Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Louis?

Question

As part of a tournament to determine the greatest heavyweight of All Time Round 2. Today's match pits Muhammad Ali (56-5 37KO) vs. Joe Louis (69-3 55KO). Some notable bouts for each:

ALI:

Sonny Liston: Win KO7

Sonny Liston II: Win KO1

Floyd Patterson: Win KO12

Joe Frazier: Loss Unaniamous Decesion

Floyd Patterson II: Win KO7

Ken Norton: Loss Split Decesion

Ken Norton II: Win Split Decesion

Joe Frazier II: Win Unaniamous Decesion

George Foreman: Win KO8

Joe Frazier III: Win KO14

Ken Norton III: Win unaniamous Decesion

Leon Spinks: Loss Unaniamous Decesion

Leon Spnks II: Win Unaniamous Decesion

LOUIS:

Max Baer: Win KO4

Max Schmelling: Loss KO12

Max SchmellinG II: Win KO1

Billy Conn: Win KO13

Billy Conn: Win KO8

Jersey Joe Walcott: Win Split Decesion

Jersey Joe Walcott II: Win KO11

Ezzard Charles: Loss Unaniamous Decesion

In a 15rd fight who wins and how

Answer 1

Ali, but no disrespect to Louis whatsoever.

Answer 2

Ive done this already but here it goes again.

Both Louis and Ali stand well above the rest of the elite in the division.  THEN you have your Top 10.  

Ali's advantages:  Superior footwork, hand speed, ability to take a punch,  abitity to change the fight plan or adjust to changes well.  He's a master of psycological warfear.  Underrated power.  Balance.  

Weaknesses: average power.  Not a body puncher.  

Louis' advantages: Power and punching ability (2 different things).  Having power and knowing how to use it are not always the same.  Composure.  Ability to finish off a hurt opponent.  Very good combination puncher.  Quick hands.

Weaknesses:  Slow feet.  Can be shook with shot to chin.  Trouble with mobil boxers.  

Ali begins the fight on his toes.  He circles Louis and scores points in the early rounds.  Louis is unable to cope with Ali's speed.  Whenever he comes close Ali ties him up.  Louis has never dealt with this before.  Ali wins the first 4 rounds with his jab and footwork and an occasional right to the jaw.  

In round 5 Louis closes the gap and finally catches Ali with a series of shots.  Two body shots followed by a series of shots to the head and Ali is against the ropes.  He ties Louis up but Joe breaks free and resumes his attack.  A final left hook nearly puts ALi on the matt.  He dances out of harms way at the bell.

Keeping his composure, Ali is careful not to make the same mistake again.  He takes rounds 6 and 7 by carefully boxing.  He has built a comfortable lead.  Joe remains calm and continues to try and set up his shots.  Louis' left eye is beginning to swell.  

In round 8 Ali shifts direction and Louis catches him with a right that slows him momentarily.  A series of shots, first to the body then the head, puts Ali on the canvas.  He's up at 4.  Louis moves in to finish his opponent but Ali ties him up.

Ali is on his toes again in round 9.   He's careful not to allow Louis another chance to land his power shots.  Ali is very accurate with the jab and Louis' eye is beginning to shut.  Joe takes the 10th on aggression.  He is also landing more body shots which are beginning to take a toll.  Ali is beginning to slow down a bit.

In round 11 Ali is shook by a left to the body and a right to the head.  He's against the ropes and Joe moves in.  Ali ties him up, spins off the ropes and opens up with a flurry of punches.  Louis answers with another hook to the jaw.  Ali begins to realize he can no longer land at will without paying a price.  

In round 12 Ali scores with a hard right.  Louis is shook but remains upright.  Ali pours in the punches as Louis is backed to the ropes.  A left catches Ali and stuns him momentarily.  Louis moves in but Ali answers with more lefts and rights.  For a brief moment the fighters trade at ring center.  Best round of the fight.

In round 13 Ali buckles Louis with a straight right to the jaw.  Two lefts and another right cause Louis to clinch.  Ali shoves him off and lands a few more shots to the head.  Louis shakes them off and lands a few of his own.  Before the bell sounds its Ali who is on the receiving end of a flurry of punches by Louis.

In round 14 Louis is looking to close in on ALi.  Ali circles to his left then right.  He catches Louis with a solid right to the jaw then moves out of harms way.  Ali closes in to repeat but this time Louis catches him with a right cross.  Ali fires back and they trade blows until Louis catches Ali with a solid right that nearly drops him.  Ali backs off at the bell.

Believing he needs a KO to win,  Louis goes right after Ali.  Ali dances out of harms way and lands a few jabs.  A lead right lands flush on Joe's face.  Joe misses a wild right of his won.  Ali lands a 4-punch combination.  Louis goes to the body with 4 punches.  Ali plants his feet as he lands more punches. Louis answers back and finishes with a solid right at the final bell.

The scores are in and the winner is........................

Ali by unanimous decision in 15

Answer 3

These fighters come from different eras. During Louis's era there was no standing eight count and you had to make a quick recovery while the other guy was coming to pound on you again. You had to be tougher to fight during Louis's era. Ali wouldn't have been a pretty man during Louis's time.  I believe Louis would have dominated during Ali's era.

Answer 4

Joe Louis always had problems with mobile fighters, and let's face it there was no one more mobile than Ali.  Ali by Decision.

Answer 5

Ali would win comfortably.  He would be too quick for a tough, but flat-footed Louis.  Good question - two great champions.

Answer 6

Ali TKO 10

Way too much speed for the slow-footed  but power punching Lewis.  Ali at 6'4" 225 is much bigger and stronger than Joe at 6'1" 210.  A good big man beats a good smaller man every time.

Answer 7

Ali would win, good fight though.

Answer 8

Louis was great but Ali was even better.

Ali wouldn't stop Louis, it would definately go the distance but Ali would slide in on points.

Answer 9

equal in hand speed, louis had power, ali had footwork.

i see ali winning this one with his combinations and reflexes.

ali by unanimous decision, finishing what conn started.

Answer 10

ALI WOULD DANCE CIRCLES AROUND LOUIS

Answer 11

Ali by unanimous decision, using the "rope-a-dope."  (I wish I had a $ for every time someone has asked this question on here, although I like it that you've given their history.)

Answer 12

Ali by KO15

Answer 13

I Dont think this bout is as clear cut and as easy as that, and right of just picking Ali. Louis had just as good a chance of beating Ali, as Ali had of beating Louis. So I'll play devils advocate here.

First Ali had several flaws. Didnt have ko punch. Most often held his hands low. Rarely, if ever went to the body.Didnt know what a hook was (and had trouble with good hookers AND jabbers-Louis was a master of both.) Couldnt fight on the inside.( Louis fought equally well on the inside OR outside.) Louis was very techinal defensively AND offensively. Ali would be facing one of the best offensive fighters in history.

We could look at the Godoy/Louis bout or the Conn/Louis bout to excel Ali. However, people tend to forget how really good Conn was.Conn was very slick, very hard to hit, had execellent foot and body movement, and was very fast. Was Ali faster than Conn? I doubt it. By minimizing Conn, we can minimize the Louis verses Ali.

On the otherhand We could point out how Ali was decked by Cooper, Banks and Frazier (none had a hook as fast or powerful as Louis. If they could hurt Ali, Louis surely could. And Joe was one of the best finishers in heavyweight history.) Ali also struggled with Doug Jones and Ken Norton. Nortons jab gave Ali fits. But Louis's piston-like fab was faster and had ko power with it. And didnt Ali recieve some gift decisions?

Ali, no doubt, had great footwork. But could he dance ALL 15 rounds against Joe? I doubt it. In the Chuvalo-Patterson -Terrel bouts, Ali stands flat-footed, throwing slow lazy jabs. This would prove very, very dangerous against Louis.

Ali was fast, but so was Louis, but was he as fast as Ali? I think it was extremely close (watch the bout Baer vs. Louis. very fast.) If Joe wasnt as fast as Ali, it was very close, so speed wouldnt play a big factor here. Ali could punch in quick flurries, but most usually they were arm punches, lacking great power. But Joe had quick combo's. in jarring sequences, with a whole series, all perfectly timed/aimed, fast AND hard, while shuffling foward cutting off the ring and pining a man down. So Ali may have handled a punch one at a time from Shavers and Foreman, but could he have taken a 4-5 punch combo. from Louis?

Joe had supberb reflexes and was extremely adept at positioning his opponents. I see Ali leaning back (as he often did) and Joe busting his body up. Or Louis feinting him to lean back and then catching him with combo's coming back in.(Joe was great at feinting. Ali wasnt.)

I give Joe Louis a far better than fair chance of beating Ali. Out of 3 bouts, Ali the 1st (?) The next 2 Louis(?). These would no doubt be one of the best classic matchups of all times.