Louis may have been told by his managers to be a gentleman, but it was easy for him because he was a natural gentleman.

this made me cry. Joe Louis was without a doubt the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. What class the man possessed. What will. What desire. Just an amazing man. Billy Conn was just as great. He almost won but he made the fatal mistake of going toe to toe with the greatest finisher the sport has ever known.

@DJK-cq2uy

Жыл бұрын

???? Greatest finisher??? Greatest heavyweight??? Tyson? Foreman? Ali?

@paoloalcantara2465

10 ай бұрын

@@DJK-cq2uy🤡🤡🤡🤡🤣

Joe Louis was the perfect champion, conducted himself with dignity and honor and still ended up famous world wide, a True champion forever

@TroyDixson-zd9nu

9 ай бұрын

Love this story he watched or showed the film and Joe turned and said good night I really love this shit

@chuckf6163

6 ай бұрын

I totally agree 👍

Still one of the best documentaries, proud to be from the burgh

I wish fighters like this still existed. They had their own fighting styles, they didn't talk a lot of smack because they let their punches do all the talking. Both of these men were great!

@jzw1953

7 жыл бұрын

So true. Fighters were tougher in those days.

@fightfannerd2078

6 жыл бұрын

shadowchaos1991 hipster

@Bestroblozianxxx

4 жыл бұрын

shadowchaos1991 you’re absolutely right Joe Louis never showed up any of his opponents and he gave them all respect even Tony Galanto who called call Joe a bum prior to the fight

@terryobrien9785

3 жыл бұрын

@@jzw1953 Phone

Billy Conn a great role model for many Irish-Americans the world over. But lost to one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the ring, Joe Louis, on that night. Nothing to be ashamed of he fought a hell of a fight. They don't make fighters quite like these guys anymore.

@hueyfreeman1983

5 жыл бұрын

9/10 marciano fans are racist

That's what class is. Louis could have flattened him when he stood up after the slip and wouldn't have been disqualified but he had too much class. (28:00 min.) That's a real fighter and a great sportsman!

excellent doc - really gives you a good feel as to what Louis was back then and how astonishing Conn's achievement was

I agree man, history needs to remember Billy Conn... Spectacular fighter, an inspiration of mine

Billy Conn had a beautiful style….

Two of the GREATEST fighters ever!

This was when fighters were fighters, not these pansy-ass crybabies today...Louis and Conn were both class acts...may they rest in peace.

@fightfannerd2078

6 жыл бұрын

jan31_64 too many guys avoiding each other

Billy Conn was a great fighter and did what he had to do against Louis, Joe Louis did what he always did, fought his way and never missed an opportunity to take an opponent out

Nice post. Joe certainly didn't come out in the 13th like he was a beaten fighter. Kudos to Billy for this amazing effort, but my opinion is that Joe was going to keep banging away on the much smaller man in the 14th and 15th until Billy was counted out. This was no lucky KO of a fighter who lost because he got careless. BTW, Joe was just as much a hero to white kids as to blacks according to my dad, a lifetime fight fan who was 15 when Joe became champ. For nearly the next 70 years: "so and so is a great fighter, but he's no Joe Louis." All of his friends and my uncles whenever they talked fighters felt the same way. They also loved Billy Conn, but Joe Louis helped lots of white kids through the Great Depression.

That is known as one of the great moments of sportsmanship when Louis let Conn regain his balance. What a great champion he was, but Joe was an even greater man.

Archie Moore and Billy Conn a top LHW of all time.

@Annbosguy

6 жыл бұрын

And the mighty Bob Foster!!

@hueyfreeman1983

5 жыл бұрын

Ezzard charles

Joe louis, "a credit to his race,,,the human race". What a perfect comment.

Joe was The Best !!

This is the true definition of dareing to be great !!

Joe Louis was a real gentleman

YAY! What a treat. Thanks for uploading....

i am too young to have seen Louis fight, but I watch videos ( too much)!! Louis was economical with energy, Big, rangy and very powerful. But what strikes me is the compact, non-telegraphed, perfectly-timed, devastating short 16-20 inch blows which blasted guys into oblivion. WHAT a finisher. No haymakers guys can get ready for. Fast, powerful, surgical precision. No one in last 20 years could weather his style for long. Only Kovalev or maybe a bulked up Ward would have a decent chance. INHO

@saeedrahi

3 жыл бұрын

He was the best finisher & had extreme knock out power in both hands. Not a very big guy just at under 200lb but with phenomenal power, skills, precision & economy as you mentioned. “When he corners you he finishes you”.

Thanks for uploading this!

Amazing upload. Very nicely done. Thanks much.

Everyone unquestionably acknowkedges Louis is in the pantheon of all-time great fighters, but in a weird way he still seems underrated. Maybe that's because all that's ever said about him is some proforma acknowledgment of his skills, "Joe Louis, one of the best. Next." His speed and athleticism were exceeded only by Ali. His class and graciousness were exceeded by none.

I love the commercials 😍. Thanks for posting this

Red Smith, who saw the fight, described Conn as living on the edge for most of the fight. Louis finally caught up with him.

'If Conn hadn't gotten his Irish up, as the Irish like to say' - I'm Irish and I've never heard anyone Irish say that ever.

@williepep-fy7qm

Жыл бұрын

Camcolito are you from the 30s or 40s?

@Camcolito

Жыл бұрын

@@williepep-fy7qm No but I'm from Ireland.

@williepep-fy7qm

Жыл бұрын

@@Camcolito at that time it was probably popular to say

@Camcolito

Жыл бұрын

@@williepep-fy7qm Popular in the US maybe.

Well ..... that was a great fight .... but lets not loose our heads .... Joe never needed Billy to be great but Billy certainly needed Joe to be great.

great upload !!!!

JOE LOUIS,the 3rd best champ[imho],that ever lived.What a great guy,and Conn too,super slick guy.

amazing thx for this video

Highly glorious

There isn't anyone here who would have done differently had he been Billy Conn. He'd weathered 12 rounds with Joe Louis and had rocked Louis. How was he to know that after 12 rounds, Louis would connect? He didn't connect before!

Thanks for the video, IBHOF2

If billy had gotten up, he still would have won. I believe he could have gotten up also..maybe he was just stunned..we'll never know. Only Billy knows.

@Bruins-vq5ey

2 жыл бұрын

He couldn't get up...he was through

Joe Louis was a gentleman

God Bless Billy Conn

A reminder of what the war did to so many men.

Wasn't nothing for Billy to be ashamed of he just figured if I can't knock him out I don't deserve to be champ

If Billy had not have got his"Irish up", he would have beaten Louis soundly..there's only ONE...Pittsburgh Kid!

Great story

Joe Louis was the most powerful and fastest punching heavyweight boxer in ring history. His great hand speed, especially in combination, was awesome to behold. He had a powerful jab, threw every punch perfectly and with wasteless accuracy. His right cross, thrown short and straight, was sheer dynamite. The "Brown Bomber" never ducked anyone as his record 25 title defenses attests to. Of those 25 successful defenses, 21 were won by knockout, 17 of those were ten counts! 5 in the first round! He also knocked out six men who held the Heavyweight Championship of the World. From 1934 to 1949, when he first retired as champion, his record was 60-1 with 51 knockouts. He held the Heavyweight Championship for a record of nearly 12 years. Also most boxing historians rate Joe Louis number one or number two on their list of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Eddie Futch, who devised the strategy that defeated Ali for both Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, considers Joe Louis to be the greatest of the all time heavies. The late editor of the Ring, Nat Loubet, rated Joe Louis number one on his list of heavyweight greats. Boxing historians such as Dan Daniel, Lew Eskin, Ted Carroll, and Bill Gallo all consider Joe Louis to be the greatest heavyweight champion. John Durant, author of "The Heavyweight Champions" rated him as the # 1 heavyweight of all time. Bert Sugar rates Joe Louis # 2 at heavyweight. The Aug. 1980 issue of the Ring rated Louis as the second greatest fighter in history behind only Sugar Ray Robinson. The Holiday 1998 issue of the Ring rated Louis second behind Muhammad Ali at heavyweight. Former heavyweight champ and boxing historian Mike Tyson, in the HBO video, "Tyson and the Heavyweights" (1988), said of Louis, "It's difficult to see anyone beating him even Muhammad Ali". Cox's Corner rates Joe Louis # 1 among All Time Heavyweights. Joe Louis is the GREATEST heavyweight in history!!!

@JamesBondRambo

8 жыл бұрын

+blueparrot989 Throughout Heavyweight history, there may have been a few harder punchers and better boxers than Louis, but he combined them perfectly. That is something that cannot be said about any other Heavyweight Champ in history. He could adjust and adapt to any type of style he was confronted with. It was suicide to move towards him, and no way any fighter could beat him by running from him. He was dangerous inside and outside, he could win by slugging and trading, and had the ring savvy to out think and Box his opponent. Louis was the consummate Boxer-Puncher.

@JamesBondRambo

8 жыл бұрын

+blueparrot989 Louis punches were not just heavy punches like Foreman or Shavers but fast and explosive punches. Ray Arcel, one of the greatest trainers in history worked against Louis in 14 of his fights, said, (Anderson, 120), "Louis once drove Paulino Uzcudin's teeth right through his mouthpiece!" Arcel said it was the hardest punch he ever saw. Not Joe Frazier, not George Foreman, not Earnie Shavers had that kind of dynamite behind their punches.

@paysonfox88

8 жыл бұрын

Blueparrot, Let's put it this way: Joe Louis drove Jim Braddock's teeth through his mouth piece and up through his cheek with one punch. Joe also knocked out Primo Carnera (6'6" & 250lbs) breaking his ribs, He broke Max Schelling's ribs and caused him to hemorrhage blood, He Knocked out Max Baer in 3 rounds *6'3" and 220). Joe could knock people out with either hand and with any punch. I've seen his Kayos, He did it with Jabs, uppercuts, crosses, straight rights, everything. Tell me of any other fighter who can say that.

@jenoconnell7358

6 жыл бұрын

Samuel Ettima Ali was much faster...but if Louis fought Ali...I would take joe

@jenoconnell7358

6 жыл бұрын

Samuel Ettima I have Joe behind Rocky, but ahead of Ali...Rocky was the best at #1 joe #2 Ali at #3

Not sure if I agree fully with the theme presented: in many circles, the CHAMP MUST be knocked out for the exchange to be legitimate !

Amazing 11th and 12th rounds for Conn. To think a guy at 169 lbs could do that to Joe. Then he got stupid. If there was one guy you did not stand in front of and duke it out with it was Louis.

@stephenmadonna6142

4 жыл бұрын

It appears he got stupid, but actually he did get hurt by a right early in the 13th. The film does not show this. I think Billy sensed he was in trouble, and tried to turn it around fast.

So Conn basically did the same thing that Holyfield did, which was to go up to the heavyweight division and be the best.

@iwant2usethis

4 жыл бұрын

Ah... big difference - Holyfield won, Conn lost and if you look the record up - he lost to Louis 3x

@Robzrx

Жыл бұрын

Holyfield was a Cruiserweight (176-200lbs limit) and went to HW. Conn weighed 169 for this fight barely past todays Super Middleweight limit of 168

Joe was a real gentleman

I don't waste time thinking about Joe vs Ali it's useless but Joe Louis had power in both hands and had a great chin and his will to win most fighter give up after being rock like Louis was, but to come out the next round and have the strength to finish Conn that is something you can't teach.

@skinking2252

4 жыл бұрын

His chin wasn't the best actually: he got knocked down plenty of times.

@kingofnewyork7765

Жыл бұрын

@@skinking2252 flash knockdowns

@skinking2252

Жыл бұрын

@@kingofnewyork7765 Still, they indicate that his chin was quite fragile. Buddy Baer even flew him out of the ring!

@kingyoung3192

Жыл бұрын

@@skinking2252buddy Baer was huge and had tremendous power check his knockout percentage and also check what happened when Louis got back in the ring with no 8 count went right back to work.

Conn was basically the Gene Tunney of his time, epic overachiever.

Marciano got outboxed in every title fight he had, yet people think he could beat lightning fast Louis or Ali in their prime. Joe Louis had this one hard fight which he won and people like to act like he got exposed. GTFOH and watch more boxing.

@Bruins-vq5ey

2 жыл бұрын

What? He waxed Walcott in one..cockell was massacred

46:52 - 47:15 = best words of wisdom ever

HI Ibhof2 , if it was not for politics and the fact i a not close enough to the plate i would offer the Nobel prize committee to give you one for these uploads . thank u !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joe was greatest boxer in the world!

Billy Conn is my cousin my grandpa knew him and stuff

@artistwintersong7343

7 жыл бұрын

my wife is related to him!

@lesliedodds4011

5 жыл бұрын

The fighting irish its in our nature as celts

@maximusmaxwell4392

5 жыл бұрын

@@lesliedodds4011 except conn is not irish what we call plastic paddies americans who had ancestors back 400 years ago who moved to the new world

@NORWOODShadow

3 жыл бұрын

Thrilling

👍👍👍👍.

And if Louis trained scientifically, as in today, Kovalev and Ward would b probably be in a serious world of hurt also!!

@iwant2usethis

4 жыл бұрын

Louis was already a scientific boxer which is why he was so successful. One of the best students of the sweet science ever in the heavyweights. Louis was exposed by Conn in this fight and Schmeling in their first fight. Against Conn you see how quickness and speed gave him a lot of trouble (Conn also took some good shots - tough dude). Against Schmeling, Louis held his left jab out to long instead of bring it back quickly to defend against overhand rights. Schmeling saw that in films and exploited it in the first fight and Louis never gave him a chance to exploit it in the second fight because he jump on Max early and didn't give him a chance to study nor did he himself get into any kind of rhythm - he just attacked. Louis would have been taxed against the likes of the Foreman's, Frazier's, Ali's, and even fighter's with speed, timing and movement would have been challenging but for his era, Louis was a phenomenon!!!

Conn had it won...." but what's the point of being Irish, if you cant be thick" lol

@davidbrandel1311

5 жыл бұрын

Lilian Oconnell Billy Conn told an interviewer shortly before he died that “Louis was a mob fighter” and there was no one way he would have been awarded the decision, no matter how well he fought. At the time he was probably too good of a sport to publicly say this, but he did say it much later in his life. He probably felt like he had no choice than to go for the knockout, and considering how hard Louis was holding on at the end of the 12th round, it probably seemed like his most logical choice.

@jameshowell6160

5 жыл бұрын

@@davidbrandel1311 LOUIS WAS NO MOB FIGHTER. ALL CONN HAD TO DO WAS BOX SMART AND STAY AWAY BUT HE WANTED THE GLORY OF KNOCKING OUT THE GREAT JOE LOUIS AND BEING THE FIRST LIGHTHEAVY WEIGHT TO WIN THE HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE PERIOD. THAT OTHER STORY WAS A LOAD OF CRAP.

@jameshowell6160

5 жыл бұрын

@@davidbrandel1311 AND AS FAR AS YOUR COMMENT ABOUT LOUIS HOLDING ON. THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE HURT IN THERE. YOU TIE YOUR MAN UP UNTIL THE REFEREE BREAKS YOU. LIKE WILLIE PEP TIED UP SANDY SADDLER LIKE ALI TIED UP FORMAN LIKE CONOR MCGREGOR TIED UP MAYWEATHER ETC. ETC.!!!

@jameshowell6160

5 жыл бұрын

@@davidbrandel1311 IF LOUIS WAS A MOB FIGHTER THE MOB WOULD BE LOOKING TO MAKE A KILLING BY TELLING HIM TO LAY DOWN SO THEY COULD PUT ALL THEIR MONEY ON THE 9 TO 1 UNDERDOG CONN. THE MOB WOULDN'T STAND TO MAKE MUCH MONEY ON LOUIS WHO WAS THE OVERWHELMING FAVORITE TO WIN. THE MOB WOULD LOOK TO CLEAN UP. SO WHEN LOUIS KNOCKED CONN OUT LOUIS WOULD BE IN TROUBLE. HE WOULD HAVE TO GO ON THE LAM . HE'D HAVE TO BECOME A LAMIST. LOL

@nameless9378

4 жыл бұрын

@@jameshowell6160 The firts was bob fitzsimmons

Billy Conn, boxer extraordinaire. To bad he lost his head though.

@elijaprice yes

Looks like Tyson vs little Mac

robinson imo always,easily first yes.Ali second is usually popular,and i cant argue very willingly,or convincingly against it i guess.i'd rather learn to fight like louis than ali.alli got thrashed to much,too much punishment imo.

Good, maybe short of a great book: "Sweet William: The Life of Billy Conn" by Andrew O'Toole. Tony

People, dont you all know that Conn won after the second match the Associated Press's annual "Flop of the year" award?

whats up with the sound?

I think sugar ray Robinson is the best of all time

@donaldsullivan9862

4 жыл бұрын

I don't think there is a best of all time. From different eras, take any two fighters, same weight division, both in their prime. We will never know how they would do against each other. Fighters, as players in other sports tend to learn new tricks of the trade from mistakes of stars from bygone eras. Diets, training, and lifestyles also change. You simply can't compare athletes of one era with athletes of a bygone era.

28.00 40 years ago read about this fight,this is like Frazier not hitting Bugner in the 9th or Ali-Mathis 12...is this a theme here? be too nice and suffer later? and Conn really was 169lbs vs 201? And holy puck look at him go against Louis....

Louis, like Ali, did good against big men but bad against small fast intelligent men. Louis destroyed 270lbs of muscle Carnera [former universal champ], Baer [240lbs] and 250lbs of muscle in Simon, but the little men gave him problems.

@alberthoury5403

7 жыл бұрын

but in the end, he also beat the little men. thats why he was so great. he was better then all

Nobody thought conn would win and he didn't when u fight the champ u get every fighter a game but u better bring ur A plus game u got 15 Rd of punishment and even if u do almost win or win u will never be the same fighter again.

20:45.

21:50.

19:40.

25:15.

Why conn sipped so much?!

30:30.

28:40.

37:30.

31:20.

31:30.

I'm not sure how they would have faired against Mike Tyson in his prime. It just seems like they were all stiff and slower back in those days. Tyson would have made quick work of them both.

Edit out the commercials from the original broadcast. Thumbs down.

After seeing the knockdown, I Truely believe Billy could have gotten up!

@Bruins-vq5ey

7 ай бұрын

He did..just not inside 10

Ya. Conn lost because he had too much Irish! Louis was just a great fighter

Wonder how much Max got paid for the second fight?

$2 for a fight that is so sad

Amir Conn was pretty slick but had a weak chin.

For fighter is not about winning is about giving it the best he got to put his opponent down not in a stupid way and not in a cowardly point gaining way. One thing he shouldn't have done is go for a knockouts carelessly

Two absolute true sportsmen,Louis showed tremendous sportsmanship not capitalising on Conns' slip and throwing a couple of 'sucker' punches which probably would have knocked Conn out..Can ya honestly say that the 'modern boxer',given a knock out opportunity,would do a similar gentlemanly gesture and step back to let a slipped opponent regain his feet 'n' balance?

my top 5 greatest of all time 1st rocky marciano 2nd joe louis 3rd surger ray robison 4th roberto duran 5th larry holmes

@robertharris8697

Жыл бұрын

Sugarray Robinson Muhammad Ali jack Dempsey rockey Marciano Bernard hopkins

@Bruins-vq5ey

7 ай бұрын

Sam Langford

joe louis was the best black fighter of all time way better than ali but hands down the greatest of all time is rocky marciano

@SLIMZD

5 жыл бұрын

Boy u crazy

Could it have been fixed?

Smh 🤦🏾‍♂️. A fighters ego and I'm talking about Billy, would have been the easiest upset he'd ever had but his ego took over and got him ko'd you can't knock out a prime Joe Louis what the hell is wrong with you boy lol

A lot of boxing "experts"/historians/fans won't like this, but ......... Anyone who believes even a young, vintage Louis would have had a chance against the 1960s'/early'70's version of Clay is absolutely insane. Louis was slothy slow on his feet, threw one punch at a time, stood straight up......can you imagine what Clay, with his extra-terrestrial-like combination of size/foot speed-lateral movment/agility/punching speed/reach/ability to punch and not be punched.....would have done to Louis? Look at Clay's fight with Cleveland Williams, whose slow-as-molasses, straight up style was very similiar to Louis. What Clay did to Williams is exactly what he would have done to "The Great Louis." And another thing: Dempsey, using his tigerish, bobbing/weaving slam-bang style also would have destroyed Louis. I know it sounds sacreligious to say this, but Louis was one of the most over-rated champions in history. If Conn, who weighed about 35 pounds less than Louis in this fight, had been a true heavyweight, those shots he was landing to the head certainly would have dropped Louis. And possibly knocked him out.

@ronaldlaury5370

8 жыл бұрын

I wonder why Ali or clay said Joe was the best

@halpritzker564

8 жыл бұрын

Because, for a change, he was being gracious. He could afford to do so. Just watch films of both in their primes, and you tell me whether Louis would ever have laid a glove on him.

@joeclyne1133

7 жыл бұрын

To a degree I agree but then again no matter how great a boxer is he can't legislate for being tagged and finished with 1 shot... And that's what evens it up I feel, Joe was an awesome finisher perhaps the greatest finisher in history when he had a guy hurt, of course the footwork of ali is bound to trouble joe... But timing in boxing I's everything,, balance also, Joe was extremely patient and over 15 rounds he's going to have his moments, Joe will be aiming to get closer and closer all night, perhaps losing early rounds but joe also had an incredible sense of distance,, both were exceptional yet so different, let's be honest it's closer than a 1 horse race louis was to great a fighter, Joe only has to get lucky maybe once and time the correct shot over the ali jab.. It's by no means a mismatch, it's rare but with the right timing, staying patient, cutting off a ring the great fighter can overcome the great boxer, don't get me wrong I agree I agree with the sentiment that on percentage the great boxer will have to many tricks for a patient stalker but sometimes the fighter can be so great he pulls it off.

@danielhabu9072

7 жыл бұрын

this doc kinda paints a wrong image of Louis. Louis, for a long time was considered a boxer as much as a puncher. Louis footwork seems slow but that's because he didn't have as far to go as he was a center of the ring fighter. Ali worked the perimeter of the ring and thus had a longer distance to travel. the problem for Louis is that he seems plodding, slow of foot as he does against Conn. the problem for Ali is that he he can tire easier as he does against Doug Jones. the benefits to Louis footwork was it's balance, quickness subtlety and expressiveness. the benefits to Ali's footwork was it's speed elusiveness and flashiness he was more eye candy.

@danielhabu9072

7 жыл бұрын

another thing, this doc fails to mention that Louis carried Conn through much of the fight. Louis being a Black champeen didn't stand to make that much of the gate. Conn being White made more $$$ than Louis. This was not a good fight for Louis as he felt that not only was he putting his title on the line against a tough light heavy, he was gettingvscrewed on a high profile fight. word on the streets and in the gyms is that Louis secretly bet against himself on the over and under knockout round. Conn himself felt that Louis laid off him in the middle rounds and eluded to the fact that Louis coulda koed him any time wanted.

Bad quality.

So. Louis didn't win, Conn lost because he made a mistake. Okay...gotcha.

@tommybuckner8494

5 жыл бұрын

C'mon fellows yaw knew Joe was a party animal, he looked past Max n Conn, but you seen the results when he had to make it right,, Conn knew he wasn't right n tryed to devastat em, not takeing anything away from Conn, but again Joe didn't train till he had to n you paid for it when he did, untill father time caught up with em,,