Joe Louis Barrow entered the world on May 13, 1914. He was the seventh of eight children. Joe’s father, Munroe Barrow, was a not very successful cotton farmer, and in 1916 he was committed to the Searcy State Hospital for Colored Insane.
Joe’s mother remarried and in 1926 the family moved to Detroit. In Detroit Joe went with some friends to the Brewster East Side Gymnasium and Joe got hooked on boxing. He quit school in 1932 and started his amateur boxing career. When he signed up for his first fight he wrote Joe Louis in such big letters there was no room on the line to write his last name, Barrow. Hence, he became known simply as Joe Louis.
He had a very successful amateur career, winning fifty of fifty-four fights so on July 4, 1934, he had his first professional fight. That fight was scheduled to go ten rounds but Joe knocked Jack Kracken out in the first round.
Fans said he was a punching machine and he was nicknamed the Brown Bomber.
Joe won all twelve of his fights in 1934 and became a big favorite with black boxing fans. Because racial prejudices were high at that time, white boxing fans wouldn’t root for him.
June 25, 1935, Joe fought Primo Carnera, a white and former heavyweight champion, at Yankee stadium. City officials were afraid if Joe won there might be riots so an additional one thousand policemen were assigned to patrol the stadium that night.
Joe Louis won his fight against Carnera but no riots broke out.
June 19, 1936, Joe fought a German named Max Schmeling. The Nazis were starting to come into power at this time and many saw Schmeling as a symbol of Nazi Germany. The fight was now an American against a German and not a black man against a white man and all Americans, both black and white, rooted for Joe. Schmeling won that fight and it was the first loss as a professional for Joe Louis.
June 22, 1937, Joe fought world heavyweight champion James J. Braddock. Joe won the fight in the eighth round. Joe Louis, at age twenty-three, was now the world heavyweight champion.
Joe had another fight with Schmeling June 22, 1938. Before the fight, Joe said, “This isn’t just one man against another. It is the good old USA versus Germany.” This time Joe was successful in beating Schmeling.
In 1942 Joe enlisted in the Army but he wasn’t sent to the front to fight. Instead, the Army sent him to tour the United States to boost morale and sell war bonds. His photo also adorned recruiting posters. Joe had once said, “We will win because we’re on God’s side.” This quote became a slogan for the war.
In 1949 Joe Louis retired from boxing, undefeated as world champion. However, because of financial problems, he returned to boxing one year later. When he was making good money boxing, his accountant advised Joe not to pay all his income taxes, which was bad advice. It turned out the IRS would haunt Joe for many years to come trying to collect back taxes.
He was semi-successful in his return to the ring, but after a loss to the up-and-coming Rocky Marciano, he retired for good.
Joe Louis died April 18, 1981. At his funeral Reverend Jesse Jackson said, “God sent Joe Louis from the Black race to represent the human race.”
