World titles
1
Title defences
25
Career wins
66
Knockouts
52
Years as champion
12
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year
4
Category profile
- Dominance
- 92
- Peak
- 93
- Longevity
- 88
- Honours
- 92
- Statistics
- 92
Career timeline · Form index per season
Editorial season form index (0–100), not raw goals or points. Raw season-by-season statistics are shown only where fully verified.
| Season | Form index per season | Share of career |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 13 | |
| 1936 | 8 | |
| 1937 | 5 | |
| 1938 | 4 | |
| 1939 | 4 | |
| 1940 | 5 | |
| 1941 | 7 | |
| 1942 | 2 | |
| 1943 | 1 | |
| 1944 | 2 | |
| 1945 | 3 | |
| 1946 | 2 | |
| 1947 | 1 | |
| 1948 | 1 |
Data sources
- BoxRec
- The Ring
- Olympedia
Last verified: 2026-09-14
Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method
Why Joe Louis ranks #6 in Boxing
Joe Louis ranks #6 in Boxing and #147 of 5087 across all sports. The verified GOAT Score is 91.4/100.
The verified career covers 1934–1951 and 14 documented seasons. Peak is 93/100, with Peak the strongest category at 93/100 (20% weight). Key metrics: World titles 1, Title defences 25, Career wins 66, Knockouts 52.
Nearest context: ahead Roy Jones Jr. (92.0); behind Thomas Hearns (91.4). Rankings update whenever verified records change.
Joe Louis GOAT Score explained
- Dominance92/100 · weight 25%
- Dominance: 92/100, based on the verified career record.
- Peak93/100 · weight 20%
- Peak: 93/100, based on the verified career record.
- Longevity88/100 · weight 20%
- Longevity: 88/100, based on the verified career record.
- Honours92/100 · weight 20%
- Honours: 92/100, based on the verified career record.
- Statistics92/100 · weight 15%
- Statistics: 92/100, based on the verified career record.
Top Louis comparisons
Joe Louis — frequently asked
- Is Joe Louis the GOAT?
- According to GOAT Rank's current data model, Joe Louis ranks #6 in Boxing with a GOAT Score of 91.4/100, behind Sugar Ray Robinson (94.3).
- What is Joe Louis's GOAT Score?
- 91.4/100, calculated from the verified career record: Dominance 92 (25%), Peak 93 (20%), Longevity 88 (20%), Honours 92 (20%), Statistics 92 (15%).
- Where does Joe Louis rank all time?
- #147 of 5087 eligible athletes across all sports and #6 in Boxing.
- Joe Louis vs Roy Jones Jr.: who ranks higher?
- Roy Jones Jr. ranks higher at 92.0 versus Joe Louis at 91.4, a margin of 0.6 points.