BoxRec

One of boxing's greatest champions would have been 100 years old today if he were alive. His name? the great Brown Bomber Joe Louis!

Let's celebrated and chat about the life and times of this great champion, considered by many, as the greatest heavyweight fighter or champion of all time. Let's put an insight of records, newspaper clips, pictures, anecdotes, videos and other stuff of note and of course, discuss his great career in the ring.

Happy birthday champ. Oh boy, I hope that my grandma would have still be alive today to speak about the great Joe Louis. It would be a thrill for me to know where she was for example, when Louis had his rematch with Max Schmeling of Germany and what it meant to her.

Indeed. I just wish he got more respect from current boxing "fans" who tear into his reputation by saying he'd be to small to compete with current Heavyweights.
The guy was one of the best fighter to lace up gloves imo. His spacial awereness and timing was off the chart.

Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe, "He's In The Ring (Doing The Same Ol' Thing):


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA6F_cE71XQ

Happy birthday, champ.

Clint Magnum wrote:Indeed. I just wish he got more respect from current boxing "fans" who tear into his reputation by saying he'd be to small to compete with current Heavyweights.
The guy was one of the best fighter to lace up gloves imo. His spacial awereness and timing was off the chart.

He crushed guys who weighed over 250- Carnera, Buddy Baer, Simon.
He was smart, well-rounded, consistent. Great jab, and obviously had great power. One of the best fighters of all-time.

Thats right..although past his prime he could fight at 215lbs...and still look in great shape....i just do not see heavyweights dynamic like Joe anymore. These big heavyweights nowadays need the explosive type to tear into them...like Louis, like Dempsey, like Tyson...to rip 'em apart...love you Brown Bomber...the greatest finisher there ever was...

Happy 100th birthday Champ!

You would have lived a good life had he didn't died at near 67 years old. In his best days the Brown Bomber would have whip bigger champions like Lewis, Klitschko brothers, Bowe and other big men because Louis was never afraid of them.

What was the great Joe Louis first big test? Was it his fight with Max Baer in 1935?

Joe ended up performing in circuses as some kind of freak show nearer the end of his life due to financial difficulties relating to tax right? Terrible.

In picture above, the great Joe Louis loses his first professional fight in 1936 against nemesis Max Schmeling of Germany. Schmeling was the former world heavyweight champion from 1930-32. Louis was the favorite to win, but Schmeling stopped him in 12 rounds. Ironically, Louis was still voted by The Ring Magazine as Fighter of the Year of 1936

The champ in his complete prime. Circa 1937.

The champ enlisted into the army in 1943. It took some years off his prime (1943-45) and would have had more title defenses. Louis 25 title defenses of the world heavyweight crown is still a world record in any weight class. Maybe he would have had around 30 or 35 title defenses if not were for WWII.

The champion with his beautiful wife Marva.

The champion, Joe Louis, made an ill comeback when faced future champ and great Rocky Marciano on October 26, 1951 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City. "I would have loved to fight my hero in his prime", Rocky said. Was the Brockton Blockbuster dirty? Look at the elbow in Louis' face.

The Last Hurrah. The tale of the tape tells the story. Louis was 37 years old. Father Time caught up with him.

The Last Hurrah. The tale of the tape tells the story. Louis was 37 years old. Marciano was a young 28.

The Brown Bomber's finest hour.

June 22, 1938 at Yankee Stadium. In his second fight with his former conqueror, Max Schmeling, America was at crossroads. Louis avenged his only defeat at the time, and became a beloved American hero. Louis won by an spectacular performance. A first round knockout.....Germany surrenders!

The Night the Champ Almost Lost his Crown...June 18, 1941 at the Polo Grounds, New York City

The title was going to change hands until the great Billy Conn made probably, the biggest mistake of his career in slugging it out with probably the greatest puncher boxing ever witnessed. Behind on points, Louis had to suck it up, and stopped Conn in 13 unforgettable rounds.

It was The Ring Fight of the Year of 1941. Also in that year, Louis won his fourth and last Ring Fighter of the Year award.

Writer Jimmy Cannon wrote: "Joe Louis is a credit of his race...The Human Race"

A souvenir of the Louis vs the great Jersey Joe Walcott II fight. This time, Louis erased doubts of the first fight winning by KO in 11.

Louis vs Walcott fight #2. Louis is the better fighter this time around.

The Beginning of the end. Louis is forced to comeback from retirement at age 36, to face a faster and great young champion, the Cincinnati Cobra, the great Ezzard Charles. The tale of the tape tells the story before the fight. Yankee Stadium, September 27, 1950

The young Cincinnati Cobra was too fast and too slick for the old champion. September 27, 1950 at Yankee Stadium in New York City

The END and The BEGINNING of an era. The great Rocky Marciano, an upcoming undefeated heavyweight contender at the time, almost put the great old champion Joe Louis out of the ring.

The End of one of boxing's greatest careers. It was one of boxing's saddest moments of all time.
October 26, 1951

A Look Back...The Brown Bomber Becomes Heavyweight Champion of the World

It was June 22, 1937 in Chicago and the Brown Bomber Joe Louis climbs to the top by knocking out the Cinderella Man Jimmy J. Braddock in 8 rounds. Louis became the second heavyweight world champion in history, twenty-two years after the great Jack Johnson. Braddock dropped Louis, giving him a scare in the first round. After that, it was all Louis.

Louis still did not recognized himself as champion until he avenges Max Schmeling of Germany. The man that gave him his first pro defeat. A year later in New York's Yankee Stadium, he accomplished that wish.