Heavyweight Boxing Champions Over The YearsIn the arena of boxing through the ages almost every sports writer has a fighter that he believes is the greatest fighter. It is understandable when a sports writer thinks that a specific fighter should be rated as the greatest boxer in boxing sporting history. A number of writers has stated that throughout the history of Heavyweight boxing there have been some great Boxing champions and they are contending a comparison of boxers. In the 1920's. it was Jack Johnson, in the 1930's there was Joe Louis, in the 1950's it was Rocky Marciano and in the 1960's and 1970's we had Ali, Frazier, George Foreman, Ernie Shavers and many more great boxers. One might have read up on the past heavyweight champions, such as James J. Corbett, Jack Johnson, Gene Tunney, Ezzard Charles. The writer may have been form that era of boxing enabling whoever they may be to form an opinion of the fights they witness at that time. In the more recent time we have seen the likes of boxing champs such as Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, and Larry Holmes. In the 80's Larry Holmes ruled the roost as world heavyweight boxing champion with 24 defenses of his crown almost equalling Joe Louis record. Who Will Remember Lewis or Tyson With the Same Affection as Ali or Louis?Since the end of the Muhammad Ali's era there's hardly any other boxers write about except for Mike Tyson in the early part of his boxing career. The present crop of heavyweights is hardly worth making comments about their boxing. Tyson came in the 90's but he runs hot and cold although he was the youngest heavyweight to win the world heavyweight championship belt. Lennox Lewis was the best of a poor bunch of heavy weights in his time. But you don't hear anyone making comments about how good these boxers were as how writers spoke and wrote about the likes of Jack Johnson or Joe Louis. and of course there is our beloved Muhammad Ali. All of the latter named boxers brought some colour to the boxing ring arena that boxing critics and fans alike wrote and spoke about, remembered and will be discussed over and over again. One cannot say that Lennox Lewis was a great boxer, Good, but not great. You can't write about Mike Tyson with the same affection as Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali especially, was a magician both in and out of the boxing ring. It will be a long time before anyone forget about boxers like James J. Corbett, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali. Joe Louis Combines Masterful Art of Boxing with Devastating Punching PowerWho will remember Lennox Lewis or Mike Tyson with the same fondness in years gone by? It is difficult to find a boxer from the 1990s onwards to really fits into any kind of category. The heavy weight division from the beginning of the late 90's through to 2006 has become the powder puff division. There is not one fighter in the Heavyweight division that can be classed as a good fighter. The Heavyweight division is in shambles. In the 1920's through to the early the early 50's it was notable from writers of the past that there have also been boxers with great great punching power like James Jeffries, Jess Willard, Jack Dempsey, Max Baer, and Rocky Marciano. In the era of the 60's through to the early 80's we have witness some mightiest heavy punchers the likes of Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Earnie Shavers and to a lesser degree, Larry Holmes. The 90's brought about Mike Tyson, and Lennox Lewis. However, a majority of writers and eye witness have stated that only one heavyweight stood out above the rest past and present. No other heavyweight boxer ever combined the masterful art of the sweet science of boxing with such devastating punching power like the "Brown Bomber" Joe Louis. Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier Applied Overwhelming PressureIt is said that Joe Louis was a stalker fighter who could pressurise his opponents, only not an overwhelming scale. Joe Louis led his opponents into making mistakes. His style of boxing was calculative in putting pressure on his opponent, and doing so in a way that allowed his opponents to think it was safe to move forward towards him, which was actually considered committing suicide. Most punchers try to track down their opponents, forcing them back while they are looking to land their power shots. Rocky Marciano and Joe Frazier applied overwhelming pressure in the ring. Louis was unlike them, he did it differently. Louis pressure was of the subtle type and while stalking his opponent he would get closer and closer, but Joe Louis did it in a way that would mislead his opponents into thinking it was safe for them to go on the offensive, just so they could move to one side or the other in order to get away. Joe Louis was at his most dangerous destructive fighting instincts when an opponent went on the offensive. This was what Joe Louis wanted them to do. An opponent that went on the offensive, played right into Joe's hands. |
Louis Had a Dynamic Range of Combination ShotsThis was a result of his trainer, Jack Blackburn, teaching him and embedding it into his head that he could hit an opponent harder and cleaner if they were moving towards him, than if they were moving away from him. Joe Louis would deceptively shuffle towards an opponent and ever so slightly step backward drawing his opponents into him. When his opponents came to him, that's when Louis stepped in with his short quick shots to the head landing with full impact. Due to Louis setting the pace and dictating the ring geography, this is how he often set up many opponents to be in range for his dynamic combinations. | |
