MISGUIDED MAGAZINE SPRING 2020

VOL 4
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JOE LOUIS
Joseph Louis Barrow, known professionally as Joe Louis, was
an American professional boxer. He reigned as the world
heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, and is considered to
be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
Nicknamed the “Brown Bomber,” his knockout of Germany’s
Max Schmeling in 1938 made him a national hero, and he
established a record by retaining the championship for nearly
12 years.
Joe Louis hit the ground running as a professional in 1934,
obliterating opponents with his powerful jab and devastating
combos. By the end of 1935, the young fighter had already
dispatched former heavyweight champions Primo Carnera and
Max Baer. However, he reportedly did not train hard for his first
fight against former heavyweight champion Max Schmeling of
Germany, and on June 19, 1936, Schmeling scored a 12th-round
knockout to hand Louis his first professional defeat.
On June 22, 1938, Louis got the chance at a rematch with Schmeling. This time the stakes were higher:
With Schmeling hailed as an example of Aryan supremacy by Adolph Hitler, the bout took on heightened
nationalistic and racial overtones. This time Louis annihilated his German opponent with a first-round
knockout, making him a hero to both black and white Americans.
Of his 25 successful title defenses, nearly all came by knockout. After reigning as heavyweight champion
for 11 years and eight months, a record, Louis retired on March 1, 1949.
Saddled with financial problems, Louis returned to the ring to face new heavyweight champ Ezzard Charles
in September 1950, dropping a 15-round decision. He compiled a new winning streak against a series of
lesser opponents, but was no match for top contender Rocky Marciano; following their bout on October
26, 1951, which ended in a brutal eighth-round TKO, Louis retired for good with a career record of 68-3,
including 54 knockouts.
He was inducted into The Ring Magazine Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of
Fame in 1990. He was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 1982, and in 1993 he was the
first boxer to appear on a commemorative postage stamp.
Louis passed away from cardiac arrest on April 12, 1981.
Source: biography.com/people/guion-s-bluford-213031
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