Joe Louis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Louis in 1941 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Joseph Louis Barrow May 13, 1914 LaFayette, Alabama, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | April 12, 1981 (aged 66) Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | The Brown Bomber | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight(s) | Heavyweight | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reach | 76 in (193 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 69 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 66 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 52 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.[nb 1][2] 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.[3] He was instrumental in integrating the game of golf, helping break the sport's color barrier in America by appearing under a sponsor's exemption in a PGA event in 1952.[4][5][6]
- ^ "Joe Louis". BoxRec. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ "Joe Louis". Britannica. August 11, 2023.
- ^ John Bloom; Michael Nevin Willard, eds. (2002). Sports Matters: Race, Recreation, and Culture. New York: New York University Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0814798829.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
golf2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
golfwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "PGA clears way for Joe Louis to compete in San Diego Open meet". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Florida. Associated Press. January 16, 1952. p. 6.
Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).