Joe Louis

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Joe Louis

Statistics
Real name Joseph Louis Barrow
Nickname(s) Brown Bomber
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Reach 76 in (190 cm)
Nationality Flag of the United States American
Birth date 13 May 1914(1914-05-13)
Birth place La Fayette, Alabama,
USA
Death date 12 April 1981 (aged 66)
Death place Las Vegas, Nevada,
USA
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 72
Wins 69
Wins by KO 55
Losses 3
Draws 0
No contests 1

Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914–April 12, 1981), better known as Joe Louis, was a heavyweight boxing champion. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, he is considered to be one of the greatest in boxing history and was ranked number one on Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. Louis held the heavyweight title for over 106 months, more than anyone else before or after him, recording 25 successful defenses of the title. In 2005, Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization.[1] He participated in 27 heavyweight championship fights, a record which still stands.

In the turbulent era during World War II, he became a national hero in America, partly because of his comment about the Allies, "We're gonna win 'cause we're on God's side".[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life and career of Joe Louis

Louis was born in 1914 La Fayette, Alabama, son of Barry Jerry Barrow, a sharecropper, and Lilly Louis. In 1934, as an amateur, he won the Michigan Golden Gloves, the National AAU and the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions. Later that same year he turned professional, making his debut on July 4 in a fight against Jack Kracken. Louis knocked out Kracken in the first round at Bacon's Arena in Chicago, Illinois. He won all 12 professional fights that year, all in Chicago, 10 by way of knockout. Among his opponents in 1934 were Art Sykes and Stanley Poreda.

Originally, Louis's trainer, Jack Blackburn, wanted him to only fight other African-American boxers. Louis, however, decided to ignore this advice, and fought white boxers as well. In England during 1944, Joe Louis was reported to have enlisted as a football player for Liverpool Football Club as a publicity stunt.[2]

[edit] Ascent to World Championship

Louis vs. Schmeling, 1936

In 1935, Louis fought 13 times. He knocked out the former world heavyweight champion, the 6'6", 265-pound Primo Carnera, in six rounds. Louis then knocked out the iron-chinned former heavyweight champion Max Baer in four rounds. Before losing to Louis, Baer had been knocked down only once, by Frankie Campbell. Louis also knocked out Paolino Uzcudun, who had never been knocked down or out before.

In his next fight, he was matched with former world heavyweight champion Max Schmeling. Although not considered a threat, the "Soul Brotha" had studied Louis's style intently, and believed he had found a weakness. By exploiting Louis's habit of dropping his left low after a jab, Schmeling handed Louis his first loss by knocking him out in round 12 at Yankee stadium.

Louis, despite the loss, was awarded a title shot by champion James J. Braddock after negotiations with Schmeling, Madison Square Garden's number one contender, broke down. Braddock, looking to retire on a large payoff, was promised a more lucrative fight with the Brown Bomber after Louis bounced back up the pecking order by knocking out former champion Jack Sharkey.

Schmeling (and the Nazi German government) was furious, and insisted that a win over highly ranked Sharkey did not reverse the Louis defeat by Schmeling, which was considered a title eliminator. The matter was settled in court, and Madison Square Garden and Schmeling lost. The fight was staged in Chicago, and Braddock's heavyweight championship would be up for grabs. Despite a knock down in round 1, Louis defeated the "Cinderella Man" by KO in round 8. Joe Louis was heavyweight champion of the world.

At his first defense of the title, on 30 August 1937 at New York's Yankee Stadium, Louis fought one of the hardest battles of his life against "the Tonypandy Terror", British Empire champion Tommy Farr, over 15 rounds. The world champion was awarded a controversial points decision.[3] "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... Speaking over the radio after the fight, Louis admitted that he had been hurt twice."[4]

[edit] The Louis-Schmeling Fight, 1938

The rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling is one of the most famous boxing matches of all time, and is remembered as one of the major sports events of the 20th century. Following his defeat of Louis in 1936, Schmeling became a national hero in Germany. Schmeling's victory over an African-American man was touted by Nazi officials as proof of their doctrine of "Aryan superiority." When the rematch was scheduled, Louis retreated to his boxing camp in upstate New York and trained incessantly for the fight. A few weeks before the bout, Louis visited the White House, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt told him, "Joe, we need muscles like yours to beat Germany." Louis later wrote in his autobiography, "I knew I had to get Schmeling good. I had my own personal reasons and the whole damned country was depending on me." Comedian Dick Gregory jokingly said that it was "probably the only time in history that a black man could end up being a white hope."

When Schmeling arrived in New York 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.

On the night of June 22, 1938, Louis and Schmeling met for the second time in the boxing ring. The fight was held in Yankee Stadium before a crowd of 70,043. It was broadcast by radio to millions of listeners throughout the world, 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 lasted two minutes and four seconds. Louis battered Schmeling with a series of swift attacks, forcing Schmeling against the ropes and giving him a paralyzing body blow. (Schmeling later claimed it was an illegal kidney punch.) Schmeling was knocked down three times, and only managed to throw two punches in the entire bout. On the third knockdown, Schmeling's trainer threw in the towel and referee Arthur Donovan stopped the fight.

Louis's victory was seen as a major victory for America. The German press recounted Schmeling's story that Louis had won the bout thanks to an illegal kidney punch. But in America, and throughout the world, Louis's victory was seen as a major rebuff of German claims of racial superiority.

Ironically, while most people associate the German Schmeling with the Nazi party, he never joined,[5] and is reported to have once refused to accept an award from Adolf Hitler.[6] His resistance of the Nazi party made him a hero in post-war Germany, and he became a life-long friend of Joe Louis. Their rivalry and long-lasting friendship is the main focus of the 1978 TV movie Ring of Passion[7].

[edit] Other matches

WWII poster featuring Louis and his famous quote on WW2

From December 1940 to March 1942, before his career was briefly interrupted by World War II, Louis defended his title ten times, a frequency unmatched by any heavyweight champion since the end of the bareknuckle era. His nearly-monthly fights against every challenger, and his convincing wins, earned his opponents the unfair group nickname "Bum of the Month."

In all, Louis made 25 defenses of his heavyweight title from 1937 to 1949. He was a world champion for 11 years and 10 months. Louis set records for any division in number of defenses and uninterrupted longevity as world champion, and both records still stand. His most remarkable record is that he knocked out 23 opponents in 27 title fights.

Other notable title defenses before Louis enlisted were:

  • His fight versus world light-heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, knocked out in the first.
  • His fight with "Two Ton" Tony Galento, who knocked Louis down in the third round with a left hook. Galento then received a terrible beating, being knocked out in the fourth round.
  • His two fights with Chilean Arturo Godoy. Louis won the first by a decision, and the rematch by a knockout in the eighth round.
  • His fight with world light-heavyweight champion Billy Conn. Conn, smaller than Louis, said that he planned to "hit and run," prompting Louis's famous response, "He can run, but he can't hide."[8] After 12 rounds, Conn was ahead on points, only to be knocked out by Louis in the 13th round.

[edit] During World War II

Joe served in the Army from 1942 to 1945 and spent that period traveling around Europe visiting with the troops and boxing in exhibitions. During this time, he donated over $100,000 awarded to him from these fights to the Army and Navy Emergency Relief Funds to show his support for the U.S. war effort. However, this income was fully taxed by the IRS, and this left him with serious tax debts. Even the $600 left to him by his dying mother was seized by the IRS.[9]

When asked about his decision to enter the racially-segregated U.S. Army, Louis's explanation was simple: "Lots of things wrong with America, but Hitler ain't going to fix them." During his time in the army, Louis used his connections in the State Department to get his friend Jackie Robinson and several other black soldiers admitted into Officers' Candidate School — a favor for which Robinson was especially grateful. Louis himself received the rank of Sergeant, and was awarded the Legion of Honor medal for his service.

Louis became a national spokesman for the Army, encouraging African-American men to enlist in the Armed Services, in spite of the racial segregation. He became a highly-visible symbol of the contributions of African-American soldiers to the war effort.

In 1943, Louis made an appearance in the wartime Hollywood musical This Is the Army, directed by Michael Curtiz. Louis appears as himself in a musical number, "The Well-Dressed Man In Harlem," which emphasizes the importance of African-American soldiers, and promotes their enlistment.

[edit] Retirement and later life

Joe Louis with Jean Anderson, Chicago, 1947

In 1946, following his war service, Louis returned to the ring for a rematch against Billy Conn. He won by a knockout in the eighth round. In 1947, Louis faced Jersey Joe Walcott. During the fight, Walcott scored two knockdowns over Louis but lost a disputed decision. In a rematch held in 1948, Walcott again knocked Louis down, but the aging Louis came on to knock out Walcott in the 11th round.

On March 1, 1949, Louis announced his retirement from boxing. In his matches with Conn and Walcott, it became obvious that he was no longer the fighter he once had been. In 1950, plagued by debts to the IRS, Louis attempted a comeback. He fought Ezzard Charles, but lost on a decision after a 15-round bout.

On October 26, 1951, Louis faced Rocky Marciano. Despite his being a 6-to-5 favorite, few boxing insiders believed he had a chance. Before the fight, Marciano said, "This is the last guy on earth I want to fight."[10] It was feared his unwillingness to quit would get him seriously hurt. In the event, Louis was dropped in the eighth round by a Marciano left, and knocked out of the ring less than thirty seconds later. Afterwards, Louis retired for good from boxing.

In 1952, Louis was invited to play in the San Diego Open on a sponsor's exemption, and became the first African American ever to play in this PGA Tour event.[11] A few years after his retirement, a movie about his life, The Joe Louis Story, was filmed in Hollywood. The role of Louis was played by fighter Coley Wallace.

Joe Louis's headstone in Arlington National Cemetery.

By the end of the 1950s, Louis had owed over $1 million in taxes.[12] To bring in money, Louis appeared on quiz shows.[12] Old army buddy Ash Resnick gave him a job welcoming tourists to the Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas, where Ash was an executive, just so Louis could make ends meet.[12] Louis developed a friendship with former rival Max Schmeling in their retirement, and Schmeling offered financial assistance to Louis during this period.[13] Louis became a professional wrestler in the 1950s and 60s, and as late as 1972.[14]

Louis remained a popular celebrity in his twilight years. He was good friends with mobster Frank Lucas, who paid off a $50,000 tax lien for him and wept when he died, calling him "my daddy." [15]

Eventually, Louis's health began to deteriorate to the point where he had to be in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke. Hours after his last public appearance viewing the Larry Holmes-Trevor Berbick heavyweight championship, Joe Louis died at age 66 of a heart attack in Desert Springs Hospital on April 12, 1981. 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.[16][17] His funeral was paid for in part by former competitor and friend, Max Schmeling.[18]

[edit] Legacy

Joe Louis lives on in popular memory. Among other contributions, Louis coined two of boxing's most famous quotes: "He can run, but he can't hide" and "Everyone has a plan until they've been hit."[citation needed] In 1936, a beat 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. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Joe Louis on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.[19]

[edit] Commemoration

Louis was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given by the U.S. legislative branch, in 1982. 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." He has a sports complex named after him in Detroit, the Joe Louis Arena, where the Detroit Red Wings play their NHL games. A memorial to Louis was dedicated in Detroit (at Jefferson Avenue & Woodward) on October 16, 1986. The sculpture, commissioned by Time, Inc. and executed by Robert Graham, is a 24-foot long arm with a fisted hand suspended by a 24-foot high pyramidal framework. It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring. Because of his efforts to fight Jim Crow laws, the fist was symbolically aimed toward the south. Joe Louis is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

A street near Madison Square Garden is named after Joe Louis. In 1993, he became the first boxer to be honored on a postage stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

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 MI, was named after Joe Louis.

[edit] Professional career

69 Wins (55 knockouts, 13 decisions, 1 disqualification), 3 Losses (2 knockouts, 1 decision) [1]
Res. Opponent Type Rd., Time Date Location Notes
Loss Flag of the United States Rocky Marciano KO 8 (10) 1951-10-26 Madison Square Garden, New York
Win Flag of the United States Jimmy Bivins Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1951-08-15 Baltimore, Maryland
Win Flag of Argentina Cesar Brion Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1951-08-01 San Francisco, California
Win Flag of the United States Lee Savold KO 6 (15), 2:29 1951-06-15 Madison Square Garden, New York
Win Flag of Cuba Omelio Agramonte Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1951-05-02 Detroit, Michigan
Win Flag of the United States Andy Walker TKO 10 (10), 1:49 1951-02-23 San Francisco, California
Win Flag of Cuba Omelio Agramonte Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1951-02-07 Miami, Florida
Win Flag of the United States Freddie Beshore TKO 4 (10), 2:48 1951-01-03 Detroit, Michigan
Win Flag of Argentina Cesar Brion Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1950-11-29 Chicago, Illinois
Loss Flag of the United States Ezzard Charles Decision (unan.) 15 (15) 1950-09-27 Yankee Stadium, New York Fight was for World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Jersey Joe Walcott KO 11 (15) 1948-06-25 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title;
Louis retired and relinquished
the title on March 1, 1949
Win Flag of the United States Jersey Joe Walcott Decision (split) 15 (15) 1947-12-05 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Tami Mauriello KO 1 (15), 2:09 1946-09-18 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Billy Conn KO 8 (15), 2:19 1946-06-19 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Johnny Davis TKO 1 (4), 0:53 1944-11-14 Buffalo, New York non-title fight
Win Flag of the United States Abe Simon TKO 6 (15) 1942-03-27 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Buddy Baer KO 1 (15), 2:56 1942-01-09 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Lou Nova TKO 6 (15), 2:59 1941-09-29 New York City Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Billy Conn KO 13 (15), 2:58 1941-06-18 New York City Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Buddy Baer Disqualification 7 (15) 1941-05-23 Washington, D.C. Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Tony Musto TKO 9 (15), 1:36 1941-04-08 Saint Louis, Missouri Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Abe Simon TKO 13 (20), 1:20 1941-03-21 Detroit, Michigan Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Gus Dorazio KO 2 (15), 1:30 1941-02-17 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Red Burman KO 5 (15), 2:49 1941-01-31 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Al McCoy TKO 6 (15) 1940-12-16 Boston, Massachusetts Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of Chile Arturo Godoy TKO 8 (15), 1:24 1940-06-20 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Johnny Paychek TKO 2 (15), 0:41 1940-03-29 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of Chile Arturo Godoy Decision (split) 15 (15) 1940-02-09 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Bob Pastor KO 11 (20) 1939-09-20 Detroit, Michigan Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Tony Galento TKO 4 (15), 2:29 1939-06-28 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Jack Roper KO 1 (10), 2:20 1939-04-17 Wrigley Field, Los Angeles Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States John Henry Lewis KO 1 (15), 2:29 1939-01-25 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of Nazi Germany Max Schmeling KO 1 (15), 2:04 1938-06-22 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Harry Thomas KO 5 (15), 2:50 1938-04-01 Chicago, Illinois Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States Nathan Mann KO 3 (15), 1:56 1937-02-23 Madison Square Garden, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United Kingdom Tommy Farr Decision (unan.) 15 (15) 1937-08-30 Yankee Stadium, New York Retained World Heavyweight title
Win Flag of the United States James J. Braddock KO 8 (15) 1937-06-22 Chicago, Illinois Won NBA and NYSAC World
Heavyweight titles
Win Flag of the United States Natie Brown KO 4 (10) 1937-02-17 Kansas City, Missouri
Win Flag of the United States Bob Pastor Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1937-01-29 Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win Flag of the United States Steve Ketchel KO 2 (4), 0:31 1937-01-11 Buffalo, New York
Win Flag of the United States Eddie Simms TKO 1 (10), 0:26 1936-12-14 Cleveland, Ohio
Win Flag of Argentina Jorge Brescia KO 3 (10), 2:12 1936-10-09 Hippodrome, New York City
Win Flag of the United States Al Ettore KO 5 (15), 1:28 1936-09-22 Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia
Win Flag of the United States Jack Sharkey KO 3 (10), 1:02 1936-08-18 Yankee Stadium, New York
Loss Flag of Nazi Germany Max Schmeling KO 12 (15), 2:29 1936-06-19 Yankee Stadium, New York
Win Flag of the United States Charley Retzlaff KO 1 (15), 1:25 1936-01-17 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of Spain Paulino Uzcudun TKO 4 (15), 2:32 1935-12-13 Madison Square Garden, New York City
Win Flag of the United States Max Baer KO 4 (15) 1935-09-24 Yankee Stadium, New York
Win Flag of the United States King Levinsky TKO 1 (10), 2:21 1935-08-07 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of Italy Primo Carnera TKO 6 (15), 2:32 1935-06-25 Yankee Stadium, New York
Win Flag of the United States Gene Stanton KO 3 (6) 1935-05-07 Kalamazoo, Michigan
Win Flag of the United States Willie Davies KO 2 (6) 1935-05-03 Peoria, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Roscoe Toles KO 6 (6) 1935-04-25 Flint, Michigan
Win Flag of the United States Biff Bennett KO 1 (6), 2:26 1935-04-22 Dayton, Ohio Billed in an exhibition
Win Flag of the United States Roy Lazer KO 3 (10), 2:26 1935-04-12 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Natie Brown Decision (unan.) 10 (10) 1935-03-29 Detroit, Michigan
Win Flag of the United States Don Barry TKO 3 (10) 1935-03-08 San Francisco, California
Win Flag of the United States Lee Ramage TKO 2 (10), 2:11 1935-02-21 Los Angeles, California
Win Flag of Nazi Germany Hans Birkie TKO 10 (10), 1:47 1935-01-11 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Win Flag of the United States Patsy Perroni Decision 10 (10) 1935-01-04 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Lee Ramage TKO 8 (10), 2:51 1934-12-14 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Charley Massera KO 3 (10) 1934-11-30 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Stanley Poreda KO 1 (10), 2:40 1934-11-14 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Jack O'Dowd KO 2 (10) 1934-10-31 Detroit, Michigan
Win Flag of the United States Art Sykes KO 8 (10) 1934-10-24 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Adolph Wiater Decision 10 (10) 1934-09-26 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of Canada Al Delaney TKO 4 (10) 1934-09-11 Detroit, Michigan
Win Flag of the United States Buck Everett KO 2 (8) 1934-08-27 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Jack Kranz Decision 8 (8) 1934-08-13 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Larry Udell TKO 2 (8) 1934-07-30 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of the United States Willie Davies KO 3 (6) 1934-07-12 Chicago, Illinois
Win Flag of Norway Jack Kracken KO 1 (6) 1934-07-04 Chicago, Illinois

[edit] Wrestling Career

Joe Louis only had one wrestling match in 1956

He retired with a record of 1-0 in 1 wrestling match.

[edit] In popular culture

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ International Boxing Research Organization (March 2005). "All Time Rankings". http://www.ibroresearch.com/All%20Time%20Rankings.htm. Retrieved on October 14 2006. 
  2. ^ Rollin, Jack (2005). Soccer At War 1935-45. p. 184. ISBN 0-7553-1431-X. 
  3. ^ Bennison B Joe Louis vs Tommy Farr Evening Standard (N.Y.), 31 Aug 1937
  4. ^ Louis v Farr Time Magazine, 6 Sept 1937
  5. ^ Myler P Ring of Hate: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling: The Fight of the Century Arcade Publishing (2005) p. 121. This source also contains a report of Louis's fight with Tommy Farr, at page 113.
  6. ^ Deford F The Choices of Max Schmeling NPR Sports News 9 Feb 2005
  7. ^ Ring of Passion, Internet Movie Database, retrieved 2008-09-21.
  8. ^ Brewer's Dictionary of Modern Phrase & Fable, by John Ayto, Ian Crofton (2006)
  9. ^ America: From Freedom to Fascism by Aaron Russo
  10. ^ Levine B Over the ropes The Muehlenberg (College) Weekly, 23 October 2008]
  11. ^ Lerner, Rich (November 12, 2007). "The Brown Bomber's Green Legacy". The Golf Channel. http://www.thegolfchannel.com/15100/24372/. 
  12. ^ a b c Burton W. Folsom. Schmeling K.O.’d by Louis! Louis K.O.’d by the U.S. Government! June 6, 2005.
  13. ^ Bloomberg. Max Schmeling, Joe Louis's Friend and Foe, Dies at 99! February 4, 2005.
  14. ^ Dave Meltzer. Boxers in wrestling a rich tradition. March 27, 2008.
  15. ^ Jacobson M The Return of Superfly New York Magazine Services, 7 August 2000
  16. ^ Peters, James Edward (2000). "Joe Louis (Barrow), "The Brown Bomber," Heavyweight Champion of the World". Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes. Woodbine House. http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/joe_louis.html. Retrieved on 2007-07-04.  Published on the Official website of Arlington National Cemetery
  17. ^ "Joe "The Brown Bomber" Louis". Find-A-Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=644. Retrieved on 2007-07-04. 
  18. ^ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fight/peopleevents/p_schmeling.htm
  19. ^ Asante, Molefi Kete (2002). 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Amherst, New York. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-963-8.
  20. ^ Fragment from Coming to America

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Max Marek
Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions
Light heavyweight Champion

1934
Succeeded by
Joe Bauer
Preceded by
Max Marek
National AAU Boxing Championships
Light heavyweight Champion

1934
Succeeded by
Joe Bauer
Preceded by
James J. Braddock
World Heavyweight Champion
1937–1949
Succeeded by
Ezzard Charles
Filled vacancy
Preceded by
Dizzy Dean
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
1935
Succeeded by
Jesse Owens
Persondata
NAME Louis, Joe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Barrow, Joseph Louis (full name)could he beat 50 cent
SHORT DESCRIPTION American boxer
DATE OF BIRTH May 14, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH LaFayette, Alabama, United States
DATE OF DEATH April 12, 1981
PLACE OF DEATH
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