Joe Louis, Larry Holmes and Wladimir Klitschko all destroyed their competition and people accuse it of being ''weak'' even though, for example, Wladimirs last 4 opponents were undefeated top contenders/champions, some were bigger than Wlad.
Meanwhile Muhammad Ali struggled with brawling brutes and Lennox Lewis gets kayod by nobodies and their competition is ''tough'' because ''the champion'' struggles.
Joe Louis, like any champion, had some not so great competition but he had some masterful boxers in his resume including Max Schmeling, Joe Walcott & Billy Conn. He also had some brawling monsters including Max Baer, Arturo Godoy, Buddy Baer & 270lbs of muscle in Primo Carnera.
Statistics don't lie; 25 title defenses as undisputed champion is still a record.
Joe Louis, unlike many today, fought everyone and he did not avoid anyone including the future heavyweight king Rocky Marciano.
What does not add up is simply this:
After Louis became heavyweight champion, he defending his title 13 times; these fights came in such rapid succession, and Louis beat all comers so convincingly, that the moniker of "bum of the month club" came to be.
However, this is certainly an oxymoron, as the quality of the competition was hardly "bums". In fact, it was mainly top ten contenders.
You can check this out on Wikipedia's article on Louis:
" Of the twelve fighters Louis faced during this period, five were rated by The Ring as top-ten heavyweights in the year they fought Louis: Galento (overall #2 heavyweight in 1939), Bob Pastor (#3, 1939), Godoy (#3, 1940), Simon (#6, 1941) and Baer (#8, 1941); four others (Musto, Dorazio, Burman and Johnny Paycheck) were ranked in the top ten in a different year."
So much for "Bums".
Louis was so good that anyone he fought would have little chance of winning. Using the foot-dragging style that gave these old fighters such power (as Dempsey described in his book on boxing),
Louis had the leverage plus the talent of a natural heavyweight-killer. He could hit hard with both hands, and no fighter in the history of boxing would be safe facing him.
This is why Louis is considered by most boxing cognoscenti to be the greatest heavyweight of all time, or at least in the top 3. He could hit. Even George Foreman said that Louis was the greatest puncher of all time.
The Billy Conn fight marks the end of the "Bum" era, as everyone had tremendous respect for the then-light heavyweight, and their match was a classic. Then the war arrived, and everything changed.
Louis had a few fights left. By the second Conn fight, Louis was done.
But even then, he fought and beat Jersey Joe Walcott at about the time he should have retired (and he actually did retire after the second fight, but then later made his sad comeback).
Walcott was a cagy, top heavyweight. Louis was past his prime, and he won the first fight by luck.
But in the second one, he KOd Walcott.
So, it does add up. Louis could hit. Louis was the real deal.
Joe Louis is one of the top heavyweights in boxing history. He held the title from 1937-49 and took on and defeated all comers. He would have been great in any era. He had power in both hands, threw rapid combinations with pinpoint accuracy. He was the goods. He did not have a great chin or great footwork. He had killer instinct and a great jab. Yes he was the first or second greatest heavyweight champ ever. Besides he had 25 title defenses.
I admired Joe Louis greatly.....Fought them all, never ducking anyone , giving many fighters a chance that otherwise they never would have been giving at a remote chance to fight for the title.
Held the title for nearly 12 years defending it 25 times and became a national hero serving his country readily during WW11. Never balked at having to leave boxing to do. Donated two purses to both the Army and Nave Relief funds, then this country screwed him big time. Only lost 3 times and 2 of them were after retiring and coming back only to pay back taxes on those two gifts. He lose to Marciano was a complete sham IMO, as in his prime Joe would have KO'D or cut up Marciano #1 or 2 best heavyweight champion both in ad out of the ring.
Joe Louis
A gentleman in and out of the ring
Enough said
Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight that has ever lived.
Although Joe Louis was very popular among white fans and black fans alike, his competition has been referred to as the Bum-of-the-Month Club. If this is an accurate characterization of his competition, why is he always ranked as one of the two or three best heavyweights of all time?
No disrespect to Joe. But something does not add up.
