Joe Louis vs Charley Retzlaff

[@larry4789]

Louis is the best combination punching heavyweight ever. He moved like a stalking big cat and never wasted punches Legend.

[@rory693]

Never seen this fight before. That second knockdown barrage against the ropes reminds me of the Schmeling fight when Louis was battering his head and kidneys with those right hands. Can you imagine being a fight fan in those days and seeing a young Joe Louis for the first time. Crisp tight precision punches, combinations , hand speed. Must have been incredible!

[@carspiv]

Rudey. EXACTLY what I thought when I first saw this clip. It was like a dress-rehearsal for the Schmeling II slaughter. And that left hook that scores the first knockdown!!!

[@marcxopoco]

Retzlaff had an amazing record-- 52 knockouts out of 59 wins. He had wins over Jimmy Braddock, Art Lasky, Jack Roper, Al Ettore, Johnny Risko.

[@SunnyIlha]

Joe L. did indeed have some tough opponents.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@SunnyIlha He fought more ranked contenders than any other heavyweight in history besides Ali.

[@Lcowand1]

That counter left was insane

[@sambrinson6153]

Todate, and without doubt, the greatest heavyweight boxer that ever was, and still is, stands the mighty, incomparable Joe Louis. Period.

[@axelhenriksen129]

Ali was better tho

[@johns7272]

dont be a silly boy

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@axelhenriksen129Nope. Ali is definitely number 2 though

[@axelhenriksen129]

@@Pedro_Le_Chef ali and louis both dominated the division to a similar degree. Ali competed in a much tougher era. He has better names on his record than Louis.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@axelhenriksen129 Ali's era wasn't that much tougher. He did beat bigger names like Frazier and Foreman though. Louis era was really good too the problem is that no one became champion due to Louis's domination so the names don't seem as impressive. Bob Pastor, Lee Ramage, Nathan Mann and Lou Nova were all great fighters. No one knows them though because they never got to be champions, because Louis was there holding the title like a greedy Dragon.

[@erniejoselovitz156]

I only saw Louis in old age. Seeing him in his prime, in the 1930's, is to see one of the greatest heavyweights - accurate, quick hard jabs, a great right hand and left hook, and patient.

[@BrotherPatriot]

...and very, very humble as well. Heck of a human.

[@nilo2604]

3:10 What a superb left hook!!

[@vincentrobinson9645]

Damn he ran right into a perfectly timed Louis left hook . RIP Champ

[@thomaslogue7773]

Joe could knock you out with his jab he had dynamite in both hands and not as slow as people think he set himself to throw powerful punches I love Muhammad Ali but Joe was the best boxer fighter ever seen in a ring

[@majik_man]

Retzlaff is a carbon copy of Fred Fulton. This is exactly how i would picture Fulton fighting. Both seemed to have learned the Minnesota style.

[@marcxopoco]

Joe Louis had 23 knockouts in 27 title fights.

[@SunnyIlha]

He had only 3 losses in his entire career. In 69 bouts.

[@bossplayermfs5972]

Actually he had 22 KO’s in 25 title fights.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@SunnyIlhaAnd 2 of those losses when he came back after 2 years of retirement at 37 years old to fight Prime ATGs Ezzard Charles and Marciano.

[@acetofresh1]

Technically, nobody matches Joe Louis. Not Holmes, not Usyk, not Ali, not Fury. Nobody.

[@FIGHTINGsportTV]

It was clear that this fight wont last long after that beautiful left hook with pivot.

[@ARBIS-19-70]

Beautiful check hook for first knock down

[@SunnyIlha]

1st round left jab, 3:09 very short nearly looks like a left hook. But it's a jab, shortened by the opponent rushing in at Joe. This Joe Louis left jab sent him to the canvas. He could barely get up, struggling. It was a KO punch.

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 I say one thing for the great Joe Louis tho,he was the best 1,2 combination specialist ever...boom boom and you were on your ass!!!!!

[@BrotherPatriot]

Sledgehammers with either fist.

[@marcxopoco]

Louis would have wiped up the ring with Ali and Holmes.

[@stuartperry1047]

After the fight he would have. Ali and Holmes both beat Joe. Ali- easily. Holmes in the later rounds or on points. Nobody wipes the ring with these guys in their prime- especially Ali.

[@johns7272]

hahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,,,oh sorry - you were joking right?

[@winstondurden4427]

Prime Ali beats Louis 10 times out of 10. Prime Liston beats Louis- you do the math.

[@marcxopoco]

Stephen Peyton, proud member of Shills for Ali, posts his fairy tale crap.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

@@stuartperry1047Watch the Lee Ramage fights. Louis can beat both Ali and Holmes. The most technical fighter those guys fought, Kenny Norton, gave them hell. If he punched like Louis, he would have knocked both Holmes and Ali out.

[@Section5_CdnIntelService]

Retzlaff was a good fighter but Joe was in a class all his own. If Charley were fighting today he'd likely weigh about 250 ibs. instead of 198.

[@mr.t658]

why 250

[@Jay-nb1ss]

Joe Louis made him look bad! Louis was a great champion!

[@jeff_r517]

They always talk about Marciano's famed short right against Walcott, but in my view Louis's short left here is every bit as much a thing of beauty. I had to see the slow motion to even realize he threw it.

[@ronaldlevao8251]

The first knockdown one of Louis's specialties--a shot (left hook) of less than 6 inches. Rory calls the second kd exactly below, on the similarity to Schmeling second fight. Charley turns away--he has no answer to the speed and power of Louis, and Louis hammers him with a right to the kidney. Not a foul because he turned away. Can't help but think of Retzlaff's dismay--he probably had heard Louis was good, but not THIS good. Max Baer, soon to be another victim, said in the understatement of the year to Braddock after Jimmy lost his title to Louis--"Kid can punch, can't he."

[@runthomas]

both fighters were trained by jack blackburn...and you can see the way they both stand

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

Didn't know retzlaff was trained by Blackburn

[@mrphilosophical]

hi, whre can i get a full set of this joe louis marathon ?

[@bronysimpson3250]

despite some hesitation, that was a pretty good fight.

[@randomguy546]

holy shit charley has my last name! XD

[@TommyD1213]

randomguy546 yeah he is the great uncle of one of my buddies. That’s why I looked this up

[@joep8787]

Louis was a great fighter, but don't judge him on this one fight. Look at the 1st Conn, 1st Schmeling, 1st Godoy fights. There you have Louis at his prime but looking bad. Retzlaff had no defense. The greatness of Louis was, after fighting someone whose style gave him trouble, he managed to study what went wrong and fix it. Retzlaff's style gave Louis no problems at all.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

Retzlaff was a top contender. Just because Louis dismantled him doesn't mean the guy had no defense. He has a proper stance and good movement. Louis is just too good. Conn got knocked out after he gassed out and became target practice for Louis. Schmeling beat Louis but got destroyed in the rematch. Godoy survived by clinching and won 5 rounds at most. He got obliterated in the rematch as well. If Louis wasn't a good boxer he would have never beat Lee Ramage and Bob Pastor.

[@onlyjoetee]

@marcxopoco perhaps Ali,but im not so sure about Holmes...

[@lee1990lee]

@garethac81 ray robinson greatest fighter louis is the greatest heavyweight he didnt have to say it tho like ali his 25 defences sez it all

[@rickrick5041]

The Ref gave no count on the first knockdown which it looked like he thought was a slip. It was a short left hook that put him down and he should have been given the count.

[@marcxopoco]

lasson shackleton, proud member of The Religion of Ali, posts his fairy tale crap. Ali was knocked down by 185 pound Henry Cooper's left hook, and needed illegal extra time time between rounds before he could continue. Ali was flattened by Joe Frazier's left hook, who was a one armed fighter at the time he fought (throwing only his left). Ali couldn't handle a fighter who knew how to box (Jimmy Young, Doug Jones). Poor Ali wouldn't have had a chance against Joe Louis.

[@stuartperry1047]

Louis was decked twice by Schmeling- and knocked out in their first fight. He was decked by Braddock, Galento, Buddy Baer, Walcott decked him 4 times in two fights, and Marciano decked him before knocking him out. Aside from Frazier- Ali got off the floor to stop every other guy that decked him. You were saying???

[@stuartperry1047]

@@BrotherPatriot I agree with you 100%- on Joe being the most complete Heavyweight. Fundamentally, he is, pound for pound, one of the greatest boxers of all time. I also agree that Joe was screwed over by Uncle Sam, and that it prolonged his career when he should have been retired. I just believe that, at their best, Ali beats him. He would find a way to win.

[@TheGreatA]

It doesn't mean anything really. The Great A... That's it.

[@vincentrobinson3078]

I thought it was the champion who always entered the ring last. What’s Retzlaff doing coming in there last ? Just saying

[@marcxopoco]

This fight was before Louis won the title.

[@mrphilosophical]

what does TheGreatA means ?

[@DrJReefer]

@marcxopoco True, and Ali was a sucker for a left hook. Louis always struggled against dancing boxers though. I think Ali on points unless he started clowing and Louis caught him.

[@stuartperry1047]

Ali beats Joe six different ways until Sunday.

[@LardGreystoke]

Joe knocks him out.

[@Pedro_Le_Chef]

Louis didn't struggle against dancing boxers. He knocked out Ramage twice. He outboxed Pastor in their first fight and knocked him out in the rematch. He beat Walcott twice when Louis was old and past his prime. Conn managed to do very well due to his infighting. If he didn't infight so well he'd have gotten knocked out once Louis caught up to him. Ali has no infighting to speak of, he is a range fighter. The closest he fought to Louis was Norton, and he arguably won all 3 fights against Ali.

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 well thats debatable,but he's top 5 for sure..

[@AceDetectives]

Joe Louis and Cassius Clay were probably tied for Number 1. On a given night either might win. Larry Holmes? Holmes was a bum. Louis would've put him away in a couple of rounds.

[@AssMuncher995]

Holmes ain't no bum, you are.

[@stephenwright1476]

Show some respect! He became Ali-don't forget it-he conceded that Joe was the Greatest.

[@didiervandijk9713]

Incorrect Holmes was a great champion

[@marcxopoco]

@WillieG1990 is another youtube boxing "expert." Ali couldn't handle fighters with fast hands. Doug jones. Jimmy Young. He couldn't see their punches. Louis had faster hands than any any heavyweight. And he could punch. Ali would be toast against Louis.

[@stuartperry1047]

Ali beat those guys you mentioned. Jones was lucky if he won 3 rounds. Check out the refs scorecard for that fight. Patterson's handspeed was the equal of Ali's- and Ali stopped him twice.

[@catatonicandgin5548]

In all Ali's fights that I have watched...I've never ever saw Ali go to the body ...ever...He was only a head hunter...Louis would beat Ali handily ...once he got him hurt...it be all over ...Dempsey, Tunney...would have beat Ali ...Jack Johnson would beat him...Marciano ..was very difficult to land a hurting blow...Only 2 times it happened in 49 fights Walcott and Moore...He was down for a few seconds, more aggravated than hurt...

[@janswart2705]

I don't know if Louis had faster hands than Ali or Patterson, but he was the best finisher of the lot (Tyson being a close second). The one criticism against Ali (aside from his habit of taking unnecessary shots on the ropes) was that he was absolutely useless at infighting, and that is where IMO Louis would have finished him with short inside punches. I think an Ali - Louis fight would end much like Louis - Conn 1 did. They could run, but they certainly couldn't hide.

[@stephenwright1476]

Ditto!

[@marcxopoco]

Ali was lucky if he won 3 rounds against. Doug Jones.

[@kdf1227]

@TheGreatA the great a is a boss name

[@lancelink2812]

God bless you Joe but it truly was a Bum of the month

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 If you study form and technique,overall you'll see,Muhammed Ali Jack Johnson and Larry Holmes were better boxers than Joe Louis,i know you like him,but its true..

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 Power is NOT the most important thing in boxing,a lot of people dont realize this,science is!Ali didnt run,he floated in a circular motion around the opponent.how does that give away control when you cant even hit him?Joe louis was much easier to hit.NO he did not have faster hands than Ali AT ALL.Larry Holmes too is a better boxer than Louis

[@kennethjohnson5179]

Ali floated like a butterfly but how do you explain all the punches he took over his career? He obviously wasn't doing something right. Louis would've added to that punch count. Holmes never fought someone with Louis power and accuracy. He goes down too.

[@stephenwright1476]

25 title defences says it all pilgrim!

[@marcxopoco]

FLOAT LIKE A BUTTERFLY, STING LIKE A BEE, JIMMY YOUNG BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF ME.

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 Personally i think Muhammed Ali,Jack Johnson and Larry Holmes were slightly better than him,id have him at #4 all time...

[@goffeyfalcon]

joe is great but ali would have beat him easy and dont forget ali has the best chin ever he would have got to joe mentally and make him miss a lot more than he is used to, that would get to him plus is eyes would be closing by round nine or ten,

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 Ali was much more dynamic than Louis,quicker hands,much better footwork,he actually floated,much harder to hit,especially the early Ali,not to mention the psychology,no Louis is not above him,no

[@onlyjoetee]

@alexfromgalax87 do you even know what the word technician actually means??you're a Joe Louis fan fair enough,but to say he was the best HW ever technically is bullshit and you know it!!