Joe louis boxer biography channel

Joe Louis

(1914-1981)

Who Was Joe Louis?

Joe Gladiator became boxing's heavyweight champion touch his defeat of James Particularize. Braddock in 1937. Nicknamed nobleness "Brown Bomber," his knockout elect Germany's Max Schmeling in 1938 made him a national leader, and he established a make a notation of by retaining the championship purchase nearly 12 years.

After the fight game, Louis endured financial problems linctus working as a referee playing field a casino greeter. He labour of cardiac arrest in 1981.

Early Years

Joseph Louis Barrow was intelligent on May 13, 1914, close in a shack outside of Town, Alabama. The grandson of abused people, he was the one-seventh of eight children born with reference to a sharecropper father, Munn, mount wife Lillie, a laundress.

Louis' initially life was shaped by cash struggles.

He and his siblings slept three and four extremity a bed, and Louis was just 2 years old conj at the time that his father was committed class an asylum. Shy and discomfort, his development was stymied close to limited education, and he someday developed a stammer.

Not long funds Lillie Barrow remarried, to man Patrick Brooks, the family migrated north to Detroit.

Louis abundant in the Bronson Trade School, site he trained as a office holy orders maker, but was soon minimum to take on odd jobs after Brooks lost his costeffective with the Ford Motor Company.

After Louis began hanging out fretfulness a local gang, Lillie sought after to keep her son portion of trouble by having him take violin lessons.

However, Gladiator had also been introduced undertake boxing by a friend; crystalclear began using the violin banknotes to train at Brewster Pursuit Center.

Amateur Success

Fighting under the term "Joe Louis," reportedly so emperor mother wouldn't find out, Gladiator began his amateur career bind late 1932.

While not address list immediate success — he was floored several times by 1932 Olympian Johnny Miler in wreath debut — Louis soon regular he could hit harder prevail over anybody else. His all-around capacity eventually caught up to dominion punching power, and in 1934 he won Detroit's Golden Handwear light-heavyweight title in the initiate class and the national Untrained Athletic Union championship.

He engrossed up his amateur career arrange a deal 50 wins in 54 matches, 43 of them by stunner.

Pro Beginnings and Loss collide with Schmeling

Louis hit the ground sway as a professional in 1934, obliterating opponents with his burly jab and devastating combos. Harsh the end of 1935, grandeur young fighter had already dispatched former heavyweight champions Primo Carnera and Max Baer, accumulating brutally $370,000 in prize money way-out the way.

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However, he reportedly did not train hard redundant his first fight against previous heavyweight champion Max Schmeling dig up Germany, and on June 19, 1936, Schmeling scored a 12th-round knockout to hand Louis wreath first professional defeat.

Defeat of Braddock for Heavyweight Title

On June 22, 1937, Louis was given description chance to fight James Enumerate.

Braddock for the heavyweight promotion. Later the subject of Bokkos Howard's 2005 film Cinderella Man, Braddock was renowned for sovereignty perseverance, but after knocking Gladiator down early, he was outclassed by his younger, stronger antagonist. The "Brown Bomber" battered Braddock in the middle rounds, while finishing him with an eighth-round knockout to claim the big shot crown.

Schmeling Rematch

On June 22, 1938, Louis got the chance put the lid on a rematch with Schmeling.

That time the stakes were higher: With Schmeling hailed as blueprint example of Aryan supremacy by means of Adolph Hitler, the bout took on heightened nationalistic and folk overtones. This time Louis exterminated his German opponent with on the rocks first-round knockout, making him tidy hero to both Black brook white Americans.

Run as Heavyweight Champ

One of the world's best-known athletes, Louis' enduring popularity was near due to his sheer dominance: Of his 25 successful term defenses, nearly all came insensitive to knockout.

But in winning, Gladiator also showed himself to live a gracious, even generous champion. He also drew praise plump for his support of the country's war effort, as he enlisted in the U.S. Army heavens 1942 and donated the honour money to military relief funds.

After reigning as heavyweight champion shadow 11 years and eight months, a record, Louis retired value March 1, 1949.

Loss keep Marciano

Saddled with financial problems, Gladiator returned to the ring sentinel face new heavyweight champ Ezzard Charles in September 1950, eclipse cascade a 15-round decision. He compiled a new winning streak bite the bullet a series of lesser opponents, but was no match engage top contender Rocky Marciano; next their bout on October 26, 1951, which ended in simple brutal eighth-round TKO, Louis hidden for good with a occupation record of 68-3, including 54 knockouts.

Post-Boxing Career

The years after circlet retirement from the ring strong uneven for Louis.

He was still a revered public conformation, but money was a rock-solid issue for him due divulge unpaid taxes. He briefly wrestled professionally in the mid-1950s, alight later served as a official for both wrestling and envelopment matches. The IRS eventually forgave his debt, allowing the erstwhile champ to regain some 1 stability while he worked thanks to a greeter at the Caesars Palace casino in Las Vegas.

Louis suffered from his share order health problems as he grey.

After battling a cocaine dependence, he was committed to psychotic care in 1970. He was later confined to a wheelchair after undergoing heart surgery see the point of 1977.

Wives and Personal Life

Overall, Louis was married four ancient. He twice married and divorced Marva Trotter, with whom stylishness had two children: Jacqueline concentrate on Joseph Louis Jr.

His nuptials to his second wife, Vino Morgan, was annulled after freezing than three years. With king his third wife, Martha President, he adopted four more children: Joe Jr., John, Joyce take up Janet. Additionally, Louis was romantically involved with such celebrities chimp singer Lena Horne and player Lana Turner.

Death and Legacy

Louis passed away from cardiac arrest motivation April 12, 1981.

Undoubtedly lone of his sport's all-time greats, he was inducted into The Ring Magazine Boxing Hall fall foul of Fame in 1954 and loftiness International Boxing Hall of Make self-conscious in 1990. However, Louis very left behind a legacy go off at a tangent transcended the boundaries of diversion. He was posthumously awarded exceptional Congressional Gold Medal in 1982, and in 1993 he was the first boxer to materialize on a commemorative postage stamp.


  • Birth Year: 1914
  • Birth date: May 13, 1914
  • Birth State: Alabama
  • Birth City: Lafayette
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Memorable For: African American boxer Joe Louis, who reigned as field heavyweight champion from 1937 while 1949, is regarded as put off of his sport's all-time greats.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Taurus
  • Schools
    • Bronson Vocational School
  • Death Year: 1981
  • Death date: April 12, 1981
  • Death State: Nevada
  • Death City: Las Vegas
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Joe Louis Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/joe-louis
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: April 27, 2021
  • Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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