2021 the Year of Boxing: 107th anniversary of Joe Louis` birth

Joe Louis was born in La Fayette, Alabama, United States, on May 13, 1914 and was baptized as Joseph Louis Barrow, starting boxing when he was 20 years old.

Not since the heyday of the immortal Jack Dempsey has a front-line fighter emerged at heavyweight, as an all-time great. That was Joe Louis, without a doubt one of the best men to ever step into a ring.

Louis started his career in 1934 and from the first battle he fought he was sensational, not only destroying his rivals, but deeply reaching the emotional core of crowds. He won 27 consecutive fights, 23 of them by knockout, before suffering his first loss. German Max Schmeling put him out of action in 12 rounds.

Some were disheartened, but not the fighter himself or his manager and not the thousands of fans who followed his career. And all of them were right as Louis resumed his victorious path in such a way that they began to call him the “Detroit Brown Bomber.” His family had trekked to Michigan, from Alabama.

In the ting, his opponents were falling one by one until the opportunity that every boxing professional dreams…of contesting for a world championship.

This came to Louis on June 22, 1937. He faced Jimmy Braddock in Chicago, and finished him in eight rounds. And thus Joe began one of the most impressive, highest quality, and most deeply remembered reigns in all the history of boxing.

Not only was Joe Louis a great fighter, he was an example to everyone and became the leading figure in the boxing business for nearly two decades. He set defenses records for all divisions, with 25 of them, and he joined up during World War II, in defense of his country. He stepped into the ring occasionally charging a dollar for his performance so that the big purse would benefit the military. He looked invincible, no matter who his rival was, even though he himself briefly visited the canvass.

When he received his rematch from Schmeling, he tore him to pieces in the very first round and kept the crown, in one of the most stunning onslaughts.

In that way the years passed until he became a veteran as a fighter. On March 1, 1949 he renounced the title and retired from boxing.

Bad deals, his fondness for gambling on golf, and a divorce cost him a lot of money; he in fact lost everything he had won… and decided to get back into action.

He was a finished as a boxer already. He was clearly seen when in his first comeback performance he was clearly outmatched by the new champ, a smart savvy boxer named Ezzard Charles, who defeated him by unanimous decision. However, necessity forced Louis to continue and after beating seven second-row opponents, he faced a rookie who would eventually be another immortal, Rocky Marciano, with fearsome fists, who dealt him an impressive knockout in 8 rounds at Madison Square Garden.

Referee Ruby Goldstein preserved the dignity of Louis, as he did not complete the count of ten seconds.

That was that for the old “Bomber”. From then on, everything was more than difficult for him, until he passed away on April 12, 1981.