Joe Louis, The Brown Bomber, is widely regarded by many as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. His calm, calculating and considered style belied the destructive capability that he brought to the boxing ring.
In this video I talk through my 5 fearsome factors that I believe represent the Joe Louis boxing style, on what made him a true great of the sport. With a fighter like Joe Louis, there is always something to learn.
The 5 fearsome factors of Joe Louis that I have picked out are:
1. Balance – a superbly balanced boxer, Joe Louis held his head off the centre line and was wonderfully controlled in how he distributed his bodyweight, drifting from central to front foot. This meant he was equally effective in offensive and defensive work.
2. Efficiency – Joe Louis wasted very little energy. His footwork consisted of small, controlled adjustments, operating on the edge of range looking to trigger the opponent and punish them swiftly with his super-effective attacks.
3. Punch perfect – Every punch that Joe Louis threw was technical perfection. Jab, hook, cross or uppercut, it didn’t matter. He did it brilliantly well and each shot carried real power. He could leave you comatose with either hand.
4. Accuracy – Probably related to being punch perfect, Joe Louis was unerringly accurate with his punching. Very few punches were wasted. If Joe Louis landed one shot then he could just as easily land five. This accuracy also made him one of the best finishers you are likely to see.
5. Hand defence – Joe Louis was fantastic at blocking incoming straight shots with his hands. He was constantly ready with simple blocks and parries to react to incoming shots, defend them, then respond with his own.
Joe Louis, a work of wonder as a heavyweight boxer and for me one of the boxers who stood out amongst his peers as superb from a technical viewpoint and deadly as a finisher.
Cheers
Fran
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