I don't think Joe Louis could take the punches today fighting in this era.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Joe Louis was one of my first heroes.
The guys today are just too strong and back then they would take many hard punches to land one.
It would be hard to throw a punch to someone who wasn't a boxer, who wasn't in the ring, and who didn't have on a pair of boxing gloves and who hadn't been training.
Whoever has lost a fight in the UFC and hasn't wanted to fight that guy the next day shouldn't be in the sport.
I laugh when Floyd Mayweather says that if he went back in time he would beat us all. I'll tell you this: if he was in the same era as Hagler and Hearns and Leonard and me, I don't think he would be such a big name. There is too much talk.
If Dana White can offer a contract that's not one-sided, and it's not cumbersome to the point where we look at it and realize that we can't fight for him, then we'll fight in the UFC.
Fighters today are much bigger, stronger and quicker and not only that but referees, judges and doctors back then were very strict and if your head got busted up the fight would be stopped.
It is unusual for Joe to be that way, but that's what interested me.
There was never a day when I was as good as Joe DiMaggio at his best. Joe was the best, the very best I ever saw.
I used to tease Joe Louis by reminding him that I was the greatest of all time. But Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight fighter ever.