Who had better handspeed: Mike Tyson or Joe Louis?

[ROSS CALIFORNIA]

If there was any way in hell (lol) that Louis was faster than Tyson, it was unnoticeable to me. As mentioned previously, Louis didn't throw the quick combinations Tyson threw. The Donnie Long fight is a good example of that speed. The finishing combo was a left hook to the body followed immediately with another left hook to the head and with power. No one ever had the combination of hand speed and power that Tyson had as a young fighter.

[metalinmybrain]

If there was any way in hell (lol) that Louis was faster than Tyson, it was unnoticeable to me. As mentioned previously, Louis didn't throw the quick combinations Tyson threw. The Donnie Long fight is a good example of that speed. The finishing combo was a left hook to the body followed immediately with another left hook to the head and with power. No one ever had the combination of hand speed and power that Tyson had as a young fighter.

Not to mention how much bigger Donny Long was in that fight. Tyson obliterated that guy to the point where he made him cry on the canvas lol. Mike was so fast he could make a grown man cry, now that is unbelievable.

[metalinmybrain]

hy i thoughtvit was you!

No it wasn't me, I think it was Hawkins. Not really sure and not in the mood to trace back on it. Lets just jump passed all that OK.

[Underboss]

I don't see how that is such a joke. Louis had really fast hands.

you're just a classic boxing fighter nutthugger. louis was just a power puncher with average speed.

tyson threw power punches combinations with speed, and moved way better than joe louis.

here's proof..

[QueensburyRules]

In his prime, Ezzard Charles was a better over-all boxer then Patterson was, BUT when Rocky fought Charles, he was on the way down. Also, Charles fought most of his career at a lower weight. As far as LaStarza goes, he also was an Outstanding boxer, with an Outstanding record going into the 1st bout with Rocky, BUT he was never a Great boxer.

If I had to rate them at the time they fought Rocky and the time Patterson fought Moore, I would have to say that Patterson would have the edge.

If Rocky stayed around to box Patterson, I can see Patterson winning the opening rounds because of his speed of hand, BUT I can also see Rocky catching up to him in the later rounds and winning by a KO.

- -Even Henry got caught up into the tangle of the misdirection of the thread topic!

I'd say young Clay the fastest of hand and foot in heavy history, but young Tyson could throw quicker combos.

Dempsey damned quick as well. Louis had the timing nailed, and as the saying goes, timing beats speed. No matter, all these guys great!

[them_apples]

Louis did. Tyson was explosive but Louis hands def met the target quicker.

Ali has the fastest hands ive seen, You have to take into account the type of shots being thrown. Ali's were smooth as butter and just let go with no indication whatsoever. Holmes looks fast and is, but he explodes to be fast which is a tell. Same with Tyson.

I disagree that Patterson is quicker, yeah hes fast, but he just moves like a smaller man cause he is, his hands still arent quicker than Alis.

[QueensburyRules]

- -Cus said Buster Mathais faster than Floyd, and given his size and strength advantage, we'd naturally be drawn into Buster the greater fighter, but clearly size and strength and hand speed just one part of the mysterious makeup of a fighter.

[billeau2]

Speed is an unrefined quality... it can become something special, or just be unimportant.

Louis did not have to be fast. He threw his punches with "quickness." That quickness was the result of technique, accuracy, finding the right angle instinctively. Dempsey was similar in theoretical approach, though different in how it applied in the ring... Jack could hit you in a telephone booth.

Tyson had fast explosive hands, a nice low center of gravity and learned to pivot like Dempsey to create openings... again, from speed Mike developed quickness because of technique.

In professional prize fighting seldom is one fast enough to simply use speed to hit an opponent. Most men have to catch someone by taking that speed and making it quick with technical work. Probably the reason for this is, by the time a guy is a professional fighter, they have fast hands.

The exception to this rule of applying speed would be Ali and Jones, both of who were so fast they could simply catch you with just trying to hit fast. There are probably others in the lower weight divisions... if Jones, or Ali never took a boxing lesson in their life? they could probably hit really fast.

A cross example: Ted Williams once took a reflex test and scored so phenomenaly that the test giver said, "an fastball to this guy looks like a g****fruit, and some would say Ted could tell if it was a Florida g****fruit.

Who was faster between Louis and Tyson? Does not matter a bit.

[The Old LefHook]

Is it supposed to be close or something?