I've thought about it considerably, and I might have to place Louis as the best heavyweight ever. It's a hard decision, because boxing has changed so much since then and the way he went about the title was a little tricky. He had 25 defenses of his title, but the majority of them were Bum of the Month types. Johnny Paycheck, Buddy Baer and the rest of Joe Blow and the Nobody Crew. The best guys he beat as champion were Billy Conn and the rematch with Max Schmelling. Schmelling of course blew him out in 12 in their first fight.
What gives Louis considerable clout with the rankings I'd say is his punching power; him and Sonny Liston are my top picks with regards to having the hammer at heavyweight. The punches that Louis landed to knock out Jimmy Braddock and Max Schmeling were whoppers, right hands with everything turned on it and punched right through them.
What I also like about Louis is that he was smart as well as tough. Sure, he had to climb off the canvas almost as much as Floyd Patterson, but he did it and came back to win a lot. He had that perfect flaw that was an integral part of the Felix Trinidad appeal, he was human yet seemed to transcend that role as a man in the ring.
Of course, with the American public still reeling from the in-your-face bravado of Jack Johnson, Joe Louis' image had to be tailored to make him acceptable to the segregated times that he lived in. Listed among Louis' "bad habits" were an addiction to chicken and a voracious appetite for chewing bubble gum. Later it would turn out that he also was just as voracious with women and in later years would struggle with ******* and several other drugs.
During WWII, when I believe Franklin Roosevelt squeezed his muscle and said "We need more muscles like these for the effort", he became the first beloved black man in pop culture for embodying American values. As Jimmy Cannon stated, "Joe Louis is a credit to his race, the human race."
In the modern era of primadonna sports stars, Joe Louis can be appreciated for the talent and class that he intertwined simultaneously. One of the many black eyes that America carries is the way that the IRS harrassed Joe Louis later in his life, subjecting him to such farces as his ill-fated comeback against Rocky Marciano and his sojourn into the world of professional wrestling.
In the end, Louis was left in a somewhat less than majestic state, as a greeter for a Las Vegas casino. He also suffered from bouts of delusions as a result of his issues with drugs. He was given a hero's burial in Arlington National Cemetary when he died in 1981, an ending befitting the great character that he was. Athis funeral, Muhammad Ali whispered into Joe Louis Barrow Jr.'s ear "Your father truly was the greatest."
What gives Louis considerable clout with the rankings I'd say is his punching power; him and Sonny Liston are my top picks with regards to having the hammer at heavyweight. The punches that Louis landed to knock out Jimmy Braddock and Max Schmeling were whoppers, right hands with everything turned on it and punched right through them.
What I also like about Louis is that he was smart as well as tough. Sure, he had to climb off the canvas almost as much as Floyd Patterson, but he did it and came back to win a lot. He had that perfect flaw that was an integral part of the Felix Trinidad appeal, he was human yet seemed to transcend that role as a man in the ring.
Of course, with the American public still reeling from the in-your-face bravado of Jack Johnson, Joe Louis' image had to be tailored to make him acceptable to the segregated times that he lived in. Listed among Louis' "bad habits" were an addiction to chicken and a voracious appetite for chewing bubble gum. Later it would turn out that he also was just as voracious with women and in later years would struggle with ******* and several other drugs.
During WWII, when I believe Franklin Roosevelt squeezed his muscle and said "We need more muscles like these for the effort", he became the first beloved black man in pop culture for embodying American values. As Jimmy Cannon stated, "Joe Louis is a credit to his race, the human race."
In the modern era of primadonna sports stars, Joe Louis can be appreciated for the talent and class that he intertwined simultaneously. One of the many black eyes that America carries is the way that the IRS harrassed Joe Louis later in his life, subjecting him to such farces as his ill-fated comeback against Rocky Marciano and his sojourn into the world of professional wrestling.
In the end, Louis was left in a somewhat less than majestic state, as a greeter for a Las Vegas casino. He also suffered from bouts of delusions as a result of his issues with drugs. He was given a hero's burial in Arlington National Cemetary when he died in 1981, an ending befitting the great character that he was. Athis funeral, Muhammad Ali whispered into Joe Louis Barrow Jr.'s ear "Your father truly was the greatest."
Comment