Was Joe Louis the best Heavy Weight Champion of all time?

You be the judge because we are showing the videos of the finest heavyweight champions of all time.  Here's some of my thoughts though.

Joe Louis’s style was beautiful.

With his hands held high where they should be, Louis was the epitome of economy as he stalked his opponents.  His punches were short and to the point. Accurate and lethal, he delivered them on que with what his mind was calculating.  Although obviously fast, Louis seemed more methodical than quick.  Joe Louis was confident and businesslike with none of the bravado of a Muhammed Ali.  A master finisher, Joe Louis took his opponents out with punches that seemed effortless.

The six foot one 197-pound Joe Louis won the heavyweight title from James Braddock.

This put him on the small side compared to most modern heavyweight champions.

From 1937 to 1948 Louis successfully defended his title 25 times. Of those, only three of his opponents went the distance.  Out of 68 professional fights, he lost only three times, while scoring 54 knockouts for an average 80 percent Knockout ratio .   As impressive as these numbers are, they are still just numbers.  To get the full measure of Louis as heavyweight champion and how he stacks up against other great champions, you must watch him fight. Thanks to You Dailey Motion, we can bring those memorable fights back in time.   

Let's start off with Joe Louis winning the Heavyweight title from James Braddock.  Who has been brought back to life in the movie "Cinderella Man".

Video:  Joe Louis knocks out James Braddoc to become World Heavyweight Champion 6-22-1936

Comparison between Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis

In some ways Dempsey and Louis were similar heavy weight champions. Both could easily take an opponent out with a punch measuring no more than six inches. Both men were among the very heaviest punchers the heavyweight division had ever seen. But whereas Louis was a methodical and patient fighter who would masterfully set his opponent up, Dempsey was pure aggression incarnate. His savagery was palpable.

Both men were small by modern day heavyweight standards.  Louis weighed only 200 pounds when he beat James Braddock for the world championship.  And weighed just 205 for most of his career.  While Dempsey weighed just 187 pounds when he took the world title away from Jess Willard.   At 245 pounds Willard was a six-foot six giant standing five inches over Dempsey.  While Louis and Dempsey shared identical heights of six-foot one inch.