The Genius Who Slayed Heavyweight Giants Explained

Joe Louis was perhaps the smartest boxer of all time. And here's why.

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Who do you think was the smartest boxer of all time? Aggressive Defense: www.modernmartialartist.com/dowloads/head-movement-blocks-counters/ Footwork Wins Fights: www.modernmartialartist.com/downloads/footwork-wins-fights/ Principles of Power: www.modernmartialartist.com/downloads/power-of-the-pros/ Mortal Weapons the Fight Comic: www.amazon.com/Mortal-Weapons-David-Christian-ebook/dp/B07T4X4W1K/

[@CraicDealer]

Would have to be Roberto Duran for me

[@runlikebettis3677]

Smartest offensive fighter: Sugar Ray Robinson Smartest defensive fighter: sweet pea Whitaker Smartest businessman: money maywether

[@ckgbuckets5949]

Floyd cause his ability to make adjustments and figure guys out mid fight

[@striperking6083]

Nobody in boxing history adjusted like Joe did . Opponents fell like they were shot by a 30-06 . In his prime 1937-1942 he is the GOAT!

[@jaydub2971]

Hagler was worthy of consideration for this distinction, as were Armstrong, Chavez Sr, & Whitaker

[@eddicarlo5362]

25 successful title defenses. A record that still stands and likely won’t ever be broken in any weight division.

[@YungCole18]

Most people don’t even fight for a belt in 25 fights now a days

[@The_Ex_Boxing_Nerd]

They use to fight more fights before fighting for a belt, so what difference does it make?

[@someboi4903]

Didn’t Julio Cesar Chavez sr. get really close though ?

[@sebastianblackfyre]

Most impressive boxer along with Ali and Robinson

[@leonthefreon6765]

He was so efficient with his footwork and was always in position to punch. RIP to the Brown Bomber

[@CraicDealer]

It's great to see someone talking about Joe's ring iq, it's normally just his power that is mentioned. Interestingly, Joe's trainer said it was years before he found out that Joe had learning difficulties. None the less, his boxing iq was beautiful.

[@autarko]

His learning difficulties obviously didn't apply to boxing.

[@purobrim36XX]

Learning disabilities only affect that of which you’re not interested in. See for Louis boxing was his love so there was more than interest Wich made it seem as if he had no disability. I know because I suffer from learning disabilities.

[@frog6054]

@@purobrim36XX Hold up, learning disabilities only affect something that you're not interested in? Sounds like I have one too lol.

[@bossplayermfs5972]

He only had a speech impediment that’s all.

[@stevenkelby2169]

@@frog6054 Yeah we've all got learning difficulties with shit we're not interested in! 😂

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Short, tall, heavy and light he could take them all on, changing game plans drastically between fights to be tailored towards specific fighters and changing game plans mid fight and even mid round. People also forget how powerful a puncher he is, he's considered in the top ten hardest hitters and he punched so hard that he knocked out the gum shield of an opponent and the entire front row of their teeth and gums came out with it. He broke so many bones it's quite scary. And looking at his defense, he lost to only 3 people who are all boxing greats and 2 were at the end of his career and the other one he avenged in spectacular fashion, all were lighter and shorter than him as well, so it's not like the "just too big" crowd can say that, that was his trouble, as he defeated 6ft 6 3/4, 85 inch, 263lb (all muscle) giants. He's the only boxer, I'm aware of that developed a method to nullify a clinch, by placing the top of his head on their chest, it allowed him to pummel them, while those giants couldn't respond as he was inside their reach and it made easier for him to defend off it as well. I find it weird other boxers don't use this move I guess because those fight were over so quickly with spectacular knock outs you wouldn't notice, the method he used.

[@eol6632]

Other have used versions of using your head in an opponents chest to control distance and spacing. Holyfeild did this in his own way, resulting in Alot of head butts as he switched from one side to another.

[@joshreynolds729]

Yeah that is true.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@eol6632 although holyfield I don't believe was using it to prevent a clinch, a great example being one of his most successful one which was in Holyfield vs Mike Tyson 1, obviously Mike Tyson wasn't going to clinch, he was going for the inside. Which Holyfield "accidentally" headbutted him while doing it.

[@franciscogarcia1867]

Nigga shut up “front row of teeth came off” talking like if you witnessed it

[@jamesross7675]

That was liston who embedded the guys teeth in the glove

[@lonestar6709]

The greatest heavyweight ever. Almost mythical power and accuracy. His hands were so fast, and brutal, you just wouldn't believe it. Regularly, he knocked out guys 70lbs heavier than him. And the bridges he burnt for equality, has never been equaled. _"I used to carry his kitbag, just so I could be near him."_ -Sugar Ray Robinson.

[@jeffriessman9693]

Joe Lewis was great. When I think of fastest heavyweights of all time i never think of Joe Lewis I always think of Ali. He has the fastest jab recorded. Could Move and dance around for 15 rounds. Joe Lewis Had a much bigger punch and more power Then Ali ever did. Ali Was an extremely smart fighter too.

[@The_king567]

@@jeffriessman9693 ali moved around yea but he didn’t hit as hard as joe did and ali wasn’t as good on defense as joe was

[@jeffriessman9693]

@@The_king567 Joe Lewis hit twice as hard as Ali. Had better defense. But Ali was so gifted he didn't even have to put his hands up. He had cat like reflexes. I think Joe Lewis is great but no one in his Era had the speed of Ali. We never even saw Ali in his prime. I can't even imagine how good he could have been. He threw flurries of punches. Ali is a different breed.

[@anonymousanonymous3707]

Louis just out there slaying giants then have his usual casual stroll back to the corner .... Nitrogen cold

[@app6984]

@@jeffriessman9693 Nope. Ali wasn't a different breed. Most boxers would get tempted by a open target and start to head hunt. That's why it was so easy for him to slip because all he really did was move backwards and sideways. When you have a boxer like joe louis that was able to adapt at a moments notice and completely dominate other boxers after he was stunned and knocked down you really cant compare Ali and louis. Because fighters like this don't fall out of their prime in the first place.

[@whothehellcares2667]

watching Joe Louis is always beautiful to me. One thing I notice is how he lived in an era where winging punches was the norm for power punchers. Most guys really loaded up their punches to achieve max damage but Joe never loaded up. Everything was short, concise and accurate but still devastatingly powerful. Joe definitely belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Boxing. Thanks for putting more people onto his greatness!

[@samtotheg]

Joe's era and prior era was more technical sound than what came after your assessment of prior eras are wrong.

[@MackTheGovnah]

Louis had a truly great trainer, Jack “Chappy” Blackburn who taught him that balance was his greatest asset in the ring.

[@ThomasToPC]

Joe Louis showed the highest level of what Japanese call mikiri 見切り, the ability to see through an opponent’s technique and find a counter. Thanks for the great video with all the insightful explanations!

[@gregoryw.1160]

I love how Joe Louis made such excellent micro-adjustments to open up things for his right. He did that by maintaining that perfect base with excellent balance, sliding his feet, leaning of center. He could change his line of attack with simplicity, almost like a statuesque ghost (I’m not making sense, but neither did his abilities)!!

[@Ontonaut]

You can see how he had such disciplined form which would allow a fighter to adjust that way. Very different from Marciano with his much looser form. But styles make fights as they say, and the greats take their own unique gifts and build them in their own ways

[@DonCarlosHormozi]

I visited Joe's grave at Arlington. As I stood there, my eyes welled up...I couldn't help it. A great great man.

[@kencusick6311]

My favorite moment in the Max Baer fight is when Louis throws a left hook and misses. He checked the hook in mid air, let his momentum lift both feet off the ground but he was so well balanced he landed square on both feet and threw another left hook. That’s punching with perfect balance. My dream fight would be with George Foreman. It would never get past three rounds.

[@paysonfox88]

Most people want to see him fight Muhammad Ali in a dream match. Muhammad Ali might be the one man that could out point him in his prime. He was just too fast to catch back in the day. You take 1967 Muhammad Ali against 1937 Joe Lewis, that would be one hell of a fight. As for Max Baer, he said that at one point after being hit by a combination, that his vision split into three. He got hit so hard, that he started seeing three or four Joe Lewis's in the ring with him. He said that when that happen, he got real scared

[@siddharthm285]

@@paysonfox88 he was vulnerable against inside guys who could hit hard, like Marciano and that smelly dude MMM did a video about. I think Tyson amd maybe even Frazier could give him a bad day as well.

[@jameslough6329]

@@siddharthm285 Uh, Tami Mauriello, Paulino Uzcudun, Red Burman, Al McCoy, King Levinsky, Jack Roper. All small inside fighters who hit hard that got obliterated by Louis. He would have given Frazier and Tyson a bad day. His patience, stamina, power, timing, reflexes, hard/accurate jab, and tremendous ring intelligence would have all been too much

[@Alex-cw3rz]

8:39 Just keep in mind how powerful Max Bear is here, he'd previously ki lled someone in the ring, in a previous fight he knockout out 263lb (almost all muscle as well) 85 inch reach 6ft 5 and half Primo Carnera who had never been knocked out before, and Joe Louis came at 198lbs.

[@TheRiclaw89]

Max killed two boxers in his career one died in the ring the other died in the ICU

[@TheRiclaw89]

@Bustopher McCumbus he sheard their brain stems that takes power

[@Alex-cw3rz]

​​@Bustopher McCumbus I mean that's a St upid argument that's like a bullet isn't powerful enough to k ill somebody because some people survive bullet wounds, so it must be other factors that caused those de aths. He had an exceptionally hard punch which caused them to d ie, however it is true that if it happened in the 1950s and later after all the advancements in medicine made during ww2 they probably would have survived. But that's same with bullets.

[@thamwisai1]

His great trainer Jack Blackburn wanted to give Joe a hybrid style of Joe Gans and Sam Langford, the two legends that Blackburn fought …. Blackburn created a monster

[@paysonfox88]

Samuel Langford was the scariest boxer of the early 1900s. He is one of the few boxers for which weight classes did not matter. He fought Jack Johnson, and lost a very close fight. After that, Jack Johnson wanted no part of him... He went out of his way to avoid fighting Langford again.

[@bossplayermfs5972]

@@paysonfox88 Not only that hell Jack Dempsey said that he was afraid of Sam Langford.

[@robertreyes8792]

Sam Langford has one of the most, if not the most insane-looking resumes in the sport.

[@stephenwright1476]

@@robertreyes8792 Insane? You said it. When he was blind in one eye, cataract, he fought an up and coming fighter. Second round and he suddenly couldn't see in the other eye. Completely blind. The bell rang. He stood up and waited. He sensed the other fighter closing in and he knocked him out cold with one punch. That IS insane!

[@Mr.56Goldtop]

I like how he stepped into that uppercut instead of just throwing it from outside. And yes, he was very frugal with his punches, opting for higher percentage shots. And no pitter patter stuff either. Each punch mean business, and business was guuud!

[@seniordavidmanderson9232]

Joe Louis historical contributions towards racial equality was unprecedented. Joe volunteered to enlist in United States Army January 10, 1942 and during a charity bout Louis said, "We'll win cause we're on God's side." He was buried in Arlington National cemetery with full military honors. Joe Louis was a hero.

[@seniordavidmanderson9232]

A couple weeks before the bout Joe Louis was ordered to visit the white house where Franklin D. Roosevelt told him, "Joe, we need your muscles to beat Germany." Louis later admitted, "I knew i had to get Schmeling good. I had my own personal reasons and the whole damned country was depending on me." June 22, 1938 with 71,000 people in Yankee Stadium Joe Louis met Max Schmeling and millions of folks around the world was listening by radio in English, German, Spanish and Portuguese. Here in America factories, businesses, families, everyone huddled around radios, all of America stopped for a moment. Schmeling managed to throw only two punches entire fight. Joe landed blows to his head and body that could knock down a brick wall. Max screamed when Joe literally broke his back. With the world on the precipice of WWII, Louis hammered Hitler's symbol of Aryan supremacy with his 1938 destruction of Germany's Max Schmeling. It is considered among the most important moments in sports history.

[@seniordavidmanderson9232]

Joe Louis said how he would fight Ali Feb.1967 Ring mag, "The kid has speed and there’s no one around to outbox him, and the opponent who tries is in his grave, especially in the middle of the ring. I’d see to it that Clay didn’t stay in ring center. No. He’d be hit into those ropes as near a corner as I could get him. If he stayed on the ropes he would get hurt. Sooner or later he’d try to bounce off, when he did he would get hurt more. I’d press him, cut down his speed, and bang him around the ribs. I’d punish the body. “Kill the body and the head will die”, Chappie use to tell me. It figures. Sooner or later he’d forget about that face of his and he would start dropping that left hand like he did against Mildenberger and Chuvalo. Those fellows got their openings by accident, and fouled it up. I would work for it and wouldn’t reckon to miss when it arrived. Cassius Clay is a nice boy and a smart fighter. But I am sure i would have licked him."

[@danhoppy5517]

@@seniordavidmanderson9232 That is the fight I have always wanted to see. I think if it goes the distance, Ali wins a lop-sided decision. But Joe could hurt you from either side, early or late, and if Joe Frazier and Henry Cooper could floor him with hooks, Louis puts him to sleep if he catches up with him.

[@stavros693000]

@@seniordavidmanderson9232 yeah but ali was the master of laying on the ropes and making his opponent miss.....if foreman couldnt hurt him then louis has no chance...though ill concede that louis was a smarter fighter than young foreman and wouldnt have wasted his punches!.......imo Ali in 70s was too smart and a 60s prime Ali would have killed louis....death by a thousand cuts -- so to speak! ....Prime louis might beat 70s Ali but prime Clay/Ali....Not a chance!

[@Uuyrijies1123]

@@stavros693000 Ali got hit with body shots by Foreman when he did the rope a dope, it was only when Foreman was tired that Ali capitalized his temporary weakness. Ali also got hit with body shots by Frazier in the Thrilla In Manilla, albeit a lot worse. But aim for his head and you’ll be punching air.

[@davidmccann9811]

Joe Louis's record and legacy speaks for itself. One of the truly great sports legends of the 20th century.

[@sanchez5963]

You don’t need to tell people how great he was. Just say this: 25 title defences. I’m going to say this again. TWENTY-FIVE.

[@zhafranfakhry5005]

I kept coming back to this vid. A great ring IQ lesson!

[@colincampbell7928]

The more I look into Joe Louis the more I appreciate him as being the greatest heavyweight of all. Beautifully put together video.

[@TheKamiBunny]

Its so strange that i'm watching this footage and Joe Louis looks like a different fighter each time. The techniques he uses varies so much.

[@ascendediam]

Looney

[@glynhannaford7332]

Joe Louis was a sublime boxer and this video profiling him is a masterpiece. Well done. 👏

[@MelloCello7]

Not the flashiest video you've made, but dare I say it is one of the best. Thank you for being a consistent source of quality on an increasingly faltering platform. Your content never fails to deliver✊

[@fernandoandres2434]

You set an impressive standard for high quality work. Bravo!

[@eol6632]

He's underrated in the modern age. Becoming more frequent with fighters pre 1950's these day unfortunately

[@larrysellers7891]

I’d like to offer my sincerest gratitude for these pieces on Joe Louis. I’ve long considered the man to be the greatest boxer to ever grace the heavyweight division. These pieces articulate that much better than I could. 🙏

[@bungalo50]

Watching him feels like watching a 21st century boxer who time travelled to the forties to beat the shit outta everyone

[@mr11456]

Bruh build like a mf house

[@remyhavoc4463]

That time I got reincarnated as a 1940's professional boxer

[@kennethjohnson5179]

21st century boxers don’t box as well as the great Joe Louis.

[@paysonfox88]

@@remyhavoc4463 too bad you lost your nation of tempest. Must have been the hard realizing you couldn't rule over the entire known world. And think of Veldora... You left him all alone just to go box.

[@aoa7520]

@@remyhavoc4463 hahaha

[@The-Dom]

He was so poised and balanced in the pocket. A sign of a great fighter. But you're right his gift was his intellect, he could read the other guys balance so well and take advantage.

[@austinknowlton1783]

There's an old saying in boxing; Speed Kills. Goes back at least as far as the safety campaign of the same name that was aimed at young drivers in the 1950's. Speed is everything in boxing, and as fast as Joe's hands were his feet were faster. Ya gotta be in the right spot and have your feet planted to generate power like that, and Louis was a master of it. Ring Genius. Similar to Tyson believe it or not, another heavyweight with incredibly fast feet.

[@kennethjohnson5179]

Joe was very subtle with his movements so most people missed it.

[@blackknight7072]

The problem with Joe Louis is he was so good you actually had to slow the film down to see the hidden skills, no Ali, Marciano, Tyson, holmes, or Lennox has this skill. That doesn't mean those guys weren't great in the ring, of course, they were but Joe was on a different level. There's the fight he had with Braddock he punched James' left hand out the way and hit him with his right, no fighter has done this before no fighter has done it since. He really was the superhero of boxing.

[@stevenkelby2169]

Ali was much faster.

[@jameslough6329]

@@stevenkelby2169 Ali was much faster with his feet not with his hands. Joe Louis’ handspeed was definitely on par with Ali

[@kennethjohnson5179]

@@stevenkelby2169 Ali was fast but less skilled. He took way too many punches once his speed diminished. He also took some good shots when he had his speed.

[@whtpwr]

Come on Marciano beat him like he was late on the rent.

[@jameslough6329]

@@whtpwr I really REALLY hope this is a joke! It probably is. Joe Louis was FAR out of his prime when he decided to take on Marciano, he was 37 years old, did not have his world class trainer (Jack Blackburn) anymore, was not nearly as fast as he was in his prime, and was overall a complete shell of his former self. Only a fool would seriously criticize Louis for losing to Marciano in that stage of his career, especially since he still put up a fight and lasted a respectable 8 rounds.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

7:40 and remember he is fighting heavyweights in 6oz and 8oz gloves so those shots are of course going to sting, so don't think this is an issue with his chin or anything as that was very solid. Only schmeling a very hard puncher and Rocky Marciano one of the hardest punchers in world history and still considered with Joe Louis himself as well in the top ten hardest hitters of all time

[@mr.doctorcaptain1124]

my man filling the comment section with facts

[@surrealistidealist]

13:44 Looks more like 540 degrees to me, if you count him still turning lying down. 😅

[@deansharpe7499]

My favourite boxer of all time and the greatest heavyweight of all time.

[@gragrn]

Regarding the Max Schmeling fight, it wasn't Max that noticed that Joe dropped his left hand after the jab, it was Jack Johnson, who was jealous of the way the public adored Joe Louis, whereas they hated him. Jack Johnson went to the Schmeling camp and told him how to beat Louis. Of course, it only worked once! Also, after his boxing career was over, Max Schmeling became a very successful business man in post war Germany. A millionaire. Years later when Joe Louis was very sick and dying, and owed many tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills, guess who stepped in and took care of it for him? That's why I love boxing. It's not just the skill of man against man, it's how these warriors who tried to kill each other, become the dearest of friends afterwards.

[@alexwillis7093]

It's not true that Jack Johnson assisted Schmeling. The reality is Schmeling was known as a very good counter puncher and a very smart boxer.

[@_friedie]

I read Schmelings "Erinnerungen" and countless books and articles. Johnson isn't mentioned once so I doubt that. Max went to New York in 1935 to watch Louis fight Paolino and there he saw Louis weakness. He also took some film rolls of Louis fights back to Germany to analyse Louis style.

[@bossplayermfs5972]

Max helped payed for Louis funeral but Frank Sinatra payed for his heart surgery and other bills cause they’ve been friends for about 35 years.

[@stephenwright1476]

@@bossplayermfs5972 And Ali stood up and said "I've been giving lip service as the Greatest. Here lies the Greatest. But Joe, ever humble said SRR was the greatest.

[@teessideman.8253]

Warriors look after there own mate.👊

[@TheSquad4life]

Much love . Would be much Appreciated if you could do a break down of the style of Dwight Muhammad Qawi. Awesome boxer from the 80s and early 90s. Your technical break down would do him justice

[@thomaslogue7773]

Joe Louis was such a great boxer fighter fought everyone had a tremendous punch in both hands

[@jamesbiering2589]

One of ur best videos I've watched. I knew Joe was smart but never had it explained in detail like this

[@juanreese6933]

In my humble opinion he is the greatest heavy weight of all times. A complete fighter. The only reason Marciano beat was only because he was at the end of his career, broke and came out of retirement for financial reasons. He is the only puncher in history that could KO An opponent with either hand with a myriad of punches. Ali was told by his world renown trainer that he would not win against Louis in his prime. Enough said

[@MoejiiOsmanTV]

He fought bums man... Incomparable to the golden age of heavyweights Ali faced in the 70s

[@juanreese6933]

@@MoejiiOsmanTV Joe, would not be heavy enough to fight as a modern day heavy. I believe his fighting weight was about 190 which would make him a cruiser weight. You’re assertion has no context, logic or prudence

[@juanreese6933]

@@MoejiiOsmanTV my bad he’s fighting weight was 207. Keep in mind that Holyfield was 208 when he fought Buster Douglas and knocked him out. Joe Louis was a much more skillful fighter than Holyfield , thus would do quite well in this era of heavy weights. Moreover, he would have access to better food, equipment and methods of training than the era he lived.

[@kingofnewyork7765]

@@MoejiiOsmanTV Frazier was washed after 71 and beat Ali. Who else u gonna name? Ali needed smelling salts for Cooper cut it out

[@redeyeociety70]

@@MoejiiOsmanTV yeah you clearly don’t know shit.

[@CFOrigins]

Incredible video as usual David👊🏼 Joe Louis will get more of the respect he deserves after your breakdown, he’s top 5 of all time for me

[@daviswall3319]

“The Great Joe Louis” indeed!!

[@josemucarselsacoto5122]

What a privilege to witness your art mr christian. Thank you for another masterpiece 🥳🤜🤛

[@mjkpanda]

The BEST finisher at heavyweight. If he hurt you, he usually finished you. Really just watching his fights he looks like a modern fighter... that's what happens when you have a great fighter in Blackburn train a great fighter like louis. He wouldn't have been the same without a Blackburn to teach him and accumulate knowledge

[@adamruiz6460]

I've already watched this video 3 times because it is so well made. Good job dude once again coming with the absolute best content of any youtuber that does fighter and style breakdowns

[@PuertoRock_G]

That 360 was crazy it didn’t even look like a full connect but that’s how powerful that man was.

[@jnewhouseillustration6075]

You only had one shot at defeating Louis because if it came to a rematch you were doomed.

[@BrotherPatriot]

Never fight the Brown Bomber twice...!

[@paysonfox88]

This is going to be my favorite video that you make. It's about time somebody did a video on the awesomeness of Joe Louis. People talk about Foreman knocking out people and lifting them off the canvas with his uppercut, Joe Lewis did the same thing. People talk about Sonny Liston knocking out people with his jab, Joe Lewis was doing the same thing. People talk about Rocky Marciano's overhand right and cross punches, Joe Lewis was knocking people out with the same thing. When you don't have a single punch, but all of them can knock out your opponent easily, you might just be the greatest knock out fighter of all time. Can you imagine what would have happened if Gene Tunney had been the one to train Joe Lewis? We would have had a Muhammad Ali before Muhammad Ali. But this Muhammad Ali style fighter would actually have had massive knockout power.

[@MikeSmith-ym9eq]

Ali did not have Louis’ KO power.

[@paysonfox88]

@@MikeSmith-ym9eq READ THE COMMENT!!! You are not paying attention. 1. Gene Tunney developed the footwork that Muhammad Ali used. Gene fought against Jack Dempsey in 1927 and Dempsey lost every round of the fight, and all but one round of the rematch. They fought 20 total rounds, Jack won 1 round of the 20. Gene danced and ran like Ali did. 2. I was saying that Gene Tunney could have trained Joe Louis, given that he retired just before Louis came around. 3. If Gene Tunney taught his footwork and speed style to Joe Louis , we would have had a fighter like Muhammad Ali sooner. I was making the case, that if Louis had been taught to fight like Ali did, with the circling footwork and speed, he would have been an even more impressive fighter than Ali. Had Louis the style of Ali, there would've been no debate EVER as to the GOAT heavyweights of all times.

[@MikeSmith-ym9eq]

@@paysonfox88 You said that if Tunney had trained Joe Louis, that we would have a Muhammad Ali-style fighter before Ali, but we would not because we would have a SRR-style heavyweight. You are correct, however, in saying that this hypothetical fighter would be the GOAT, so you got one of three right.

[@bossplayermfs5972]

His last name is Louis, not Lewis.

[@paysonfox88]

@@MikeSmith-ym9eq who is your dream fight of all time for the heavyweight championship? My dream fight is similar to most boxing historians. Burt Randolph sugar, perhaps the greatest boxing historian who ever breathed, wanted Joe Louis against Muhammad Ali in their primes. And he wanted it to be a three-fight epic similar to Frazier. Most people agree that if Joe lost the first fight, he would win the second one. It's because Joe Louis was extremely intelligent and made tremendous adjustments after hard matches. If there was one boxer in history who could match wits with Muhammad Ali it would have been Joe.

[@francisjtuk]

His punches are ridiculously powerful. Like rifle shots. Not sure how he can generate so much concussive power from such short punches. Legendary fighter.

[@justinstoll4955]

His right cross was otherworldly, sending opponents into the Netherrealm.

[@jameslough6329]

FINALLY! The breakdown I’ve wanted for SO long👍 And it totally lived up to all expectations! Joe Louis truly was an exceptional fighter. Great speed, power, tremendous accuracy, high level technique, defence, and an unparalleled ring IQ! He is my favourite fighter and I can’t thank you enough for making this breakdown! Can’t wait to see what’s next.

[@ascendediam]

@James Lough So since joe was the best ever that means time has stopped The way they handle the arena is the same boxers get paid the same the arena sizes are the same the skill and movement is the same The height and weight for the average boxer is the same Fighters fight the same amount of times Are any of these things the same as I said or did anything change

[@c.galindo9639]

Damn Joe Louis really is as smart as he is devastating. Such a great boxer and he deserves all the praise he gets

[@MingWar_BalGlo]

Love Joe Louis! The heavyweight to which all others acknowledge as the greatest of all time; I actually split boxing history into pre and post joe Louis time because of his importance. Shame how he was done by the IRS and the guy who he took the belt from, robbery pure and simple...

[@SadamSalum]

He simply had a solution for any boxing problem.

[@surrealistidealist]

I'd love to see an analysis on the 4 Walcott-Charles fights, and it'd be great to also tie in a comparison of their performances against Louis & Marciano. 🤩🙏

[@chongxina8288]

I’ve boxed a bit and this is a good breakdown that makes you realise just how fast he can beat you and how your boxing can be exploited with ease. 😝 He was a brilliant boxer, very highly skilled.

[@sidhu139]

Great name and photo dude. I would be honoured to have a friend like you.

[@surrealistidealist]

We often wonder about Marciano fighting Louis in his prime, but I also wonder about Ezzard Charles fighting prime Louis, too. Charles did struggle with Walcott a few times, who lost to Louis, so I think I'd give it to Louis. But what an incredible fight that would be!

[@myrillionissilly]

Thank you so much for making another great video in my favourite boxer. He was boxing at it's peak!

[@ivinolove3960]

Joe Louis was a God of boxing!

[@yogasamrat]

Such an enlightening commentary on Joe Louis.I watched his fights before and never understood his brilliance.Now i truly understand why he is considered in the best boxer of all time category.Thank you David your commentaries are brilliant!

[@cmoneytheman]

but he not the best Cause of being to outdated u need to watch more era's

[@jamzfmj4051]

25 title defended in any weight class in any era of boxing is so insane 🔥🔥

[@cmoneytheman]

But he defended it vs trash why dont u people get that when compared

[@paysonfox88]

What people loved about Joe Louis was that when he Knocked out an opponent, they weren't getting up at 10, or 20, or 30.... He Kayo'ed guys so bad they were often resuscitated minutes later in the locker room. Not a single shred of doubt on the victory for most of his matches.

[@goofydog2]

What a shame Ali used Joe Louis as the type of fighter he did not want to become. After retirement, Joe started working at a Casino (don't remember which one) but he greeted people as they came in, but as Joe aged he stated taking on symptoms of 'punch drunk', or 'dementia' and 'parkinson's'? I never found out what was ailing Joe, but in later life, Ali said that Joe and Sugar Ray Robinson were the two fighters he wished to emulate. I never heard that until I just now read it on Joe's bio. I just remember Ali using Joe as example why he didn't want to keep fighting until he got like Joe (talking about the kiss of death). That kept be back from checking Joe out more than I did. Because of this slight, I wish to thank you VERY MUCH for bringing back Joe as one of the greatest, if not 'THE' greatest, as you've shown here in your video...

[@Alex-cw3rz]

His abilities were amazing, knocked out a 250lb 6ft 6 3/4 84 inch giant, in less than a round, and 85 inch reach 263lb (almost all muscle) Primo Canera, developing a technique to nullify a clinch from happening by placing the top of his head of his opponents chest, meaning he could still punch but Buddy Bear and Primo Canera and other giants like them couldn't respond properly or clinch as his body wasn't in the right position and he was inside their reach. I find it weird other boxers don't use this move I guess because those fight were over so quickly with spectacular knock outs you wouldn't notice, the method he used.

[@someboi4903]

Don’t guys like Roberto Duran, Henry Armstrong and Rocky Marciano do something similar with their heads ?

[@okamireborn1406]

And Tyson Fury thinks he's the best ever mostly because he's big lol

[@tomstonemale]

Depends on the execution. Let's not understimated the pressure of having to go against bigger and stronger opponents when using that strategy. All the training in the world won't work if you are not mentally prepared to stand the heat.

[@QenaitheCustodianGuard]

@@someboi4903 Duran leaned it on his opponents shoulder and he switched shoulders back and forth, this channel talks about that actually.

[@kiabtoomlauj6249]

You realize there are not only MANY orders of magnitude MORE athletes in 2022, than they were in Joe Luis days, but that the SKILLS also have gone up ORDERS of magnitude, right? And that is true in ALL SPORTS, not just boxing. Soccer, Tennis, wrestling, boxing, swimming, marathon, sprint, gymnastics, climbing, high jump, diving, skiing.... you name it... It's called LOW HANGING FRUITS, for the greats of the past: the competition they had were against mostly local people and even then, HARDLY many people were involved in doing nothing but that craft or sport.... so the talents and skills exhibited in EARLIER times weren't that high. That means if you're JUST slightly more talented than the average guy, you go a long way dominating a very SMALL POOL of mostly lowly trained athletes. Again, the POINT is not to denigrate the earlier pioneers; rather, it is that the "fruits" they picked were lower hanging fruits. Today, you have HUNDREDS of millions a young people training in the various highly competitive sports; from such a large pool, FROM AROUND THE WORLD, you eventually get a few thousand athletes who are ESPECIALLY GOOD (in soccer, American football, basketball, in tennis, boxing, wrestling, MMA, swimming, gymnastics, volleyball, etc).... And from those few thousand, you get a few dozens to a few hundreds --- again, from all over the world, through life-long competitive elimination processes and events --- IN EACH FIELD (it's called BREADTH AND DEPTH) that are EXTREMELY good... and when those elites go against each other, even if you win some, you gonna lose some... because some are just as gifted, naturally, as you are ... in addition to working at least just as hard, for as long, with as much or more support.... You don't think Messi could dribble a soccer ball around the legendary Diego Maradona, in soccer? Of course, Messi could. His skills in soccer is way above Maradona, and yet Messi can't do as much today.... Why not? Simple: today's AVERAGE PRO SOCCER PLAYERS are so much more skilled and better trained and better conditioned than the average player of Maradona Diego's days. Back then, if you're clearly better than others, you could pretty much have it your way, even as an individual, against the other team. Can't do that today, not even Messi... who is clearly the best soccer player who's ever lived, when it comes to moving in full speed with the ball between his legs/feet. But even Messi is stopped after a few seconds or after a few defense opponents...

[@Alex-cw3rz]

13:42 and then don't forget in the rematch Buddy Bear comes in 13 lbs heavier and gets knocked out in less than a round

[@striperking6083]

Buddy Baer was very underrated . At 6’7” 250 he was just a little smaller than Fury . I believe he hit harder than Fury , had a better chin , but was not as good a boxer. So yes , Joe Louis would not be bothered by size

[@paoloalcantara2465]

@@striperking6083 and Fury isn’t even really 6-9. It would be interesting to make a fantasy matchup. Joe Louis vs Tyson Fury

[@striperking6083]

Paolo Alcantara The technology to make computer generated dream boxing matches is here . Just needs to be more interest on the money end . I think it would be a “hit” with ESPN or some other sports channel . Even You Tube .

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@paoloalcantara2465 judging by the fact that Tyson Fury does not have as hard a punch as Max Bear and he couldn't KO Louis and that was in 6oz gloves let alone 12oz. On the other hand Joe Louis hits harder than Wilder and is a much much better boxer, who would sometimes punch as many times in a round as Wilder did in 11 rounds in the third fight. Also Tyson Fury admitted he does much worse against shorter than usual opponents, and on the other hand some of Joe Louis's easiest opponents were his biggest, Louis TKO'd with ease Pimo Canera who has as long a reach as Fury and weighed as heavy as Fury but he was all muscle. Tyson Fury is a great boxer, future hall of famer and has a great story, put him up against many boxers of the past he could win, this is just not a fight he can, in every way he has shown he can't deal with this type of boxer and in every way Joe Louis found his biggest opponents some of his easiest by a long way.

[@NeilCrouse99]

When I think of Joe Loise, I think of him standing beside Muhammad Ali during the TV interview when Ali beat Sonny Liston yelling "I am the greatest,... You must bow to the King!!!".. lol. Ali was SO different than Joe, in that Joe was a quiet humble man. Even though Joe didn't approve of Ali's bragging, you could see him with a smirk on his face as Ali screamed at the crowd "You must now bow to the King--- I am the greatest!!!"... would LOVE to have seen that live. Unfortunately I was still swimming nut to nut for another year after the Ali - Liston fight in 1964.... *: )*

[@BruceAChristie]

Your videos and coverage of great boxers is top shelf, David. Much appreciated, and I love Joe Louis.

[@garrettohyeah7365]

The way Louis puts his hips into his punches is awesome

[@hippo4214]

the GOAT heavyweight is Joe Louis

[@stavros693000]

Louis, Ali, Holmes, Tyson, Lewis are imo the best top 5 HWs of the 20th century!

[@MrRegD]

Excellent coverage once again…thx!

[@rattlehead2199]

Another marvelous breakdown. Love your work mate.

[@salutcava2262]

The heavyweight GOAT

[@NathanThePrezPretlow]

Joe Louis the greatest Heavyweight Champion of all time.Sorry Ali ,And let's not forget the great Jack Chappie Blackburn who develop Joe Louis style of boxing.

[@H.K.5]

Ali beat way better competition than Louis did. Most of the guys Louis beat were unskilled white men.

[@laraybillberry9338]

Ya know...when I watch these super old clips of boxing matches I can't help but notice that boxing has really evolved. Like...the styles back then just look so different from today's styles. And honestly, it's beautiful. Can I get an amen!?

[@cmoneytheman]

They look like trash

[@Halibut86]

Some of the tightest punches of all time! I suspect his slow, composed footwork allowed him to maintain perfect distance to throw those strikes at all!

[@paoloalcantara2465]

Joe Louis. The greatest HW. Probably my favorite fighter of all time.

[@jricciardi99]

Joe Louis was as close as you could get to the perfect fighter

[@BrotherPatriot]

Definitely the most technically accurate fighter of all time.

[@ascendediam]

@@BrotherPatriot wrong been mutiple way more advanced try watching other era's

[@BrotherPatriot]

@@ascendediam Derp! That's not what the boxing federation or many, many other sources think.

[@BrotherPatriot]

@@ascendediam Are you familiar with the saying, "the sweet science of boxing"? Please feel free to do some research and then you too will understand why so many people & organizations say that the Brown Bomber is known as the most technically correct boxer in History. But even after researching, you are free to think whatever you want, even if you are wrong. ;)

[@ascendediam]

@@BrotherPatriot type in louis vs ali it will be the 1st video it shows how they fought in his time vs ali side by side and u tell me wha u see if u cant see good u can use words that don't matter with somebody who those work on cause I told you yesterday to check the video Why won't you do that ?whats so hard? About watching and telling me what you see like you must be slow

[@striplingwarrior6309]

First of I think You are the GOAT 🐐 when it comes to making these videos. Joe Louis's fighting technique, specifically his ability to generate effortless yet devastating power at close range reminds me of the principles taught in American Kenpo. I don't practice this material art but I am a big fan of Ed Parker.

[@Lemon8]

Excellent analysis! Thanks. Love the channel.

[@ajmoton1923]

The question that can never be an answer is what type of fighter and legacy with that man I've had if he wouldn't have had to deal with the cloud of Jack Johnson making everybody feel angry at black fighters for 20 years and him having to be quiet and order for him to even get a title shot...

[@jbj7599]

I've said it before but these breakdowns make me see boxing fights like I do mma now(not live, I'm biased af). But when I re-watch fights, I see stuff I never would've noticed before. If I was a boxer, I'd force myself to learn a proper left hook to the body aka liver shot. But I'd also suck as a boxer

[@djangoohara1907]

Genius, great dock on Joe Louis, no one's ever broke it down frame by frame like that before, you are spot on mate, & it's for those myriad of reasons why the Great Joe Louis really is the Greatest of all time, Great dock Bro,

[@alp2387]

This is a great video man! 👍 Congratulations..

[@r.a.8407]

7:43 he went southpaw just for the counter left 👌

[@A1.2223]

Good eye

[@pyrotechnick420]

5:31 This punch was so effective because dude moved his head into Joe's hand prob almost as fast as Joe was throwing. That must have been brutal

[@jaysdood]

Nice analysis per usual. Thanks 👍

[@Psiros]

As a Naruto fan, this guy was basically Kakashi. His visual prowess could adjust to the opponents' techniques.

[@conanbdetective]

New Ippo chapter and a David upload in the same day? This is shaping up to be a great day.

[@curgunner]

I know it’s extremely recent and that doesn’t tend to be your thing, but I’d love to see a comparison between Naoya Inoue v Nonito Donaire 1 vs 2 and what changed in their skillsets for the fights to be so different even if the outcomes were the same.

[@omniexistus]

simple...Donaire got older and slower

[@glynhannaford7332]

I've just watched video again David and it really is an excellent piece on a truly great boxer. 👍

[@fit4duty724]

Excellent analysis.... thanks for the content.

[@surrealistidealist]

Joe Louis was 137 years old when he fought Marciano!

[@domagoj4843]

Marciano never ever win that against Louis in prime

[@surrealistidealist]

@@domagoj4843 I don't know about that. I think they'd have a number of rematches, and that Louis could win more often against Rocky. But even in his prime, Rocky would still be able to knock him out at least once or twice.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

@@domagoj4843 I think the issue is Joe isn't knocking Marciano out (this is proved by Marciano's entire career not just that fight), but Marciano can knock him out, that knockout being one of the best in the history of boxing as well. Also Marciano wasn't the same boxer after he'd faced Carmine Vingo and paralysed him, this deeply effected him and can be seen in how he fought after this, bascially knocking the other person out if he needed to. Also remember Marciano won with one eye as a substance of Joe Louis's gloves had got into his eye.

[@doughelms558]

@@KickingAssDaily - Haven't seen it. What's it about?

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

In all seriousness, in their primes I would see Rocky probably winning the first encounter and Louis almost definitely winning the rematch.

[@Old299dfk]

I have a question... Why the older fighters concentrate more on parrying than blocking? You see these fights, and nobody ever shells up.

[@TheModernMartialArtist]

Smaller less padded gloves back then.

[@Old299dfk]

@@TheModernMartialArtist thanks man! Didn't know that.

[@jakeduff5677]

Great video Joe Lewis is a legend what a fighter

[@boloshabazz]

Joe had the best short punches. Joe was a true technician

[@ironsheik8047]

Usually when people mention older athletes from this sort of era I think it’s a little ridiculous but Joe Louis was one of the greatest technicians I’ve ever seen. His right cross was brutal and his uppercut left hook was crazy. I would have loved to see him vs Klitchko or Usyk

[@ascendediam]

So you would love to see joe get koed in the first fast?

[@GOPA90]

One of your best vids 👍🏽

[@cameronmoffett1656]

I just wanted to thank you for your time and effort you put into these videos also I would like to see a style breakdown on Arturo Gatti in the future

[@faded1to3black]

My grampa talked about how much he enjoyed Louis's fights, and he was a huge Louis fan. He was a kid when Louis was boxing in his prime in the 30s. It always seemed to me he was underestimated. Any time I see people mention Joe in a conversation about boxing legends, it seems so many count him out as a serious contender for some reason, and I really never understood why. Especially with how much of a seemingly natural boxing genius he is, and how he handled so many opponents larger than him, and seemed to have an ace up his sleeve for just about every type of fighter. Whats Ali going to do if you have someone who can apply pressure better than Frazier, and hits harder? What are you going to do against someone who can adapt to whatever you're great at, and shut it down before you can do damage? Louis was the man.

[@mtroy0620]

I wonder if that "for some reason" is because Joe Louis made it look easy. He never looked like he was struggling. And that was because he was so damn good.

[@dylanauguste9312]

Another video, another masterclass. Thank you mate

[@gregoryhill7960]

Thanks for your informative video

[@Muniswaran4549]

Great video.....I love Louis ..he s my favourite ..real boxing fan knew how good Louis was ,also with his coach Chappie .thank u for a detailed breakdown..I even have his book how to box by Joe Louis .

[@sly_tendencies87]

The Brown Bomber wasn't just a awesome champion. He got shit on by the government for taxes on money he DONATED TO THE MILITARY! THE MAN IS A HERO IN AND OUT OF THE RING!