I've been watching old fights on youtube recently.
Most heavyweight title fights were big deals throughout the 20th C, so most were filmed using movie cameras. So the quality of many Joe Louis fights in the late 30's and 40's is pretty damned good.
Been catching up with Joe Louis.
Man, he really had the complete package.
Good jab, pretty solid defense, power in both hands, good hand speed, dynamite combinations from all angles. Quite a finisher.
The impressive thing is how calm he seems in the ring, and how little wasted movement he has. He also can take a punch pretty well. Reminds me of Holyfield.
Louis gets tagged and even knocked down in a number of fights, usually in one of the first 3 rounds. And he comes back fighting. For instance, Buddy Baer -- Max Baer's 6'7" 250 pound younger brother -- catches Louis with a huge left hook in Round 1that knocks Louis through the ropes and out of the ring. Louis gets up on the ring apron, climbs back in, and gets back at it.
His knockout of James Braddock (Cinderella Man) is exquisite. As the fight progresses, Braddock has his left out slightly but not really jabbing or doing much with it. So Louis throws a left hook to knock Braddock's left of to the side and follows it quickly with a right cross that just crunches Braddock. I've never seen a fighter punch his opp's defensive hand out of the way and follow up immediately with a knockout punch. it's really genius, and impressive that Louis could pull that off. It looks cold-bloodedly calculated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycUOUvuQ9V8
