sonny Liston, Earnie Shavers, George Foreman and Smokin' Joe Frazier.

You gotta have a chin of steel to take the shots from those beasts.

[pound per pound]

Could he succeed and possibly have the most title defense like he did in the 1930s-1950s before losing to Charles or would he have struggled and possibly lose more than he did now
As he had a 66 wins 3 losses and 0 draws so could his record be different if he fought in the 1960s or 1970s era

He would lose more often.

[Ambling Alp II]

I don't think that the great Joe Louis, as great as he was in the 1930s and 1940s decade would be as good as int the 1960s and 70s decade.

One reason? I don't trust his chin. If guys that weighed less than 200lbs knocked him out, I can't fathom him surviving wicked shots like the likes of Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams, Sonny Liston, Earnie Shavers, George Foreman and Smokin' Joe Frazier.

You gotta have a chin of steel to take the shots from those beasts.

True, a good chin helps. but it's not like Louis had a glass jaw. He had a long career and was only stopped twice, in two fights 16 years a part. Both opponents were under 200, but look at how well he did against guys who weighed about 250.

Williams, Liston, Shavers, Foreman and Fraizer were all decked by fighters who did not hit as hard as Louis. His own power and all-around ability was superior to all of these guys. Ona given night, sure he could lose. He would have lost more than 3x in his career. However, more often than not, he would have beaten these guys.

[elmersalsa]

I don't think that the great Joe Louis, as great as he was in the 1930s and 1940s decade would be as good as int the 1960s and 70s decade.

One reason? I don't trust his chin. If guys that weighed less than 200lbs knocked him out, I can't fathom him surviving wicked shots like the likes of Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams, Sonny Liston, Earnie Shavers, George Foreman and Smokin' Joe Frazier.

You gotta have a chin of steel to take the shots from those beasts.

True, a good chin helps. but it's not like Louis had a glass jaw. He had a long career and was only stopped twice, in two fights 16 years a part. Both opponents were under 200, but look at how well he did against guys who weighed about 250.

Williams, Liston, Shavers, Foreman and Fraizer were all decked by fighters who did not hit as hard as Louis. His own power and all-around ability was superior to all of these guys. Ona given night, sure he could lose. He would have lost more than 3x in his career. However, more often than not, he would have beaten these guys.

I don't buy it. Billy Conn, who weighed in 168lbs in his first fight with Joe Louis almost knocked him out.

Tammy Mauriello, who decked Louis in the first round, was not a big puncher as George Foreman, Big Cat Williams and Joe Frazier for example to name a few.

Two-Ton Tony Galento? Are we kidding ourselves? Washington only 5'7" and less than 200lbs? Wasn't as talented as Big Cat Williams or Sonny Liston.

Joe Louis was too small even for a heavyweight then.

[Ambling Alp II]

Maybe you aren't buying it because you have so many things wrong.

Mauriello did not knockdown Louis.
Conn did not almost knockout Louis.
Louis never fought anyone named Washington, so I don't know what you are talking with that one.

As for Louis not being big enough, well look at his results against his biggest opponents;

Carnera 260- Louis won by KO 6
Simon 255 - Louis won by KO 13
Simon 254 - Louis won KO 1
Buddy Baer 250 - Louis won by KO 1

Besides, Louis was taller than Liston, Frazier and Shavers. He was about the same as Williams. Only 1-2 inches shorter than Foreman. He would not have outweighed by much in fights against them.

Yes you can just look at negatives about Louis, ignore the positives and ignore the negatives of Williams, shavers, Liston, Foreman, and Frazier. but that would be stupid.

All of these guys have their strengths. (Though shavers and especially Williams less so)
Liston got stopped by Ali and decked by Marty Marshall. Williams got stopped by Liston twice. shavers got stopped by Ron Stander among others. Frazier was stopped 3x. Foreman got ko'd by Ali and knocked down by Jimmy Young of all people.

It's not exactly farfetched to think that Louis could stop any of them. Shavers would have an outside chance against him, and Williams a much farther outside chance. Liston, Frazier, and Foreman would have been interesting.
Most importantly, the scales and the tape measures don't determine fights. Ability does.

[elmersalsa]

Maybe you aren't buying it because you have so many things wrong.

Mauriello did not knockdown Louis.
Conn did not almost knockout Louis.
Louis never fought anyone named Washington, so I don't know what you are talking with that one.

As for Louis not being big enough, well look at his results against his biggest opponents;

Carnera 260- Louis won by KO 6
Simon 255 - Louis won by KO 13
Simon 254 - Louis won KO 1
Buddy Baer 250 - Louis won by KO 1

Besides, Louis was taller than Liston, Frazier and Shavers. He was about the same as Williams. Only 1-2 inches shorter than Foreman. He would not have outweighed by much in fights against them.

Yes you can just look at negatives about Louis, ignore the positives and ignore the negatives of Williams, shavers, Liston, Foreman, and Frazier. but that would be stupid.

All of these guys have their strengths. (Though shavers and especially Williams less so)
Liston got stopped by Ali and decked by Marty Marshall. Williams got stopped by Liston twice. shavers got stopped by Ron Stander among others. Frazier was stopped 3x. Foreman got ko'd by Ali and knocked down by Jimmy Young of all people.

It's not exactly farfetched to think that Louis could stop any of them. Shavers would have an outside chance against him, and Williams a much farther outside chance. Liston, Frazier, and Foreman would have been interesting.
Most importantly, the scales and the tape measures don't determine fights. Ability does.

This is why I don't respect you at all. Because every time we argue about boxing, you bring your two cents of saying things to belittle me. You don't know more boxing than me. But, that's okay. I could play your stupid game, too.

It takes two to tangle. And it takes two for respect to one another, you son of Cain.

Now, let's talk about boxing.

The ONLY THING I got wrong was about Tammie Mauriello. My point was that he rocked the great Joe Louis. That meant to me, that Louis's chin was not as good as his punch.

Max Schmeling knocked him out in 12. Didn't he?

Jimmy Braddock dropped him. I don't recall Braddock in the list of the top 100 punchers of all-time. Do you?

Jersey Joe Walcott dropped Joe Louis 3 times! Twice in the first fight.

Billy Conn almost knocked out Joe Louis. Did you see the fight, mister? I did. Louis was in bad shape from a guy that couldn't hit a lick weighing 168lbs.

Tony Galento dropped him. He was only 5'7" and weighed in 233lbs. OMG! Really?

I was trying to write the word was at the beginning of the sentence and Washington came up in the output. Maybe you knew that that was I tried to write.


And you bring untalented big guys like Primo Carnera, Bud Simon and Buddy Baer into the conversation? Are you serious? Guys like Big Cat Williams would eat those three for dinner. Big Cat wish he fought those guys! Those big guys had no skill, no class, nothing. They could not compete in Randall Tex Cobb's era. Let alone Mike Tyson's, Muhammad Ali's or any other era after 1960.

One shot by the likes of Earnie Shavers, Smokin' Joe Frazier, Big Cat Williams or Sonny Liston on Louis' jaw and the fight is over! That's the reality.

Those guys could fight. Those guys had ability. Those guys can hit and we're solid, big and full of muscle. They were not those slow and clumsy targets that Louis feasted. That's like night and day, bruh.

[Ambling Alp II]

Lets put all of your other silliness aside.
Would Louis be allowed to throw punches against these guys?
I ask because you don't seem to factor that in.

[elmersalsa]

Lets put all of your other silliness aside.
Would Louis be allowed to throw punches against these guys?
I ask because you don't seem to factor that in.

Yes, he would throw a lot. But, he wasn't as big and powerful as those guys. Those guys like Cleveland "Big Cat" Williams, Smokin' Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston and even Earnie Shavers would be too much for the great Joe Louis.

Like I have said, by watching his fights on film, I don't trust Louis' jaw. He got dropped and hurt many times against guys that had less skills and size and strength.

Now, imagine these strong boys. You could put Jerry Quarry into the mix to beat him. Louis ain't beating Quarry. Not with those primitive technical skills of that era.

[Ambling Alp II]

This is hilarious. These guys are too big? i point out bigger guys that Louis beat, then you say that they were as good as the guys you keep mentioning. So ability counts when you want it to, but size is whats important when you want it to be.

Besides, how much bigger than Louis do you think Willaims, Liston, Frazier, Foreman, and Liston are? 5 pounds? 10 pounds? So what?

You don't trust Louis' jaw? He got stopped 1 time before he was way past his best against Walcott. Knocked down in only four fights before that in a long career against opponents of widely varying sizes and abilities.

Do you really trust Earnie Shavers' jaw?
You can cherry pick times where Shavers, Williams, Liston, Foreman, Frazier all looked got hurt, decked or stopped.

Jerry Quarry? He was smaller than Louis!!

[elmersalsa]

This is hilarious. These guys are too big? i point out bigger guys that Louis beat, then you say that they were as good as the guys you keep mentioning. So ability counts when you want it to, but size is whats important when you want it to be.

Besides, how much bigger than Louis do you think Willaims, Liston, Frazier, Foreman, and Liston are? 5 pounds? 10 pounds? So what?

You don't trust Louis' jaw? He got stopped 1 time before he was way past his best against Walcott. Knocked down in only four fights before that in a long career against opponents of widely varying sizes and abilities.

Do you really trust Earnie Shavers' jaw?
You can cherry pick times where Shavers, Williams, Liston, Foreman, Frazier all looked got hurt, decked or stopped.

Jerry Quarry? He was smaller than Louis!!

Joe Louis was great in his time. He would have not succeeded as a heavyweight champion after 1960.

Those guys that Louis beat, even though they were 60 or 50 pounds over him were a bunch of stiffs. Let's called it like it is....stiffs!

In no way or shape or form Louis would have been successful at heavyweight after 1960. From Sonny Liston on down, he would have been too small and his jaw would be his Achilles heel.

Yes, I have said it. If guys like Billy Conn almost knocked him out, I imagine Jerry Quarry with him. I am sorry, but, in my view, he destroys Joe Louis.

Like I have said, Louis ain't beating Quarry and none of those guys that I have mentioned. Not with those primitive skills. They were bigger, stronger, more skilled and probably faster.

A guy like Tony Galento would have never dropped Quarry even if Quarry fights him with one hand.

That's the reality. I call it like I see it.