#1 DREAM MATCH IN FISTIC HISTORY
Ali, Ray Robinson, Joe Louis
New York, NY– Back when the New England Patriots undefeated Super Bowl march drawing comparisons to the all-time greatest teams, my mind turned to an my all-time dream fight between the two greatest heavyweights of them all, Joe Louis (69-3, 55 KOs) and Muhammad Ali (56-5, 37 KOs). Perhaps boxing’s two most important historical figures when it comes to African-American history, the end and beginning of their careers were separated by less than a decade (you wouldn’t know it from this circa 1963 photo). Changes among heavyweight champs over time have made certain fantasy matchups impossible to even consider such as Rocky Marciano (5’10, 185 lbs., 49-0, 43 KOs) vs Lennox Lewis (6’5, 245, 41-2-1, 32 KOs). However, only about an inch and ten pounds separated Louis and Ali thus the dream showdown is a worthy discussion. BROWN BOMBER VS. THE GREATEST
Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali I was billed as The Fight of the Century in large part because of the greatness of the combatants, but also due to the excitement and buildup as Ali had missed over three years of his prime from age 25 to 28 while “Smokin’ Joe” Frazier (32-4-1, 27 KOs) became the preeminent heavyweight. (Remember, Louis also lost an astonishing four years of his prime between ages 28 and 32 due to World War II. Note: I don’t do politics or religion, just boxing.) Imagine the pre-fight theatrics involved with Louis-Ali, with the “Louisville Lip” unsuccessfully trying to shake Louis’ quiet confidence. The self-proclaimed G.O.A.T. would undoubtedly in this fight be the, well goat.
FIGHT ALI USED TO DREAM ABOUT
I write this knowing full well that most would not agree with my winner here. The popular and easy pick would obviously be Louis, the most accomplished and record-holding champion in any division. The appropriately-named Brown Bomber’s knockout victims were KO’d so violently and quickly that it almost appeared as if his gloves were laced with ether or that they were faking. (Go ahead and watch back the knockouts of Billy Conn (64-12-1, 15 KOs) or Max Baer (68-13, 52 KOs), to name just two.) He patiently stalked his opponents, his right hand cocked as though it was holding a weapon and America waited for them to fall.
ALI HAD THE BETTER CHIN!
Alis ability to take a punch and incredible punishment was probably his most underrated asset. Never counted out, he was only in obvious serious trouble a few times, most notably against Frazier in the 11th & 15th round of their first encounter, and after enduring “Sir Henry” Coopers (40-14-1, 27 KOs) left hook (with the help of fortuitous timing) at the end of the 4th in their first fight. Consider that he faced some of the most devastating punchers of his or any era including Sonny Liston (50-4, 39 KOs) twice, Frazier thrice, George Foreman (76-5, 68 KOs) and Earnie Shavers (74-14-1, 68 KOs). His rope-a-dope strategy against Foreman was to let “Big George” punch himself out (on Ali’s head and torso), a winning strategy that could only have been viewed as insanity at the time. Ali had a very good defense, one that involved pushing the limits of holding, but he was no Willie Pep (229-11-1, 65 KOs) so he had to rely on his chin and it never failed him.
LOUIS TASTED DA’ CANVAS TEN TIMES!
While Ali’s chin was superior to Louis (who was knocked down approximately 10 times and knocked out in two of his three losses), beating Louis would take not just a great chin but also one of the best offensive arsenals “of all times” as Ali would say. With apologies to Liston and the phantom punch, Ali’s offense only lacked one-punch power as he stuck the jab, moved beautifully and had great speed, timing and accuracy. Imagine Ali circling Louis, sticking the jab, as the Bomber tried to patiently walk him down, at times springing towards him with controlled fury. Louis would get to him at times, but would it be enough?
DOES LOUIS GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO ALI?
Could he follow Frazier’s blueprint in their first fight and continually sting Ali with left hooks and sneaking in some rights? Would the Ali jabs and right crosses upset Louis balance and eventually wear down his power and lessen his head movement? The answer to the latter two questions is probably yes to both. While it would have been a classic fight in every sense of the term, in would be one in which Ali would have triumphed. For although Ali faced styles in lesser fighters (but weren’t they all?) that were comparable to Louis, such as Liston and Frazier, Louis never met a fighter like Ali.
Brian Gorman