Joe Louis

About Joe Louis

Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981), better known as Joe Louis, was a heavyweight boxing champion. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, he is considered to be one of the greatest in boxing history. Louis held the heavyweight title for over 106 months, more than anyone else before or after him, recording 25 successful defenses of the title. In 2003, Ring Magazine ranked him No. 1 on its list of 4 greatest punchers of all time. In 2005, Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the national Boxing Research Organization. He participated in 27 heavyweight championship fights, a record which still stands.

In the turbulent era during World War II, he became a national hero in America, partly because of his comment about the Allies, "We're gonna win 'cause we're on God's side".

Louis was born in La Fayette, Alabama, son of Barry Jerry Barrow, a sharecropper, and Lilly Louis. He had a successful amateur career which he ended with winning Michigan's Golden Gloves title. He turned professional in 1934, making his debut on July 4 of that year, knocking out Jack Kracken in the first round itself at Chicago, Illinois. He won 12 fights that year, all in Chicago, 10 by way of knockout. Among his opponents in 1934 were Art Sykes and Stanley Poreda.