“I put on a bum of the month tour” – When Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis shared a wholesome moment
Follow Us
Muhammad Ali Joe Louis
Joe Louis is a respectable name in the history of boxing. The fighter competed for almost 20 years and was considered one of the most influential old-age boxers. Followed by Louis, Muhammad Ali became the next-generation superstar and consequently, both shared a good bond.
In 1966, both Ali and Louis appeared in a talk show where they indulged in friendly banter. The interviewer asked Ali, why he was a little annoyed and Ali jokingly said that he didn’t consider Louis to be better than him.
He said: “Why are you looking so sad about champ? I’m surprised, I’m really insulted. That’s not right what you just said, The greatest heavyweight champ, I’m a hometown man and you are talking about Louis man. Louis wouldn’t be nothing for me.”
Ali then went to ask Luis the same question, “Joe I will tell you, Joe, do you think you will stand a chance with me?” Louis, who is normally quiet and doesn’t talk much, gave a rather fitting reply to Ali. He said: “Well, Clay that one time I’ve done in my career, I put on a bum of the month tour.”
Muhammad wasn’t going to take the disrespect and questioned Louis again. He asked: “Bum of the month? I would have been a bum compared to you? Well you would’ve been on the tour,” replied Louis and Ali started laughing as he had nothing more to say. This was all a casual moment as both the fighters respected each other a lot and it remained like that for years.
Read More: When Ali crossed paths with international terrorist Osama Bin Laden
A comparison between Muhammad Ali and Joe Louis’ illustrious title reign
Joe Louis was an extremely dominant fighter and in 1937 won the world heavyweight title he reigned as a champion till 1948. It is the longest single-reign champion in the history of boxing. Joe defended his belt for 13 years fighting in 25 fights in the period.
However, many argue that Louis didn’t have any great competition in that period. Even then, he had a disputed decision victory against Arturo Godoy and Tommy Farr. But, Muhammad Ali on the other hand was dominant in all his title defenses from the year 1964-67(first title reign).
Ali was just a bigger icon and made himself a household name. He is considered the ‘Greatest’ because he was much more than a boxer and even Louis respected that.
Also Read: Muhammad Ali had White Ancestry which defined his fighting spirit
Growing up Muhammad Ali loved watching Louis fighting and was a fan of his. During his reign as the heavyweight champion, Ali hired Louis as his adviser and both appeared in various TV programs.
Stay Updated!
Soumya Ranjan
(2167 Articles Published)