No Holds Barred: Frank Lotierzo on Manny Pacquiao Triumphant

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with the noted boxing writer and historian and former fighter, Frank Lotierzo, about the dominant 11th-round TKO victory by Manny Pacquiao over Miguel Cotto November 14 in Las Vegas.

In an in-depth discussion, we analyze the fight itself, the brilliant use of boxing technique by Manny Pacquiao, the place of Pacquiao in boxing history, the potential for a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. next year, how the careers of Pacquiao and Mayweather compare, and much more. This is another meaty discussion for fight fans and aficionados, and you do not want to miss it, right here on No Holds Barred.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

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No Holds Barred: Charles Farrell and Frank Lotierzo on Diaz-Malignaggi Robbery, and What It Means for Boxing

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleague and correspondent Charles Farrell, and veteran boxing journalist and former fighter Frank Lotierzo.

We start by analyzing the August 22 junior welterweight fight between Paulie Malignaggi and Juan Diaz, won by Diaz by a unanimous decision which most observers have described as being unfair at best and a robbery at worst. Then, in a lengthy and lively discussion, we proceed to examine the repercussions of this hotly disputed decision for the sport of boxing, try to assess just how much damage it has caused to this already declining sport, and consider what, if anything, can be done to restore some credibility to boxing. Plus, we also discuss the rivalry between boxing and mixed martial arts. This is an unbiased and brutally frank discussion at the highest level, so make sure to check it out in its entirety.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

You can also order tickets for the 2009 ADCC World Championship, which will be held September 26-27 in Barcelona, Spain, through Ticketmaster.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

Make sure to visit the official boxing forum for No Holds Barred, the MySpace Boxing Forum.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

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American Top Team. Whether you're a beginner or a champion, train with the champions in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling, grappling, and mixed martial arts at American Top Team. Check out their web site at http://americantopteam.com/.

GRACIEMAG, the most reliable source of information on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. GRACIEMAG represents Jiu-Jitsu philosophy and features news, profiles, history, photos, videos, and tips and secrets of the mother of all martial arts. Published since 1996 in Brazil, GRACIEMAG: The Jiu-Jitsu Lifestyle, is in both English and Portuguese, and is also online at GRACIEMAG.com.

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No Holds Barred: Frank Lotierzo on Pacquiao-Hatton

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with boxing writer, historian, and former boxer Frank Lotierzo about the crushing second-round knockout victory by Manny Pacquiao over Ricky Hatton Saturday night, May 2, in Las Vegas.

In a lengthy and pointed interview, we discuss the Pacquiao-Hatton fight itself, the historical significance of Pacquiao's victory, whether Pacquiao can be considered an all-time great, the return to boxing of Floyd Mayweather Jr., the July 18 Mayweather-Juan Manuel Marquez fight, a potential Mayweather-Pacquiao showdown, what fights of note are coming up in the next few months, and much more about the always intriguing and often perplexing world of boxing.

You can play or download No Holds Barred here. You can also download No Holds Barred here. If one link does not work, please try another. The show is in MP3 format, so may take some time to download.

The No Holds Barred theme song is called "The Heist", by Ian Carpenter.

No Holds Barred is free to listen to and is sponsored by:

Gladiator Magazine, for in-depth coverage of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, submission grappling, and MMA, as well as lifestyle articles on surfing, cars, movies, and more. Gladiator Magazine is available at any major bookstore and online at BJJMart.com or Jiu Jitsu Pro Gear.

BJJMart.com, your premier source for all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gear, videos, books, and much more.

Wrestling 411, providing coverage of the sport of wrestling on TV, the Internet, and radio. Wrestling 411 is produced by Media Sports Productions, whose sole mission is the marketing and promotion of the sport of wrestling.

FightBeat.com, for news, results, interviews, and free exclusive videos from the worlds of boxing and mixed martial arts.

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Pavlik-Hopkins: Hopkins wins, Hopkins wins

This weekend Bernard Hopkins will earn another significant pay-day participating in a fight he probably can't win, but also is not likely to get hurt. On top of that, a loss to 26 year-old Kelly Pavlik won't tarnish the legacy of the 43 year-old Hopkins. And lastly, a win by Hopkins really shouldn't be considered an upset.

The last time we saw Hopkins, he was out-hustled by Joe Calzaghe en-route to losing a decision and his light heavyweight title. However, Calzaghe is a veteran of 20 plus title fights, was a south-paw, and is more versatile than the bigger punching Pavlik. This will be Pavlik's fourth title bout, and it's a fact that he's never been in the ring with another fighter like Hopkins. That said, Pavlik's strength and youth should be enough to get by Hopkins, who can fight no more than four or five rounds out of a 12-round bout.

Pavlik's punching power will no doubt keep Hopkins focused, and fighting more to make Pavlik look bad, instead of beating him up. Most likely Hopkins attack plan is to bring Pavlik to him, while making himself to appear to be right there, but hard to reach. Hoping to force Pavlik into over committing and leaving him vulnerable to Hopkins counters. Pavlik is pretty vanilla style-wise, which is a big tactical advantage for Hopkins.

I expect Pavlik to win the fight, but I do believe because of styles, Hopkins will get more clean shots at Pavlik than he did Calzaghe. I just don't think it will be enough. Bernard Hopkins is just too smart and good to get his ass kicked by Kelly Pavlik. He's just not good enough in 2008 to beat him. Having said that, I wouldn't bet on this fight unless it was with someone else's money.

Regardless of the out-come, Hopkins wins. If he loses, he'll leave the ring with another big pay-day along with his legacy. If he wins, he'll leave the ring with a bigger legacy, and set up for another huge pay-day against a fighter who will be favored to beat him, but one he's capable of beating.

Hopkins Wins, Hopkins Wins!

Some fighters are just too strong for others to box

Antonio Margarito was simply too strong for Miguel Cotto to box or fight when they met on July 26, 2008. For the first four or five rounds, while he could sprint for most of the round, Cotto could pick his spots, flurry and get away from Margarito. But a fighter can only maintain that pace for so long. Eventually, he has to come up for air. The problem is, when he has a fighter like Margarito in front of him, he pays a price for trying to catch a breather.

Cotto was forced to let his hands go, or try to get distance between himself and Margarito. When he was fresh and letting his hands go, he was able to keep Margarito off him and occupied. However, not having the punch to deter Margarito, sapped his stamina. Being forced to either cut-loose, or try and get away takes a lot out of a fighter physically, and just as importantly, mentally too.

Once Cotto started to wind down, Margarito was met with less resistance as he plowed forward and worked Cotto's head and body. That was followed by Cotto accepting that he couldn't hold him off, therefor his next best thing was to try and get away from him so he couldn't be further worked over. The trouble with that was, with his stamina depleting, he couldn't get away fast enough. Obviously, a slow fighter can move faster going forward than a faster fighter can go back. Once Cotto couldn't fight Margarito off or escape his aggression, it was just a matter of time until he has nothing left to draw from mentally or physically. Adding to Cotto's problems were the fact that, Margarito is very unusual in that, in addition to being strong, he throws 100 punches per round. So his pressure is intensified by his work rate.

Miguel Cotto is a better boxer, faster of hand and foot, and capable of putting his punches together better than Antonio Margarito. He's also a bigger puncher. Yet he was stopped by him. And the reason for that is, Margarito is simply too strong for him physically, which translates into mentally as well as the fight progresses. Miguel Cotto fought the best he could versus Antonio Margarito. There's nothing anyone could've told him to do that would've made a difference in the outcome of the fight.

Bottom line: Some fighters are just too strong for others to box. If one need any proof of that, watch the replay of Antonio Margarito vs Miguel Cotto.

Chris Byrd: A Rare Overachiver

Unfortunately Chris Byrd never earned the monster pay day. Sure, he had a fair amount of decent money fights, but due to his style being closer to Pernell Whitaker's than Joe Frazier's, he never was a draw in the heavyweight division. A heavyweight must be a genuine life-taker to become a fan favorite and draw at the box office. Muhammad Ali is the only heavyweight Super-star who wasn't a knockout artist. Boxing fans clamor to see a knockout scored by a supposed great heavyweight much more so than seeing him win with skill, speed and brains.

In January of 1993, Chris Byrd weighed 169 for his pro-debut. A year and a half later, the former 1992 Super-middleweight Silver medalist weighed 200 for his fourth pro fight. From 1994 through 2007, Byrd campaigned as a heavyweight, despite his light heavyweight body and bone structure. It was a calculated gamble, but he made the most it and had more ring success than he did financial success. Chris benefited fighting during an era of heavyweights that were much bigger than they were skilled. He realized that bigger in boxing is only an advantage when the bigger fighter can deliver his size and power. Which Byrd was very good at nullifying. The loose and relaxed Byrd undressed and exposed practically every heavyweight he confronted. He won a piece of the heavyweight title and defended it successfully. He gave former champ Vitali Klitschko his first defeat, and schooled David Tua, who may be the best single punch hitter since the 1970s version of George Foreman.

While still close to being at his best, he was only outclassed by two fighters, Wladimir Klitschko, currently the top fighter in the division, and Ike Ibeabuchi, who had the potential to be one of the best heavyweights to come along since Larry Holmes. The problem he had with Klitschko and Ibeabuchi is they were both very big and very skilled. Definitely too much for a full fledged light heavyweight, or probable Cruiserweight to handle.

Finally, after 13 years of sharing a ring with big heavyweights and being an overachiver, his body started to breakdown, resulting in him slowing down and getting hit more. In his last bout (10-27-07) as a heavyweight, he was stopped by Alexander Povetkin in the 11th round. The version of Byrd who fought between 1999 and 2003, would've won nine of 12-rounds versus the 13 fight Povetkin. After the loss to Povetkin, Chris thought he had enough left to drop down to the weight he maybe should've competed at earlier in his career. For the seven months between Povetkin and his last fight versus Shaun George, Byrd re sculpted his body and weighed in at 174 pounds, five more than he did for his debut 15 years earlier. The drop in weight led to Byrd getting injured, along with his confidence being shook. When he climbed into the ring to fight Shaun George, his body was shredded and cut. To some, he may have looked good, but to most respected boxing observers, he was really just an empty package, wrapped in pretty paper and a colorful bow. Chris was dropped in the first round, and it was evident from that point on, that he left his legs and punch in the training room. He found that his body paid the price fighting dinosaurs, and had nothing left, especially after he depleted it so much over the last seven months getting down to the light heavyweight limit. Byrd absorbed a terrible beating and took more punishment than I'd ever want to see him or any fighter take. He also had a few minor complications afterward, but has recovered and is fine now.

His wife and manager, Tracy, said she'll implore him not to fight again. I hope her influence makes the difference and she can save Chris from himself. Something that won't be easy, because Chris is a very tough and determined guy. Luckily, he's just as smart as he is tough. So I hope that he never laces them up again, and starts a new career passing along his experience and knowledge to those who could benefit from it. His options are open, and he can do almost anything he wants. I hope that's the direction he goes.

In closing, Chris and Tracy Byrd are very easy to cheer for. They happen to be two of the best people I've ever met, not just in boxing, but during my entire life. Those who know boxing respect Chris Byrd as a man and as a fighter, and we all know just how special and unique he was to accomplish everything he did in compiling a pro-record of 40-5-1.

HBO & De La Hoya Throw Boxing Fans A Bone

This coming Saturday night former six division title-holder Oscar De La Hoya (38-5) will once again be fighting as a welterweight. In a fight that amounts to nothing more than a "see I can win a fight" exhibition, Oscar will face former Super-featherweight champ, Steve Forbes (33-5). Forbes, has been at his best fighting at 130. In his last meaningful fight he lost a unanimous decision to Demetrius Hopkins for the USBA Junior welterweight title. So I don't expect to see Steve at his best fighting at 147.

This fight serves both De La Hoya and Forbes great financially, although much more so for Oscar obviously. The purpose of the fight is HBO's way of throwing boxing fans a bone by showing De La Hoya for free, and to provide him a chance to win in an impressive fashion. In other words the De La Hoya-Forbes bout marks the official beginning of the selling of De La Hoya-Mayweather II. Forbes is there to provide Oscar a foil with a name and garner his biggest payday for getting stopped for the first time in his career. Not that stopping Forbes should be considered a Herculean task by De La Hoya, being that he's naturally bigger and stronger than Forbes.

The minute De La Hoya has his hands raised after defeating Forbes, and he will, we'll begin hearing why he has a more realistic chance to beat Mayweather this coming September. First we'll here how the fight with Forbes was perfect to help ready him for Floyd Mayweather, which sounds plausible, despite Mayweather and Forbes having nothing in common other than being professional fighters. Then Oscar will talk about how he fought Mayweather wrong the first time and knows what he has to do this time. It will be said how the first fight was only a split decision loss for him and by just a few adjustments in the corner this time will be the difference and why he'll win. Shortly after De La Hoya is finished talking to either Larry Merchant or Max Kellerman, Steve Forbes will be yesterdays news. So I hope that he's making a ton of money, and I don't think it'll be a bad thing if for some un-forseen reason the talk is about Forbes next fight, and De La Hoya being yesterdays news.

Floyd Mayweather: Not Even Fighter of The Month

I just received my BWAA invite to their 2007 awards dinner on May 1, 2008. The second I saw Floyd Mayweather was voted "Fighter of The Year" by boxings finest, I threw the invitation out. Mayweather being voted FOTY is another layer of proof that todays boxing writers are more fans than anything else.

Miguel Cotto clearly faced and defeated better opposition than Mayweather did, not to mention he won more convincingly. Mayweather beat Oscar De La Hoya by split decision in 2007. The trouble with that is Oscar hasn't won a big fight since 2002, and has been a part-time fighter since 2004. Floyd followed the De La Hoya fight up with a 10-round TKO over undefeated Jr. welterweight, Ricky Hatton. In that fight, I had Mayweather up a point going into the final around. Other than the final blow Mayweather landed to end the fight, nothing else beyond him struggling with the limited Hatton will be remembered. On the other hand, Cotto stopped Zab Judah (who Mayweather had to come from behind to win a decision against in late 2006), and decisioned Shane Mosley, who beat Oscar De La Hoya in 2000 & 2003. For the record, I had Mosley over Cotto by a point.

Along with Cotto, Kelly Pavlik had a better 2007 than Mayweather did. Pavlik scored a pair of seventh round stoppages over hard hitting Edison Miranda and undisputed middleweight champ Jermain Taylor. Like Cotto, Pavlik fought two of the better fighters in the division in which they campaign. Compared to Mayweather, who chose a semi-retired fighter, and another who campaigns in a division beneath him.

I'm not going to take the time to compare Mayweather's body of work to other fighter of the year recipients, you do it, because it makes me ill when I do it. In closing, Floyd Mayweather being voted FOTY is another reason why boxing is sometimes hard to take serious and 90% of boxings finest writers should start covering hunting and fishing.

The Day I Saw Holmes Arrive

Many boxing observers have conveyed to me over the years that they knew by 1976-77, that Larry Holmes was a future champ. This is a fraternity to which I am not a member. I wasn't convinced about Holmes potential in 1977. Holmes had been on my radar since the early 1970s. I knew of his stoppage defeat to hard hitting Nick Wells as an amateur, and watched Duane Bobick knock the hell out of him at the 1972 Olympic trials final. As of 1976-77 after turning pro in 1973, Holmes was looking unimpressive beating journeymen Joe Gholoston and Fred Askew. He scored a big decision win over Roy "Tiger" Williams in early 1976, but was shook pretty good in the process. As late as September of 1977, Holmes looked so-so beating Fred Houpe, who former heavyweight champ Joe Louis owned a piece of. At the time I was starting to believe Holmes couldn't punch, wasn't that tough, and was a cheap Muhammad Ali wannabe. By late 1977, I was convinced Holmes only claim to fame was bettering Ali in the gym when they worked together. Which meant nothing to me. Since Ali was the worst gym fighter in the world, and sometimes lost the decision sparring Jimmy Ellis in the sixties.

On Saturday afternoon March 25th 1978, it all changed. That was the day Holmes fought fifth ranked Earnie Shavers, who he once worked as a sparring partner for. Shavers, in his last fight six months earlier, shook Muhammad Ali a few times over 15-rounds en-route to losing a unanimous decision, failing to capture the Undisputed Heavyweight title. The fight with Shavers would provide the ultimate lie-detector test as to just how good Holmes was or could be in my opinion. When the fight concluded, I had my answer regarding what I thought of Holmes. And that was not only is he a future heavyweight champ, but he's the next.

For 12-rounds Holmes put on a boxing clinic and won 34 of 36 minutes versus Shavers. Shavers, who had dynamite in both hands, was reduced to looking to land a lottery punch by the end of the fifth round. Holmes jab looked better than I'd ever seen it. He threw them in multiples, and they were hard and fast. And when Shavers was there for the taking, Holmes cut loose with his right cross with laser accuracy, disrupting Shavers aggression more so than Ali had six months earlier. Larry's legs enabled him to dictate the pace and geography of the fight, and he even looked a little like Cassius Clay circa 1964. Holmes showed the hunger and desire you look for in a championship caliber fighter. He never let up, and to this day the only fight I think he fought more purposeful during, was his title defense against Gerry Cooney four and a half years later. Three months after beating Shavers, Holmes won a split decision over Ken Norton to capture the WBC heavyweight title. Something I had no doubt he'd do, but only after I saw his official arrival on March 25, 1978 during his first fight with Earnie Shavers. Thirty years after Holmes beat Shavers, I consider him one of the five greatest heavyweights of all time.

In 2005, I ranked Larry Holmes number four on my IBRO heavyweight ballot.

Floyd Mayweather: A Big No Show

Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Kermit Cintron, Antonio Margarito, Carlos Quintana, Paul Williams and Joshua Clottey, round out the top eight fighters in boxings welterweight division. The current welterweight division is very competitive. It's not the deepest its been, but it's plenty deep. Mayweather, the fighter who is considered the best in the division, is also considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing. He's also the only fighter among the top eight who hasn't faced one of the other seven who make up the elite eight. On April 12th, Margarito and Cintron will be facing each other for the second time, due to Margarito handing Cintron his only professional loss three years ago.

This coming Saturday night, boxings supposed best pound-for-pound fighter will take on a 7'1" 400 pound wrestler named the "Big Show" at the WWE's Wrestlemania XXIV. Obviously, this is for a lot of money along with the outcome being pre-determined. This would almost be tolerable if after Mayweather gets his acting check, he'd go back to what he is paid most for doing and take on the fighters who not only have earned their shot at him, but are also most capable of beating him. But this won't happen. Mayweather's already penciled in to fight a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya in the fall. De La Hoya is far past his prime, he doesn't match up with Mayweather at this time and regardless of who wins the fight, it says nothing about either one as to what kind of fighters they are.

Floyd Mayweather is following the Roy Jones path to wealth, which is that of least resistance. As long as he knows that, he's Okay. However, after all these years of talking shit about how great he is, he'll be more remembered like Jones than he will be Sugar Ray Leonard. It's even possible that Mayweather will retire undefeated. And even at that, he'd still have one of the thinnest resumes I've seen compared to the greats he thinks he is on par with. Floyd Mayweather is a borderline great fighter. Physically, there's nothing he does great. In the ring, he's smart, and his defense is thought to be very good, but in my opinion it's more fundamental than anything else. IF he fought and took more chances trying to prove how great he is, he'd get hit much more than he does.

The sand is almost through the hour glass and time is running out for Floyd to prove that he's one of the greats. No more De La hoya's, Hatton's, or Wrestlers. Is it asking too much of Floyd Mayweather to clean out one division in which he competed in before he moves on to what he does best, which is manage fighters?

NO HOLDS BARRED: Charles Farrell and Frank Lotierzo on the Fight of the Year: Vazquez-Marquez 3

NO HOLDS BARRED on PodOmatic

On this edition of NO HOLDS BARRED, host Eddie Goldman speaks with our colleagues Charles Farrell and Frank Lotierzo of The Boxing Standard.

Our lengthy discussion focuses mainly on this past Saturday's thrilling rubber match between super bantamweight champion Israel Vazquez and former world champion Rafael Marquez, won by Vazquez by split decision. We analyze this fight, what it means for boxing, how the American boxing media once again largely blew this story, and more.

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Vazquez-Marquez "Everything Boxing Should Be"

This past Saturday night Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez fought for the third time in 367 days. In the ring two titles were on the line. The minor title was Vazquez's WBC Super Bantamweight title, the more important one was the Championship of each other. And after three Fights, you can realistically say that one has yet to be decided. The Ring record book will forever show Vazquez the winner via a 12-round split decision, and holding a 2-1 advantage in the trilogy between them until they meet a fourth time.

During the course of the 25-rounds they've shared in the Ring, what stands out even more than the excitement the fights provided, is how they exemplify everything that professional boxing should be. The first one being, winning really means something to them, evidenced by their preparedness. They were in excellent shape, and showed intelligence and versatility while in the ring. Both Marquez & Vazquez not only listened to what their corners told them, they implemented it in the following round, that is until the other made the proper adjustment.

Marquez, who is at his best fighting on the outside behind his hard jab and punishing right cross, showed Vazquez, who is an in-fighter who likes to throw his big left-hook to the body and head, that he too has an inside game and is capable of hurting him. On the other hand, Vazquez showed he has an outside game, and disrupted Marquez with his jab while pushing the fight. I can't remember the last time I saw a Fighter like Marquez who could box and move, yet still could take your head off. Nor have I seen many swarmers like Vazquez who isn't a fish out of water from outside, let alone in the same Ring together in what has to be an early favorite for 2008 Fight of The Year.

Marquez and Vazquez fought like true warriors. Both had the stamina and heart to go as long as it took to get the job done, both got up off the floor to come back in the same round to either win it or stabilize it enough not to yield the mental or tactical advantage to the other. In the process they threw every punch in the book, the way it was meant to be delivered, and with power. And they both showed they're quite capable of thinking on their feet. In fact, not only is the Marquez-Vazquez trilogy as good as any other in boxing history, there isn't one single thing that can be asked of a Championship fight that wasn't delivered. And we just might get to see it one more time.

What The HBO Joe Louis Documentary didn't tell you

The recent HBO documentary Joe Louis, "Anerican Hero Betrayed" was unlike the others we've seen on "The Brown Bomber." He was as great a man as he was a fighter. No way should a man like him have to endure the public humiliation he had too. I guess the Army had no clue how bad they messed up when they said to Muhammad Ali, "we'll afford you the same treatment we did Sgt. Joe Louis." I know Louis' life outside the ring is important, historically. However, the documentaries produced on Louis always leave out what made him perhaps the greatest heavyweight champion ever.

They always focus on his power, but omit that he was a great boxer. He was much more than Max Baer with two hands.

Joe Louis was the quintessential Boxer-Puncher. However, because he had dynamite in both hands and scored some picturesque knockouts, most categorize him as being a catch and kill puncher who always won because of his power. However, there's so much more to Joe Louis the fighter. Fundamentally, Louis was absolutely faultless. He carried his hands high with his elbows in and his chin down. He threw short and concise bombs, and never wasted a punch. He also put together five and six punch combinations with speed, power, and accuracy better than any other Heavyweight in history.

Louis was a stalker who pressured his opponents, but his pressure wasn't overwhelming. While stalking his foe he would inch closer and closer, but he 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. When his opponent went on the offensive, they played right into Louis' hands. Louis understood that he could tag his opponent harder and cleaner, IF the opponent was coming to him, even IF only briefly. One thing former heavyweight champion, George Foreman, said while providing color-commentary for HBO was, "never follow a puncher." Foreman never spoke truer words, and Louis lured and set his opponent up to follow him when they were getting ready to strike. Due to Louis setting the pace and dictating the ring geography, he maneuvered his opponent to be in range for his explosive combinations.

Most of the time when an opponent came to Louis, it was really a defensive move so they could get away as he stalked them. As his opponent came to him, and tried to lead, Louis would strike with short straight punches. Couple his explosive power with his great hand speed, especially in short burst, and you have one of the greatest offensive fighters the heavyweight division has ever seen.

Over the years it has often been said that Louis was vulnerable to quick footed fighters with lateral movement. Although there is some truth to this, it's not nearly to the degree in which it has been over-stated. This analogy is based mostly because of three fights during Louis' title tenure. His two fights with Jersey Joe Walcott and his first bout against Billy Conn. Walcott had good feet, and moved in and out and side to side doing what was termed the Walcott shuffle. However, his feet weren't what troubled Louis. It was more his head and shoulder feints along with his dips and twist that bothered him. Conn extended Louis to the 13th round. Conn was slightly ahead in the scoring on two cards and even on the other after 12 rounds. It was the lateral movement of Conn that befuddled Louis for a while. This was mainly because Louis wouldn't chase a runner or a mover. He would bide his time and draw them to him. Which is what happened to Conn. In the 13th round, Conn caught Louis and shook him with a beautiful combination as he was lunging in, this ultimately cost him the fight. When Conn saw Louis shook, he went in for the kill, only he was in range for Louis to put him away, and he did.

Throughout Heavyweight history, there may have been a few harder punchers and better boxers than Joe Louis, but he combined them better and more perfectly than any other heavyweight who has yet lived. He could adjust and adapt to any style he was confronted with. It was suicide to move towards him, and it was almost next to impossible to win rounds with steady movement trying to survive 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. Joe Louis combined the art of punching and boxing as well as they've ever been combined. He was in fact one of the best boxers, and punchers in heavyweight history.