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Black History Month celebrates Joe Louis

By Anthony "Zute" George

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JoeLouis02.jpg
JoeLouis02.jpg

Joe Louis was born on May 13th, 1914 in Lafayette, Alabama.

 

Louis, eloquently referred to as the “The Brown Bomber” during his career is--often referred to as “the head master” of a rich boxing tradition in Detroit, Michigan.

 

While there is no dispute with this statement, Louis was born in the South.

Louis retired with a record of 66 wins; 52 KO’s, with 3 loses. An impressive record, no question; however, Joe Louis was more than just numbers.

 

From 1937-1949, Joe Louis was heavyweight champion if the world; a time when that title meant you were the biggest star in all of sports, a household name, a constant target on your back.

 

Louis played this role with grace, dignity and yes brutality. During this time, Joe Louis kept his head on straight and was popular with both blacks and whites in America.

 

While he earned the love of white america, Louis did not lose his stature in the black community. A remarkable feat of the times that illuminates the kind of special, quality human being Joe Louis was.

 

His fights with Max Schmeling reveal the kind of fighter and man Joe Louis was.

 

In the first bout, Joe was getting roughed up in the early going, Schmeling discovered a flaw in Joe’s technique and pounced on it.

 

What is often lost on that fight is that Louis came back to dominate the middle rounds of that fight; hurting Max several times, before falling in round 12. A true classic of a fight.

JoeLouis02.jpg
JoeLouis02.jpg

Fighters often say they learn from their defeats. Joe Louis certainly did. The biggest lesson he learned was not to believe his own hype, and never underestimate your opponent.

 

When Joe and Max met again, Louis was world champion, the stakes where America’s superiority over Nazi Germany.

 

In 1938, when baseball; america’s pastime, was still segregated, Louis put the entire country on his shoulders. It was his finest moment. Louis crushed Schmeling in one round, cracking his vertebra and Hitler’s ego in the process.

 

Admittedly, I was not always a fan of Joe Louis. I bought into the "Bum of the Month Club," the label given to his crop of opponents, and went out of my way to disparage him over the years.

 

Then I decided to actually watch the man fight. It is hard to imagine boxing fans watching Joe Louis fight, and not having a euphoric, aesthetic experience.

 

All his punches; the anvil-like left jab, his picture perfect overhand right, the crippling left hook, flow from his body like a perfect river stream.

 

His personality is also one of legend. Whether he was eating right hands from Schmeling, testing the granite chin of Jim Braddock, earning superiority in the Schmeling rematch or rallying against Billy Conn, Joe Louis’ demeanor never changed inside the squared circle.

 

There was nothing braggadocios about Louis, no wasted energy inside the side, he had no reason to insult his opponents or play the role of the bad guy.

 

His version of psychological warfare was, I am going to hit you and I am going to hurt you. He did not have to say it, he reputation exuded it. His opponents knew it.

 

Louis’ only promotional tool was his fighting style and his character. How many boxers can make this claim?

 

The sad part is how Louis had to live when his boxing career needed. A man who gave so much, who was so good at what he did, should not have been poor. How could America forget?

 

However, that has been the story of a lot of boxers, way too many to count.

 

Even when the boxing world and America turned their backs on a destitute Louis, he carried himself with grace and dignity.

 

Just to shake his hand was an honor for those who met him, and Joe was always willing to oblige.

 

Joe Louis is a true American Hero.

 

Twitter: @Zute29

 

Email: zutesboxingtalk@yahoo.com

 

Link to Zutes Boxing Talk

 

www.blogtalkradio.com/zutesboxingtalk4/podcast

 

 

 

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