How does this one play out?

Wow thats a great question. Let me think on this a bit, very good matchup

I think Joe has some success early & Joe manages to get the win.

Joe Louis by decapitation.

Louis was chinny... If Joe Frazier jumped him early he could get the early stoppage.... in a late fight Barrow wins yet Frazier had one helluva a chin...

I think it is about to play out on The Classics Forum.

Tough one to call. Louis was not the destroyer that Foreman was and not as quick and slick as Ali. Frazier's chin was uncrackable under all but Foreman circumstances. Similar to Tyson, I would have to take Frazier in the initial battle but if they met again I think Louis would make the adjustments and overcome Smokin' Joe.

Joe Frazier in a close one

frazier... as someone else said louis could be hurt if tagged and i cant say he fought someone with the power of smokin joe... and people forget at his prime frazier had plenty of speed and the biggest kicker is by time frazier started fighting the fight game had already evolved from the time louis fought... i see frazier jumpin on louis early and getting him out of there... problem with frazier is his short reign as champion... i think that gets him under rated as a champ but he would have been dangerous against most greats...

Joe Louis would KO just about anybody that was going straight at him. Frazier would go straight at him. You see where I'm going with this.

I think you need to (re)watch footage of Smokin' Joe at his best. While he was certainly one of the great pressure fighters of all time, I don't think you could call his attack "straight at him." Frazier had tremendous head and upper body movement and he was just short of lightning quick in his prime.

I'm not taking anything away from Frazier, but his style would be playing right into Louis' strengths.

I really can't pick a winner in this, although I have stated earlier that I think Frazier would win the first fight and Louis would win the rematch.

I understand your position but I think that Louis' style also plays into Frazier's strengths.

Do we need to put up a poll?

I think Louis could make the adjustments to Frazier, Louis was tough enough to make it past the big shots of Frazier too. I see this fight in favor of Louis because he could parry and counter quite well. Frazier's best punch was the left hook and Louis was a master at parrying hooks and countering or simply countering while people tried to get him with hooks. His ability to do so in my opinion really limited the offense of his opponents, trying to hook with him meant being countered.

Agreed..Not much else to say..