Very good, certainly in the top five all time.

Personally I'd put him behind Ali, and perhaps Dempsey and Marciano. 

As an icon, he was tremendously important.  Winning the title in the thirties, he became an important symbol to blacks in the way that Jackie Robinson would do for baseball in the '40s.  His defeat of Max Schmeling was used as a propaganda piece representing a victory over Nazism (despite Schmeling being no more a Nazi than Audie Murphy).

He was treated particularly badly after retirement, being ruthlessly pursued by the IRS for taxes on purses he had donated to the war effort, and was largely ignored by the country that had made him a hero and used him.  Ironically, his old "enemy" Schmeling did much to help him out in his bad times.

American hero

As GREAT as Marciano, but for very different reasons. Louis was a very tough fighter, but more than that, he was a devasting puncher and a pure boxer. Marciano, on the otherhand, was also a devasting hitter, could knock out an opponent with EITHER hand, and was as hard as nails, you just couldn't hurt him. He even won fights with a broken jaw, and a horrific nose injury.

Louis-Ali is one of those fights where the distance matters.  Louis catches and hammers Ali over fifteen rounds but Ali - the Ali of the Post Clay, Pre Ban era - probably would have beaten Louis in points over twelve.

I find it extremely difficult to say if a certain figther would've fought another fighter from a different era, who would come out victorious. I, of course wasn't even born when Louis fought, but relying on clips I've seen, Joe was a master boxer. He had a punch that could put out your lights. In Max Schmeling's last days, he said that over 50 years after his second fight with Louis, he still suffered the physical pains from his punches. Instead of saying which fighter would beat the other, I'd ask...would Louis be able to catch up with Ali, and cut off the ring? If he can't CATCH Ali, he can't HIT him. Would Tyson be able to bully Louis? Arguably, Tyson won most of his fights before the fight even started because his opponents were always scared. That's why Holyfield was able to whip him twice, he was not scared of Tyson. My top five greatest boxers(Heavyweights) of all time would be 1. Ali, 2. Louis, 3. Jack Johnson 4. Rocky Marciano 5.Larry Holmes

Mike Tyson in his prime would have whipped anyone even Joe Louis and even Ali he would at some point have caught up and landed a shot on both Louis and Ali and no one has ever hit as hard as Tyson - what he hit he knocked out. Also the weights were different Ali was only 15 and a half Stone.Tyson 1st , Ali 2nd Louis 3rd.

he sucks ass !! the worst fighter alive

The night he beat schmelling,no body beats that joe louis.

Fundamentally no one was better. He did it the way it was suppose to be done. Hands up, chin down, elbows in with a compact structure he threw devastating short punches with speed and crunching power. One of the top 2 combination punchers ever with Ray Robinson. He also had one punch ko power that knocked out some opponents teeth. His record as champion is also among the best.

Champ for 12 years! Greatest of All Time!!!

No doubt that Joe was a great fighter in his prime, but folks think about it this way. When Joe fought he really didn't have any great fighters to fight him and this gave him advantage to be so well known. I couldn't imagine him fighting Liston or Foreman, he probably would be ko'd or killed in the first round. Some people say Joe Louis would have killed Ali...i don't want to even go there because it is not worth it comparing Louis to Ali. But Louis still was a great fighter in top five. Here are my top ten of all time: 1. Ali (The Greatest) 2. Marciano 3. Sugar Ray 4. Foreman 5. Joe Louis 6. Liston 7. Fraizer 8. Tyson 9. Dampsey 10. Holyfield

THE GREATEST IN THE PAST THE PRESENT AND IN ALL PROBABILITY THE FUTURE. THE ONLY COMPLETE HEAVY WEIGHT THAT EVER LIVED.HAD POWER, PRECISION,AND STAMINA.LOIUS AT HIS BEST WOULD DEFEAT ANY BOXER WHO CAME ACROSS HIM. DANCING AND RUNNING WOULD NOT HELP. ALI WOULD NOT DEFEAT LOUIS AND IF HE DID HE WOULD DIE IN A REMATCH. AS FOR CONN GIVING JOE A TOUGH TIME, YEAH AMERICA DID LOSE IN VIETNAM. THERE IS NO DENYING THAT ALI WAS A GREAT FIGHTER BUT AS THE GREATEST HIMSELF ONCE DECLARED JOE LOUIS WOULD HAVE LICKED HIM.

Louis is not the great heavyweight that everyone makes him out to be. The quality of his opponents is not the best that the heavyweights have seen. Billy Conn , a smart light heavy weight, boxed his ears off and lost the fight when he tried to knock Louis out in the final round. Ali was right when he referred to Louis as the Mummy. Ali would have boxed Joe's ears off. George Foreman would have devastated Louis also. Louis had a very straight up stance and was not a great boxer. Also Louis was knocked out by Schmeling in their first fight. In fact, not only was he knocked out in the 12th round but he was completely outboxed and outclassed by Schmeling in their first fight during the entire fight. Schmeling fought a brilliant fight and Louis could not stop the constant barrage of rights that Max landed on him.

The most complete heavyweight ever in combination of boxing skill and punching prowess. Threw every punch with textbook accuracy, possessed great speed and paralyzing power. One of the greatest combination punchers and counter-punchers ever. Had a perfect jab. 25 successful defenses demonstrates he ducked no one.

Not bad but Marciano is better

4TH GREATEST OF ALL TIME

third greatest heavyweight after prime Tyson and Marciano

You can talk about his lack of quality opponents, his bum of the month club. You can say that he was undersized compared to todays heavyweights. You can point to the fact that if Billy Conn had not thrown caution to the wind, he very well may have beaten him. Say all you want, but nobody, I mean nobody ever had the concussive power in his fists that Joe Louis had. If you ever get the chance to see film clips of his fight with Tony Galento in I believe 1939 then do so. Watch him rebound after a flash knockdown and totally cut the ring right out from under Galento and then just demolish him with the shortest crispest punches you've ever seen. The man is the number 1 all time heavyweight in my book.

His quote regarding World War II, We'll win because we're on God's side outdid Roosevelt. As a boxer, he tends to be just a little overrated-a ton of bums of the month, almost blowing his title to a 169-pound Billy Conn and the rematch demolition of Max Schmeling, who entered the ring as a Nazi with no chance, are reasonable critiques of his 25 title defenses.

Only Ali could be rated higher. Yeah, yeah, Louis fought weak opponents, almost lost to Conn etc etc. Hey people, the guy held the belt for over a decade and fought in a time when boxers would near beat each other to death...he was one tough hombre

Deserving a five, Joe Louis was the Greatest of all time before The Greatest of All Time (the only boxer I gave a five) came along. Yeah, Rocky beat him, but he was 176 years old (no fighter with a bald-spot wins -- see Holyfield v. Moorer) and the IRS forced him into it in a bizarre plot to legitimize Rocky Balboa, I mean Marciano. Even though the Rock had no active part in this plot. He was simply the beneficiary. The Rock (all respect due to the Rock)was at the right place at the right time, a no man (or one mans) land in heavyweight boxing history. Not unlike the eighties. I think Larry Holmes (in his prime) could have beaten the Rock (in his prime). In the evolution of boxing, Joe Louis was the best ever at that stage of boxing strategy and development. I think Jack Johnson maybe could have beaten him, but Jack's stain is he would NOT fight other fighters of color (many lost great champions -- of color -- between the era's of Jack & Joe). You can call me Yoda...

A great fighter..his left jab could knock you out..don't see very many fighters today that know how to use their left jab.

Why did Ray Robinson idolise him, why did Ali when he wasn`t playing to the camera`s idolise him..because Joe Louis was a great champion.

Louis is just behind Ali for me as the two greatest Heavyweights of all time. A true legend of the fight game and mekes the top five of all time easily.

To stiff and upright.he also fought in a weak era of heavy weights. The only complaiment i can give him is that he was powerful and could generate alot of power into short punches and he was accurate.

joe louis didnt brag and he did his fighting almost without a word. people compare louis to jack johnson. johnson wasnt half the fighter or boxer or gentleman as joe louis. joe louis had power, heart, stamina, and he didnt need to show it off. unfortunatly, louis did have some outstanding flaws. joe didnt exactly have an iron chin, out of his three losses two came by knockout. he wasnt very fast or agile, the reasons y billy conn almost beat louis. how is he overrated? he beat the best of his day such as: primo carnera, max baer, max schmeling rematch, billy conn twice, jersey joe walcott twice, and jimmy braddock. and of those 8 victories for joe, 7 of them came by knockout. not to mention that joe louis was one of the most popular champions in history, loved by blacks and whites alike. and of course holds the record of longest title reign in history and most successful title defenses in history. there are legends and there are heros. joe louis was a legendary hero. louis was great but not the greatest.

OVER-RATED

First, may I say that I can't see any of the boxers currently (8/1/03) listed on RateItAll getting less than four stars. Joe Louis was a fabulous puncher, threw every sort of punch, and with either hand, with power, accuracy, quickness and compactness. He was a wonderful combination puncher, a fine counterpuncher, and kept his power through out the duration of a fight. The more trouble Joe's opponent got into, the cooler Joe got, and that made him a deadly finisher. Joe wasn't fast footed, but he knew the angles to take and made his opponents work hard to stay away. Joe could be crowded, but it had better be very, very consistent crowding -- as said above, he threw very compact punches, and if you gave him any room at all, it could be lights out. Watch Louis - Buddy Baer II to see what happened to guys who tried to crowd but weren't really consistent about it. Joe was death in rematches. Joe's chin, I think, was about 3 1/2 stars. He went down quite a few times, but usually was clear headed (and dangerous) when he arose. The first Schmelling fight was an exception, when Joe came in in less than the best shape. It w2asn't a five star chin, but it certainly wasn't a two star chin, either. Joe sometimes was late returning his left, or returned it low, making him vulnerable to a right hand counter. On the whole, Joe met the best fighters in his day, though he could be chided for not defending against Elmer Ray and Jimmy Bivins. The first match with Billy Conn was a great fight. While Conn's lamentable decision to change strategy in the 13th was the main cause of his downfall, I always felt that Joe had caught on to a few of Conn's tricks, too, and that he doesn't get as much credit for pulling out that fight as he deserves. It's hard to fight 15 rounds with out repeating yourself, and Joe was a hard guy to fool twice. I do wish to say that those who point to the Conn fight and assert that Louis would have been outclassed by Ali have some valid points, but also overlook a great many relevant matters. It's true that, like Conn, Ali could have used lateral movement to trouble Louis. As well, Ali was much bigger and stronger than Conn, and also hit harder, was atleast as fast, and had a superior chin. However, there were a lot of other things that Conn did in that fight, things that Ali didn't particularly excell at. These include punching to the body and switching to the head, and sustainned infighting, often landing the left hook when Louis backed away. (Watch the tape, and you'll be suprised how much infighting Conn actually did -- PEOPLE HAVE FORGOTTEN THIS!). Conn had a more developed orthodox defense than Ali, was more a true combination puncher, feinted beautifully, and perhaps read footwork better. His performance against Louis has SOME bearing on how an Ali-Louis fight might turn out, but probably is even more appropriate in considering other fighters, such as Jack Johnson (or, odd as it may sound, Jack Dempsey -- remember that observation about the left hook when Louis would back out of an infight!). Taken as a whole, Louis is an easy five stars, a boxer with extraordinary offensive capabilities and poised disposition, who got to the top early, dominated in his heyday, and maintained his competitiveness over a long period.

A people's champion an awsome fighter what more to say about the man

Decent heavyweight with knockout power in both hands. Although i dont think he was as good as everone makes out. He was outboxed by Tommy Farr and Billy Conn. Also the quality of his opponents wasn't too great, most of them had no real boxing abilities.

no doubt

The best heavyweight boxer ever, and that includes Muhammad Ali. For a decade he was unstoppable. He hit extremely hard and he had quick hands, too. Unlike Ali he didn't squander his talent, either.

Louis is a hard guy to really evaluate. He dominated a era like nobody has since. But who did he dominate against? Plus, his style really concerns me - not much head movement, straight up stance, not the greatest chin around. Based on record, hard to argue against Louis. But when you begin thinking about match-ups against other great fighters, you start to wonder about Louis. But I lean towards giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Anybody that knows anything about boxing knows Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight is history up until the time he retired in 1948. Nobody could match his all around skills. He was the first modern heavyweight if you have watched the fight films. The only heavyweight I would give a good chance against him would have been Gene Tunney, he had the style to give Louis trouble. Louis stood 6'1", 190 in his prime. He was no match for today's modern super heavyweights.

Anyone... and I mean ANYONE who doesn't think Joe Louis was a GREAT boxer doesn't know anything about boxing. This man DOMINATED the heavyweight division for over a decade and clobbered every opponent he fought. Whereas it is true Ali would have defeated him, he would have knocked out Frazier, Holmes, Patterson, Liston and even Foreman. He should be recognized as the second greatest heavyweight of all time!

The greatest heavyweight of all time, bar none.

Joe was pretty cool.A lot of title defenses.Very accurate,made all his punches count.He was Marcianos hero.Great champion.

Gentleman Joe gets my vote for greatest of all time, as much for how he handled himself out of the ring as in it. He took on all comers and alway brought his "A" game on fight night while ignoring the head games and racism that were a part of his times.

It's all about matchups. Joe Louis beats the Ali of the 70's. Ali at his peak too fast. I wonder about Louis v Liston. Louis got knocked out by Schmeling, knocked down by Braddock, Galento,Walcott, even wobbled by Conn. If Liston puts him down early, can he recover? On the other hand, Liston had no heart, and if Louis can recover, Liston will not recover after being hurt by Louis. Foreman also has the power to take Louis out early. But Ali had little power, and after he lost the great speed of his youth, no way he beats Louis.

gotta go with Roy Freddie quote "Billy Conn , a smart light heavy weight, boxed his ears off and lost the fight when he tried to knock Louis out in the final round . Ali was right when he referred to Louis as the Mummy. Louis had a very straight up stance and was not a great boxer. Also Louis was knocked out by Schmeling in their first fight. ".....not the greatest of all time but there

There never has been a more complete fighter than Joe Louis. He more than any other heavyweight most closely resembles the perfect fighter. Imagine the task of building a perfect heavyweight. First he would have to have two-fisted punching power equal to that of Jack Dempsey or Mike Tyson. His hand speed would have to be among the best including Ali, Patterson and Tyson. The left jab an offensive weapon like that of Sonny Liston's. The left hook as powerful as Joe Frazier's. His right cross as crushing as Lennox Lewis. His combination punching comparable to pound for pound great Ray Robinson. His counter-punching ability on par with Jack Johnson. He would have the inside fighting ability of Riddick Bowe. He would also have the analytical ability of Gene Tunney in spotting the weakness of an opponent's style. Joe Louis had all of these attributes in one compact explosive package of heavyweight TNT.

Any fighter beat Louis once, better not get in the ring a second time. He destroyed them. His strengths: knockout power in either hand, only had to throw a punch a few inches to make it hurtful, and if he hurt you, you were finished, best finisher in boxing history. Weaknesses: slow starter, average chin, not the brightest crayon in the box. One thing keeps him from getting 5 stars---he was outboxed for 12 rounds and even wobbled by a lightheavy Billy Conn, who really was smallish for even a lightheavy, at his best at middleweight. Tunney and Ali could have outboxed him, and Tyson, Liston, Foreman, and even Bonecrusher Smith, a fast starting murderous puncher, would have probably knocked him out early.

Great puncher, unbelievably powerful, he was an intimidating presence in the ring. He was one of the most feared men in boxing in his time, though i don't believe his quality of competition was what it could have been. But the people he did face, he would mess them up real bad most of the time.

Greatest heavyweight of all-time. Holds records for most title defenses(25) and consecutive years as champsion(11+), which will NEVER be broken. Beat great opposition and was involved in the biggest fight of all-time(Louis-Schmeling II). Simply the greatest.

got his ass rocked by billy conn, who wasn't even in the same weight catagory. that's just simply embarrassing. But i do have respect for his ability to come back off the canvas and his punching power.

WELL WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT LOUIS. HE WAS A TREMENDOUS PUNCHER.QUALITY OF OPPOSITION? THE MAJORITY OF HIS CHALLENGERS WERE WHITE FIGHTERS.BLACK BOXERS ARE BETTER IN MOST CASES. AND WHITE THE ONLY WHITE GOOD BOXER HE FACED A SMALL LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT. BILLY CONN. HE AS ALMOST KNOCK OUT.IG HE WOULD HAD FACED FIGHTERS OF THE 70S HE WOULD HAD LOS A BUNCH OF FIGHTS.STILL HE IS IN MY TOP FIVE.

I believe he was the greatest of all time....sorry Ali

Louis could take damn near anything. He destroyed people for quite a few years and he did it very quietly and without any controversy.

a great natural talent...great punching power and he could take a punch...ali would have frustrated and taken him out in 6 rounds.