Joe Louis - WikiHQ

Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 until his temporary retirement in 1949. He was victorious in 25 consecutive title defenses, a record for all weight classes. Louis has the longest single reign as champion of any boxer in history.

Louis's cultural impact was felt well outside the ring. He is widely regarded as the first African-American to achieve the status of a nationwide hero within the United States, and was also a focal point of anti-Nazi sentiment leading up to and during World War II because of his historic rematch with German boxer Max Schmeling in 1938.

Early life

Born on May 13, 1914, in rural Chambers County, Alabama—in a ramshackle dwelling on Bell Chapel Road, located about off State Route 50 and roughly from LaFayette—Louis was the seventh of eight children of Munroe Barrow and Lillie (Reese) Barrow. He weighed at birth.

Louis suffered from a speech impediment and spoke very little until about the age of six. Munroe Barrow was committed to a mental institution in 1916 and, as a result, Joe knew very little of his biological father. Around 1920, Louis' mother married Pat Brooks, a local construction contractor, having received word that Munroe Barrow had died while institutionalized (in reality, Munroe Barrow lived until 1938, unaware of his son's fame).

In 1926, shaken by a gang of white men in the Ku Klux Klan, Louis's family moved to Detroit, Michigan, forming part of the post-World War I Great Migration. Joe's brother worked for Ford Motor Company (where Joe would himself work for a time at the River Rouge Plant)

Louis attended Bronson Vocational School for a time to learn cabinetmaking. He is rumored to have tried to hide his pugilistic ambitions from his mother by carrying his boxing gloves inside his violin case. However, a hand injury forced Louis to miss the New York/Chicago Champions' cross-town bout for the ultimate Golden Gloves championship. In April 1934, he followed up his Chicago performance by winning the light heavyweight United States Amateur Champion National AAU tournament in St. Louis, Missouri.

Early years

Louis's amateur performances attracted the interest of professional promoters, and he was soon represented by a black Detroit-area bookmaker named John Roxborough. As Louis explained in his autobiography, Roxborough convinced the young fighter that white managers would have no real interest in seeing a black boxer work his way up to title contention:

<blockquote>[Roxborough] told me about the fate of most black fighters, ones with white managers, who wound up burned-out and broke before they reached their prime. The white managers were not interested in the men they were handling but in the money they could make from them. They didn't take the proper time to see that their fighters had a proper training, that they lived comfortably, or ate well, or had some pocket change. Mr. Roxborough was talking about Black Power before it became popular.</blockquote>

Roxborough knew a Chicago area boxing promoter named Julian Black who already had a stable of mediocre boxers against which Louis could hone his craft, this time in the heavyweight division. After becoming part of the management team, Black hired fellow Chicago native Jack "Chappy" Blackburn as Louis's trainer. Louis's initial professional fights were all in the Chicago area, his professional debut coming on July 4, 1934, against Jack Kracken in the Bacon Casino on Chicago's south side. In 1908, during an era of severe anti-black repression, Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion. Johnson's flamboyant lifestyle and marriage to a white woman engendered an enormous backlash that greatly limited opportunities of black fighters in the heavyweight division. Black boxers were denied championship bouts, and there were few heavyweight black contenders at the time, though there were African Americans who fought for titles in other weight divisions, and a few notable black champions, such as Tiger Flowers. Louis and his handlers would counter the legacy of Johnson by emphasizing the Brown Bomber's modesty and sportsmanship. Biographer Gerald Astor stated that "Joe Louis' early boxing career was stalked by the specter of Jack Johnson".

If Louis were to rise to national prominence among such cultural attitudes, a change in management would be necessary. In 1935, boxing promoter Mike Jacobs sought out Louis's handlers. After Louis's narrow defeat of Natie Brown on March 29, 1935, Jacobs and the Louis team met at the Frog Club, a black nightclub, and negotiated a three-year exclusive boxing promotion deal. The contract, however, did not keep Roxborough and Black from attempting to cash in as Louis's managers; when Louis turned 21 on May 13, 1935, Roxborough and Black each signed Louis to an onerous long-term contract that collectively dedicated half of Louis's future income to the pair.

</blockquote>

As a result, Louis was generally portrayed in the white media as a modest, clean-living person, which facilitated his burgeoning celebrity status.

With the backing of a major promotion, Louis fought thirteen times in 1935. The bout that helped put him in the media spotlight occurred on June 25, when Louis knocked out 6'6", 265-pound former world heavyweight champion Primo Carnera in six rounds. Foreshadowing the Louis–Schmeling rivalry to come, the Carnera bout featured a political dimension. Louis's victory over Carnera, who symbolized Benito Mussolini's regime in the popular eye, was seen as a victory for the international community, particularly among African Americans, who were sympathetic to Ethiopia, which was attempting to maintain its independence by fending off an invasion by fascist Italy. America's white press began promoting Louis's image in the context of the era's racism; nicknames they created included the "Mahogany Mauler", "Chocolate Chopper", "Coffee-Colored KO King", "Safari Sandman", and one that stuck: "The Brown Bomber".

Helping the white press to overcome its reluctance to feature a black contender was that in the mid-1930s boxing desperately needed a marketable hero. Since the retirement of Jack Dempsey in 1929, the sport had devolved into a sordid mixture of poor athletes, gambling, fixed fights, thrown matches, and control of the sport by organized crime.

While the mainstream press was beginning to embrace Louis, many still opposed the prospect of another black heavyweight champion. In September 1935, on the eve of Louis's fight with former titleholder Max Baer, Washington Post sportswriter Shirley Povich wrote about some Americans' hopes for the white contender, "They say Baer will surpass himself in the knowledge that he is the lone white hope for the defense of Nordic superiority in the prize ring". Later that year, Louis also knocked out Paulino Uzcudun, who had never been knocked down before.

Louis vs. Schmeling

thumb|[[Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling in 1936]]

By this time, Louis was ranked as the No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division and had won the Associated Press' "Athlete of the Year" award for 1935. What was considered to be a final tune-up bout before an eventual title shot was scheduled for June 1936 against Max Schmeling. Although a former world heavyweight champion, Schmeling, who had been knocked out by Max Baer - himself handily beaten by Louis the year prior - was not considered a threat to Louis, then with a professional record of 27–0. Noted entertainer Ed Sullivan had initially sparked Louis's interest in the sport by giving an instructional book to Joe's wife Marva. Louis spent significant time on the golf course rather than training for the match.

Conversely, Schmeling prepared intently for the bout. He had thoroughly studied Louis's style and believed he had found a weakness. By exploiting Louis's habit of dropping his left hand after a jab, Schmeling handed Louis his first professional loss by knocking him out in round 12 at Yankee Stadium on June 19, 1936. The event would lead to the historic rematch of the two, in one of the world's most famous sporting events.

World championship

After defeating Louis, Schmeling expected a title shot against James J. Braddock, who had unexpectedly defeated Max Baer for the heavyweight title the previous June. Madison Square Garden (MSG) had a contract with Braddock for the title defense and also sought a Braddock–Schmeling title bout. But Jacobs and Braddock's manager Joe Gould had been planning a Braddock–Louis matchup for months.

thumb|left|upright|Louis in 1937

Schmeling's victory gave Gould tremendous leverage, however. If he were to offer Schmeling the title chance instead of Louis, there was a very real possibility that Nazi authorities would never allow Louis a shot at the title. Figuring that the New York State Athletic Commission would not sanction the fight in deference to MSG and Schmeling, Jacobs scheduled the fight for Chicago. and Jacobs defended a lawsuit by MSG to halt the Braddock–Louis fight. A federal court in Newark, New Jersey, eventually ruled that Braddock's contractual obligation to stage his title defense at MSG was unenforceable for lack of mutual consideration.</blockquote>

Initial title defenses

Despite his championship, Louis was haunted by the earlier defeat to Schmeling. Shortly after winning the title, he was quoted as saying, "I don't want to be called champ until I whip Max Schmeling". When Schmeling instead attempted to arrange for a fight against British Empire champion Tommy Farr, known as the "Tonypandy Terror"—ostensibly for a world championship to rival the claims of American boxing authorities—Jacobs outmaneuvered him, offering Farr a guaranteed $60,000 to fight Louis instead. The offer was too lucrative for Farr to turn down.

On August 30, 1937, after a postponement of four days due to rain, Louis and Farr finally touched gloves at New York's Yankee Stadium before a crowd of approximately 32,000. Louis fought one of the hardest battles of his life. The bout was closely contested and went the entire 15 rounds, with Louis being unable to knock Farr down. Referee Arthur Donovan was even seen shaking Farr's hand after the bout, in apparent congratulation. Nevertheless, after the score was announced, Louis had won a controversial unanimous decision. Time described the scene thus: "After collecting the judges' votes, referee Arthur Donovan announced that Louis had won the fight on points. The crowd of 50,000 ... amazed that Farr had not been knocked out or even knocked down, booed the decision".

It seems the crowd believed that referee Arthur Donovan Sr. had raised Farr's glove in victory. Seven years later, in his published account of the fight, Donovan spoke of the "mistake" that may have led to this confusion. He wrote:

<blockquote>As Tommy walked back to his corner after shaking Louis' hand, I followed him and seized his glove. "Tommy, a wonderful perform—" I began ... Then I dropped his hand like a red-hot coal! He had started to raise his arm. He thought I had given him the fight and the world championship! I literally ran away, shaking my head and shouting. "No! No! No!" realising how I had raised his hopes for a few seconds only to dash them to the ground ... That's the last time my emotions will get the better of me in a prize fight! There was much booing at the announced result, but, as I say it, it was all emotional. I gave Tommy two rounds and one even—and both his winning rounds were close.</blockquote>

Speaking over the radio after the fight, Louis admitted that he had been hurt twice.

In preparation for the inevitable rematch with Schmeling, Louis tuned up with bouts against Nathan Mann and Harry Thomas.

Louis vs. Schmeling II

The rematch between Louis and Schmeling would become one of the most famous boxing matches of all time and is remembered as one of the major sports events of the 20th century. Louis later admitted: "I knew I had to get Schmeling good. I had my own personal reasons and the whole damned country was depending on me".

When Schmeling arrived in New York City in June 1938 for the rematch, he was accompanied by a Nazi party publicist who issued statements that a black man could not defeat Schmeling and that when Schmeling won, his prize money would be used to build tanks in Germany. Schmeling's hotel was picketed by anti-Nazi protesters in the days before the fight.), with radio announcers reporting on the fight in English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Before the bout, Schmeling weighed in at 193 pounds; Louis weighed in at 198¾ pounds. the fight has been widely regarded as among the most important or historic sports events of all time. It was the first time that many white Americans openly cheered for a black man against a white opponent.

"Bum of the Month Club"

In the 29 months from January 1939 through May 1941, Louis defended his title thirteen times, a frequency unmatched by any heavyweight champion since the end of the bare-knuckle era. The pace of his title defenses, combined with his convincing wins, earned Louis's opponents from this era the collective nickname "Bum of the Month Club".

Clarence "Red" Burman, who pressed Louis for nearly five rounds at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 1941, before succumbing to a series of body blows.
Buddy Baer (brother of former champion Max), who was leading the May 23, 1941, bout in Washington, D.C., until an eventual barrage by Louis, capped by a hit at the sixth round bell. Referee Arthur Donovan disqualified Baer before the beginning of the seventh round as a result of stalling by Baer's manager.

Louis vs. Conn

Louis's string of lightly regarded competition ended with his bout against Billy Conn, the light heavyweight champion and a highly regarded contender. The fighters met on June 18, 1941, in front of a crowd of 54,487 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York City. The fight turned out to be what is commonly considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxing fights of all time.

Conn would not gain weight for the challenge against Louis, saying instead that he would rely on a "hit and run" strategy.

However, Louis had clearly underestimated Conn's threat. In his autobiography, Joe Louis said:

<blockquote>I made a mistake going into that fight. I knew Conn was kinda small and I didn't want them to say in the papers that I beat up on some little guy so the day before the fight I did a little roadwork to break a sweat and drank as little water as possible so I could weigh in under 200 pounds. Chappie was as mad as hell. But Conn was a clever fighter, he was like a mosquito, he'd sting and move. By the time Conn was ready for the rematch, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor had taken place.

World War II

Louis fought a charity bout for the Navy Relief Society against his former opponent Buddy Baer on January 9, 1942, which raised $47,000 for the fund. Newsreel cameras recorded his induction, including a staged scene in which a soldier-clerk asked, "What's your occupation?", to which Louis replied, "Fighting and let us at them Japs".

Another military charity bout on March 27, 1942, (against another former opponent, Abe Simon) netted $36,146. After the war, the IRS pursued the issue.

thumb|A group of "ring rookies" at Fort Riley, Kansas. [[Louis O'Jibway (far left) served as the head coach. Sid Marks (far right) was the assistant coach. John Moore (center rear), was a trainer. Joe Louis (second-from-right) served as supervisor.]]

For basic training, Louis was assigned to a segregated cavalry unit based in Fort Riley, Kansas. The assignment was at the suggestion of his friend and lawyer Truman Gibson, who knew of Louis's love for horsemanship. Gibson had previously become a civilian advisor to the War Department, in charge of investigating claims of harassment against black soldiers. Accordingly, Louis used this personal connection to help the cause of various black soldiers with whom he came into contact. In one noted episode, Louis contacted Gibson in order to facilitate the Officer Candidate School (OCS) applications of a group of black recruits at Fort Riley, which had been inexplicably delayed for several months. Among the OCS applications Louis facilitated was that of young UCLA athletic legend Jackie Robinson, later to break the baseball color barrier. The episode spawned a personal friendship between the two men.

Realizing Louis's potential for raising esprit de corps among the troops, the Army placed him in its Special Services Division rather than sending him into combat.

thumb|right|upright|Louis in the Army

In addition to his travels, Louis was the focus of a media recruitment campaign encouraging African-American men to enlist in the Armed Services, despite the military's racial segregation. When he was asked about his decision to enter the racially segregated U.S. Army, he said: "Lots of things wrong with America, but Hitler ain't going to fix them". In 1943, Louis made an appearance in the wartime Hollywood musical This Is the Army, directed by Michael Curtiz. He appeared as himself in a musical number, "The Well-Dressed Man in Harlem", which emphasized the importance of African-American soldiers and promoted their enlistment.

Louis's celebrity power was not directed solely toward African Americans. In a famous wartime recruitment slogan, he echoed his prior comments of 1942: "We'll win, because we're on God's side". The publicity of the campaign made Louis widely popular stateside, even outside the world of sports. In another incident, Louis exerted his influence to persuade a commanding officer to drop charges against now Lt. Jackie Robinson, who had resisted being told to move his seat on a southern bus, and retaliated against a Captain who had called Robinson a "nigger".

Louis was eventually promoted to the rank of technical sergeant on April 9, 1945. On September 23 of the same year, he was awarded the Legion of Merit (a military decoration rarely awarded to enlisted soldiers) for "incalculable contribution to the general morale".

Later career and retirement

Louis emerged from his wartime service significantly in debt. In addition to his looming tax bill—which had not been finally determined at the time, but was estimated at greater than $100,000

Despite the financial pressure on Louis to resume boxing, his long-awaited rematch against Billy Conn had to be postponed to the summer of 1946, when weather conditions could accommodate a large outdoor audience.

During the build up Louis was asked "Will you chase him if he runs backwards", this prompted the champion to respond with now the famous line: "He can run, but he can't hide".

On June 19, a disappointing 40,000 saw the rematch at Yankee Stadium, In August 1949 Cab Calloway rendered homage to the "king of the ring" with his song Ol' Joe Louis.

Comeback

thumb|Louis, circa 1950

At the time of Louis's initial retirement, the IRS was still completing its investigation of his prior tax returns, which had always been handled by Mike Jacobs's personal accountant. In May 1950, the IRS finished a full audit of Louis's past returns and announced that, with interest and penalties, he owed the government more than $500,000. the Louis camp negotiated a deal with the IRS under which Louis would come out of retirement, with all Louis's net proceeds going to the IRS. A match with Ezzard Charles—who had acquired the vacant heavyweight title in June 1949 by outpointing Walcott—was set for September 27, 1950. By then, Louis was 36 years old and had been away from competitive boxing for two years. Weighing in at 218 pounds, Louis was still strong, but his reflexes were gone and Charles repeatedly beat him to the punch. By the end of the fight, Louis was cut above both eyes, one of which was shut tight by swelling. Louis had to continue fighting.

After facing several club-level opponents and scoring a knockout victory over EBU heavyweight champion Lee Savold, the International Boxing Club guaranteed Louis $300,000 to face undefeated heavyweight contender Rocky Marciano on October 26, 1951. Marciano himself was reluctant to participate in the bout, but was understanding of Louis's position: "This is the last guy on earth I want to fight". It was feared, particularly among those who had witnessed Marciano's punching power first-hand, that Louis's unwillingness to quit would result in serious injury. Fighting back tears, Ferdie Pacheco said in the SportsCentury documentary about Louis's bout with Marciano, "He [Louis] wasn't just going to lose. He was going to take a vicious, savage beating. Before the eyes of the nation, Joe Louis, an American hero if ever there was one, was going to get beaten up". Louis was dropped in the eighth round by a Marciano left and knocked through the ropes and out of the ring less than thirty seconds later.

In the dressing room after the fight, Louis's Army touring companion, Sugar Ray Robinson, wept. Marciano also attempted to console Louis, saying, "I'm sorry, Joe". Louis was nevertheless extremely generous to his family, paying for homes, cars and education for his parents and siblings, He invested in a number of businesses, all of which eventually failed, He gave liberally to the government as well, paying back the city of Detroit for any welfare money his family had received. In 1953, when Louis's mother died, the IRS appropriated the $667 she had willed to Louis.

Louis remained a popular celebrity in his twilight years. His friends included former rival Max Schmeling, who provided Louis with financial assistance during his retirement—and mobster Frank Lucas, who, disgusted with the government's treatment of Louis, once paid off a $50,000 tax lien held against him. These payments, along with an eventual agreement in the early 1960s by the IRS to limit its collections to an amount based on Louis's current income,

Professional wrestling career

In an effort to improve his financial situation, Joe Louis got involved with professional wrestling in 1954. His first recorded match was on August 6, 1954, in a victory over Bobby Nelson.

In 1956, Louis went on a short-lived wrestling tour arranged by promoter Ray Fabiani. This was cut short after a match against Cowboy Rocky Lee on May 31, 1956, when Louis' ribs were cracked, and he subsequently lost his wrestling license. His last match was in 1973 but he continued as a referee. (in fact, professional Howard Wheeler was one of seven African-Americans to compete in the Tam O'Shanter Open in Niles, Illinois in 1942, and Wheeler appeared in subsequent PGA-sanctioned events in Philadelphia in the 1940s, qualifying for the 1950 and 1951 U.S. Open).

Initially, the PGA of America was reluctant to allow Louis to enter the event, having a bylaw at the time limiting PGA membership to white Americans. Louis's celebrity status eventually pushed the PGA toward removing the bylaw, although the "Caucasian only" clause in the PGA of America's constitution was not formally amended until November 1961. The change, however, paved the way for the first generation of African-American professional golfers such as Calvin Peete.

Two weeks after the 1952 San Diego Open, Louis was invited to play in the 1952 Tucson Open. Louis shot a 69 in the opening round and a 72 in the 2nd round. His 2-round total of 141 enabled him to make the cut. Joe Louis is the only champion athlete from another sport ever to make the cut in a PGA event.

Louis himself financially supported the careers of several other early black professional golfers, such as Bill Spiller, Ted Rhodes, Howard Wheeler, James Black, Clyde Martin and Charlie Sifford.

In 2009, the PGA of America granted posthumous membership to Ted Rhodes, John Shippen and Bill Spiller, who were denied the opportunity to become PGA members during their professional careers. The PGA also has granted posthumous honorary membership to Louis. A public golf course in Riverdale, Illinois, just south of Chicago, is named for him.

Personal life

thumb|right|Visiting [[Naval Station Great Lakes during World War II, Marva Louis was surrounded by some 2,000 recruits who gathered in a regimental drill hall to hear her sing.]]

thumb|upright|Louis with Marva and daughter Jacqueline in 1943

Louis had two children with his wife, Marva Trotter Louis: daughter Jacqueline (born 1943) and son Joseph Louis Barrow Jr. (born 1947). They divorced in March 1945 only to remarry a year later, but were again divorced in February 1949. On Christmas Day 1955, Louis married Rose Morgan, a successful Harlem businesswoman; their marriage was annulled in 1958. Louis said:

<blockquote>This country has been good to me. It gave me everything I have. I have never come out for any candidate before but I think Wendell L. Willkie will give us a square deal. So I am for Willkie because I think he will help my people, and I figure my people should be for him, too.</blockquote>

In 1957 then Teamsters Vice President Jimmy Hoffa was on trial for bribery. Given that the jury was composed of eight blacks and four whites, Hoffa made overtures to the black jurors. Paul Dorfman and Barney Baker arranged for Louis to walk up and hug Hoffa in view of the jurors. Hoffa was found not guilty. Dorfman approached the International Boxing Club, run by his friend Truman Gibson, to make this arrangement, while Baker paid Louis' travel and hotel expenses.

Drugs took a toll on Louis in his later years. In 1969, he was hospitalized after collapsing on a New York City street. While the incident was at first credited to "physical breakdown", underlying problems would soon surface. In 1970, he spent five months at the Colorado Psychiatric Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Denver, hospitalized by his wife, Martha, and his son, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., for paranoia.

He was a Christian, a member of the Calvary Baptist Church of Detroit.

Death

left|upright|thumb|Joe Louis' headstone in [[Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia]]

Louis died of cardiac arrest in Desert Springs Hospital near Las Vegas on April 12, 1981, just hours after his last public appearance viewing the Larry Holmes–Trevor Berbick heavyweight championship fight. President Ronald Reagan waived the eligibility rules for burial at Arlington National Cemetery and Louis was buried there with full military honors on April 21, 1981. His funeral was paid for in part by former competitor and friend Max Schmeling, who also acted as a pallbearer.

Film and television

Louis appeared in six full-length films and two short films.

Louis had a starring role in the 1938 race film Spirit of Youth, in which he played a boxer with many similarities to himself.

In 1943, he was featured in the full-length movie This is the Army, which starred Ronald Reagan, with appearances by Kate Smith singing "God Bless America" and Irving Berlin, and which was directed by Michael Curtiz.

In 1946 he played himself in Joe Palooka, Champ, a movie based on the comic strip Joe Palooka created by Ham Fisher.

Louis once again played himself in the short film Johnny At The Fair in 1947. The short film takes place at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) where a boy becomes separated from his parents and meets a host of celebrities including former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie King and champion figure skater Barbara Ann Scott.

In 1948 Louis starred as himself in Joseph Lerner's The Fight Never Ends.

In 1955 Louis was once again cast as himself in a small role in The Square Jungle written by George Zuckerman and starring Tony Curtis.

Louis's last feature-length movie role took place in the 1970 comedy The Phynx in which a rock band goes on tour in Albania in order to save Americans being held hostage.

He was a guest on the television show You Bet Your Life in 1955. In 1977, Louis made a small cameo appearance on the TV series Quincy M.E.

In 1953, Robert Gordon directed a movie about Louis's life, The Joe Louis Story. Filmed in Hollywood, it starred Golden Gloves fighter and Louis lookalike Coley Wallace in the title role. The film suffered from low budget and production values, sluggishly intercutting clips from Louis's actual bouts with indifferent audio sync.

Legacy

thumb|[[Monument to Joe Louis, erected in October 1986 in Detroit]]

Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, 11 years and 8 months, the record in any division. During his reign, Louis defended the title 25 times, the heavyweight record. Louis has won the most world heavyweight title fights in history, at 26, defeating 21 different fighters. In addition to his accomplishments inside the ring, Louis uttered two of boxing's most famous observations: "He can run, but he can't hide" and "Everyone has a plan until they've been hit".

Louis was named Fighter of the Year by The Ring magazine four times, in 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1941. His bouts against Max Baer, Max Schmeling, Tommy Farr, Bob Pastor and Billy Conn were each named Fight of the Year by the magazine. In 1941, he received the Sugar Ray Robinson Award as Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA). In 1967, he was honored with the Barney Nagler Award by the BWAA for long and meritorious service. In a 1978 poll conducted by HBO, members of the Boxing Writers Association of America voted Louis the greatest heavyweight in boxing history. In 2005, the International Boxing Research Organization ranked Louis as the greatest heavyweight of all time, and The Ring placed him first on its list of the "100 greatest punchers of all time." Hank Kaplan, Bert Sugar, Teddy Atlas, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Sugar Ray Robinson named Louis as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.

Louis is also remembered in sports outside of boxing. A former indoor sports venue was named after him in Detroit, the Joe Louis Arena, where the Detroit Red Wings played their NHL games from 1979 to 2017. In 1936, Vince Leah, then a writer for The Winnipeg Tribune used Joe Louis's nickname to refer to the Winnipeg Football Club after a game. From that point, the team became known popularly as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

His recognition also transcends the sporting world. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Joe Louis on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. On August 26, 1982, Louis was posthumously approved for the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given to civilians by the U.S. legislative branch. Congress stated that he "did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial times in American history and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the nation". Following Louis's death, President Ronald Reagan said, "Joe Louis was more than a sports legend—his career was an indictment of racial bigotry and a source of pride and inspiration to millions of white and black people around the world".

On October 16, 1986, a memorial to Louis was dedicated at Jefferson Avenue and Woodward in Detroit. The sculpture, commissioned by Time, Inc. and executed by Robert Graham, is a arm with a fisted hand suspended by a pyramidal framework. It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring.

In an interview with Arsenio Hall in the late 1980s, former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stated that his two biggest influences in boxing were Sugar Ray Robinson and Joe Louis. After Joe Louis died, Ali stated, "Whatever I said before, I don't mean it, 'cause Joe Louis was the greatest." Ali then told the Washington Post: <blockquote>Look at Joe's life. Everybody loved Joe. He would have been marked as evil if he was evil, but everybody loved Joe. From black folks to red-neck Mississippi crackers, they loved him. They're all crying. That shows you. Howard Hughes dies, with all his billions, not a tear. Joe Louis, everybody cried.

In 1993, he became the first boxer to be honored on a postage stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

Various other facilities have been named after Joe Louis. In 1984, the four streets surrounding Madison Square Garden were named Joe Louis Plaza in his honor. The former Pipe O' Peace Golf Course in Riverdale, Illinois (a Chicago suburb), was in 1986 renamed "Joe Louis The Champ Golf Course". American Legion Post 375 in Detroit is also named after Joe Louis. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $4 million, Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe, was a hockey arena located in downtown Detroit. It was the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from 1979 until 2017. The planned demolition of the Arena prompted the City of Detroit in 2017 to rename the Inner Circle Greenway as the Joe Louis Greenway. The biking and walking trail passes through the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Dearborn.

In one of the most widely quoted tributes to Louis, New York Post sportswriter Jimmy Cannon, when responding to another person's characterization of Louis as "a credit to his race", stated, "Yes, Joe Louis is a credit to his race—the human race".

thumb|Illustration of Joe Louis by Charles Henry Alston

Joe Louis trained at the site of the Pompton Lakes (NJ) Elks Club. When he won one of his fights, he donated the first ambulance to the Pompton Lakes First Aid Squad.

Cultural references

In his heyday, Louis was the subject of many musical tributes, including a number of blues songs.
Kurt Vonnegut's short story "D.P." (originally published in Ladies Home Journal in August 1953) is about a black orphan boy living in post-World War II Germany who is nicknamed "Joe Louis" (after the boxer) by American soldiers stationed in the American Zone of Occupation. "D.P." was included in Vonnegut's short story collection Welcome to the Monkey House (1968) and filmed as "Displaced Person" for television's American Playhouse in 1985.
Louis was portrayed by actor Bari K. Willerford in the film American Gangster.
In 2009, the Brooklyn band Yeasayer debuted the single "Ambling Alp" from their forthcoming album Odd Blood, which imagines what advice Joe Louis's father might have given him prior to becoming a prizefighter. The song makes reference to Louis's boxing career and his famous rivalry with Schmeling in the first person, with the lyrics such as "Oh, Max Schmeling was a formidable foe / The Ambling Alp was too, at least that's what I'm told / But if you learn one thing, you've learned it well / In June, you must give fascists hell".
An opera based on his life, Shadowboxer, premiered on April 17, 2010.
The aforementioned sculpture of Louis's fist (see Legacy above) was one of several Detroit landmarks depicted in 'Imported from Detroit', a two-minute commercial for the Chrysler 200 featuring Eminem that aired during Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
Louis is the inspiration behind Jesse Jagz's eponymous song from the album Jagz Nation, Vol. 2: Royal Niger Company (2014).
The first track from John Squire's 2002 debut LP Time Changes Everything is titled "Joe Louis", and the lyrics include references to his boxing and army career.
Louis' life is retold in the 1948 old-time radio drama "Little David", a presentation from Destination Freedom.

Professional boxing record

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round, time

!Date

!Age

!Location

!Notes

|69

|Loss

|66–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Rocky Marciano

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Oct 26, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|68

|Win

|66–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jimmy Bivins

|UD

|10

|Aug 15, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|67

|Win

|65–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Cesar Brion

|UD

|10

|Aug 1, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|66

|Win

|64–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Lee Savold

|KO

|6 (15),

|Jun 15, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|65

|Win

|63–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Omelio Agramonte

|UD

|10

|May 2, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|64

|Win

|62–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Andy Walker

|TKO

|10 (10),

|Feb 23, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|63

|Win

|61–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Omelio Agramonte

|UD

|10

|Feb 7, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|62

|Win

|60–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Freddie Beshore

|TKO

|4 (10),

|Jan 3, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|61

|Win

|59–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Cesar Brion

|UD

|10

|Nov 29, 1950

|style="text-align:left;"|

|60

|Loss

|58–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Ezzard Charles

|UD

|15

|Sep 27, 1950

|style="text-align:left;"|

|59

|Win

|58–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jersey Joe Walcott

|KO

|11 (15)

|Jun 25, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|58

|Win

|57–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jersey Joe Walcott

|SD

|15

|Dec 5, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|57

|Win

|56–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Tami Mauriello

|KO

|1 (15),

|Sep 18, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|56

|Win

|55–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Billy Conn

|KO

|8 (15),

|Jun 19, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|55

|Win

|54–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Johnny Davis

|TKO

|1 (4),

|Nov 14, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|style="text-align:left|

|54

|Win

|53–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Abe Simon

|TKO

|6 (15),

|Mar 27, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|53

|Win

|52–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Buddy Baer

|KO

|1 (15),

|Jan 9, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|52

|Win

|51–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Lou Nova

|TKO

|6 (15),

|Sep 29, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|51

|Win

|50–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Billy Conn

|KO

|13 (15),

|Jun 18, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|50

|Win

|49–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Buddy Baer

|7 (15),

|May 23, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|49

|Win

|48–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Tony Musto

|TKO

|9 (15),

|Apr 8, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|48

|Win

|47–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Abe Simon

|TKO

|13 (20),

|Mar 21, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|47

|Win

|46–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Gus Dorazio

|KO

|2 (15),

|Feb 17, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|46

|Win

|45–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Red Burman

|KO

|5 (15),

|Jan 31, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|45

|Win

|44–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Al McCoy

|5 (15),

|Dec 16, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|44

|Win

|43–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Arturo Godoy

|TKO

|8 (15),

|Jun 20, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|43

|Win

|42–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Johnny Paychek

|TKO

|2 (15),

|Mar 29, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|42

|Win

|41–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Arturo Godoy

|15

|Feb 9, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|41

|Win

|40–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Bob Pastor

|KO

|11 (20),

|Sep 20, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|40

|Win

|39–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Tony Galento

|TKO

|4 (15),

|Jun 28, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|39

|Win

|38–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Roper

|KO

|1 (10),

|Apr 17, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|38

|Win

|37–1

|style="text-align:left;"| John Henry Lewis

|KO

|1 (15),

|Jan 25, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|37

|Win

|36–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Max Schmeling

|TKO

|1 (15),

|Jun 22, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|36

|Win

|35–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Harry Thomas

|KO

|5 (15),

|Apr 4, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|35

|Win

|34–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Nathan Mann

|KO

|3 (15),

|Feb 23, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|34

|Win

|33–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Tommy Farr

|UD

|15

|Aug 30, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|33

|Win

|32–1

|style="text-align:left;"| James J. Braddock

|KO

|8 (15)

|Jun 22, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|32

|Win

|31–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Natie Brown

|KO

|4 (10),

|Feb 17, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|31

|Win

|30–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Bob Pastor

|UD

|10

|Jan 29, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|30

|Win

|29–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Steve Ketchel

|KO

|2 (4),

|Jan 11, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|29

|Win

|28–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Eddie Simms

|TKO

|1 (10),

|Dec 14, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|28

|Win

|27–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jorge Brescia

|KO

|3 (10),

|Oct 9, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|27

|Win

|26–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Ettore

|KO

|5 (15),

|Sep 22, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|26

|Win

|25–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Sharkey

|KO

|3 (10),

|Aug 18, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|25

|Loss

|24–1

|style="text-align:left;"| Max Schmeling

|KO

|12 (15),

|Jun 19, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|24

|Win

|24–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Charley Retzlaff

|KO

|1 (15),

|Jan 17, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|23

|Win

|23–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Paulino Uzcudun

|TKO

|4 (15),

|Dec 13, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|22

|Win

|22–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Max Baer

|KO

|4 (15),

|Sep 24, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|21

|Win

|21–0

|style="text-align:left;"| King Levinsky

|TKO

|1 (10),

|Aug 7, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|20

|Win

|20–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Primo Carnera

|TKO

|6 (15),

|Jun 25, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|19

|Win

|19–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Biff Bennett

|KO

|1 (6),

|Apr 22, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|18

|Win

|18–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Roy Lazer

|KO

|3 (10),

|Apr 12, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|17

|Win

|17–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Natie Brown

|UD

|10

|Mar 29, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|16

|Win

|16–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Don "Red" Barry

|TKO

|3 (10),

|Mar 8, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|15

|Win

|15–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Lee Ramage

|TKO

|2 (10),

|Feb 21, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|14

|Win

|14–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Hans Birkie

|TKO

|10 (10),

|Jan 11, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|13

|Win

|13–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Patsy Perroni

|PTS

|10

|Jan 4, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

|12

|Win

|12–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Lee Ramage

|TKO

|8 (10),

|Dec 14, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|11

|Win

|11–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Charley Massera

|KO

|3 (10),

|Nov 30, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|10

|Win

|10–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Stanley Poreda

|KO

|1 (10),

|Nov 14, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|9–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack O'Dowd

|KO

|2 (10)

|Oct 31, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|8–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Art Sykes

|KO

|8 (10)

|Oct 24, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|7–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Adolph Wiater

|10

|Sep 26, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|6–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Al Delaney

|TKO

|4 (10)

|Sep 11, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|5–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Buck Everett

|KO

|2 (8)

|Aug 27, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|4–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Kranz

|Aug 13, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|3–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Larry Udell

|TKO

|2 (8)

|Jul 30, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|2–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Willie Davies

|3 (6)

|Jul 12, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|1–0

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Kracken

|1 (6)

|Jul 4, 1934

|style="text-align:left;"|

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

NYSAC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
NBA (WBA) heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Lineal titles

Lineal heavyweight champion

Undisputed titles

Undisputed heavyweight champion

Footnotes

Citations

References

Drake, Robert, "Joe Louis, the Southern Press, and the 'Fight of the Century,'" Sport History Review, 43 (May 2012), 1–17.

External links

The Joe Louis Story (1953) - Biographical movie about boxing champion of the world - Full Movie YouTube
NBA World Heavyweight Title Fights
NYSAC World Heavyweight Title Fights
Boxing Hall of Fame
ESPN.com
ESPN.com -- additional information
FBI file on Joe Louis
Joe Louis profile at Cyber Boxing Zone
The Fight of the Century NPR special on the selection of the radio broadcast to the National Recording Registry
"Remembering Joe Louis", WTVM
Louis to train in Thomas bout old newspaper clipping

Early life

Early years

Louis vs. Schmeling

World championship

Initial title defenses

Louis vs. Schmeling II

"Bum of the Month Club"

Louis vs. Conn

World War II

Later career and retirement

Comeback

Professional wrestling career

Personal life

Death

Film and television

Legacy

Cultural references

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Lineal titles

Undisputed titles

See also

Footnotes

Citations

References

External links