Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Joe Louis shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Joe Louis offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Joe Louis at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Joe Louis? Wrong! If the Joe Louis is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Joe Louis then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Joe Louis? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Joe Louis and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Joe Louis wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Joe Louis then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Joe Louis site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Joe Louis, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Joe Louis, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

{{Infobox_Boxer| name = Joe Louis| realname = Joseph Louis Barrow| image = joe_louis_barrow.jpg| nickname = The Brown Bomber| weight = Heavyweight| birth_date = | death_date = | birth_place = [LaFayette, Alabama, [Michigan, [1914 – April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, a native of LaFayette, Alabama, Alabama, is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions that ever lived. He held the title for over 11 years, recording 25 successful defenses of the title. In 2003, Ring Magazine rated Joe Louis No. 1 on the list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. In 2005, Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization.{{cite web | last = International Boxing Research Organization | title = All Time Rankings | url=http://www.ibroresearch.com/All%20Time%20Rankings.htm | date = March, 2005 | accessdate = October 14, 2006--> He participated in 27 heavyweight championship fights, a record which still stands.

In the turbulent era before World War II, he became national hero for both black and white America. Sportswriter Jimmy Cannon characterized Louis as "a credit to his race - the human race."

Biography Early life and career Joe Louis Barrow was born on May 13, 1914, in LaFayette, Alabama, the seventh of eight children. The grandson of slaves, he was the son of Barry Barrow, a sharecropper, and Lilly Barrow. His father was committed to an asylum when Louis was just two years old, where he died just two years later.

His mother re-married when Joe was seven and the family moved to Detroit in 1924. In his teens he worked for an ice company; he would later credit lifting the heavy blocks of ice with helping build his arm and upper body strength. It was during this time that he first became interested in boxing. He used money given to him by his mother for violin lessons to pay for a locker at a local recreation center. His mother was not pleased but encouraged him to do his best.

Louis had a successful and lucrative 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 at Chicago, Illinois, Illinois. He won 12 fights that year, all in Chicago, 10 by knockout. Among his opponents in 1934 were Art Sykes and Stanley Poreda.

Originally, Joe's trainer, Jack Blackburn, wanted him to only fight other African-American boxers. Joe decided to ignore this advice and fought white boxers as well.

Ascendance

In 1935, Louis fought 13 times, creating an extraordinary sensation. He knocked out his first world champion, former world heavyweight champion, the 6'4' 265 pound Primo Carnera, in six rounds. Louis then knocked out the iron-chinned former heavyweight champion Max Baer in four rounds. Before losing to Louis, Baer had been knocked down only once, by Frankie Campbell. Louis also knocked out Paolino Uzcudun, who had never been knocked down or out before Louis KO'd him.

In his next fight, he was matched with former world heavyweight champion Max Schmeling. Although not considered a threat, the German had studied Louis' style intently, and believed he had found a weakness. By exploiting Louis' habit of dropping his left low after a jab, Schmeling handed Louis his first loss by knocking him out in round 12 in Yankee stadium.

Louis, despite the loss, was awarded a title shot by champion James J. Braddock after negotiations with Madison Square Gardens number 1 contender Schmeling broke down. Braddock, looking to retire on a large payoff, was promised a more lucrative fight with the Brown Bomber after Louis bounced back up the pecking order by knocking out former champion Jack Sharkey. Schmeling (and the German government) were furious, and insisted that a win over highly ranked Sharkey did not reverse the Louis defeat by Schmeling, which was considered a title eliminator. The matter was settled in court, and Madison Square Garden and Schmeling lost. The fight was staged in Chicago, and Braddocks heavyweight championship would be up for grabs. Despite a knock down in round 1, Louis defeated the "Cinderella Man" by KO in round 8. Joe Louis was heavyweight champion of the world.

During World War II From December 1940 to March 1942, when his career was interrupted by World War II, Louis defended his title ten times, a frequency unmatched by any heavyweight champion since the end of the bareknuckle era. His nearly-monthly fights against every challenger, and his convincing wins, earned his opponents the unfair group nickname "Bum of the Month."

In all, Louis made 25 defenses of his heavyweight title from 1937 to 1949. He was a world champion for 11 years and 10 months. Louis set records for any division in number of defenses and longevity as world champion non stop, and both records still stand. His most remarkable record is that he knocked out 23 opponents in 27 title fights.

Other notable title defenses before Louis enlisted were:

• His title defense against Max Schmeling. After having attempted to prevent Louis from even competing for the title, given his knockout defeat at Schmeling's hands, Joe Louis went on to crushingly defeat the German boxer. The match was promoted, on both sides of the Atlantic, as a clash of civilizations.
• His fight versus world Light Heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, knocked out in the first.
• His fight with "Two Ton" Tony Galento, who knocked Louis down in the third round with a left hook. Giving Galento a terrible beating, Louis knocked Galento out in the fourth round.
• His two fights with Chilean Arturo Godoy. In their first bout Louis won by a decision, and then Louis won the rematch by a knockout in the eighth round.
• His fight with world Light Heavyweight champion Billy Conn, the first of which is remembered as one of the greatest fights in heavyweight history. Conn, smaller than Louis, said that he planned to "hit and run," prompting Louis's famous response, "He can run, but he can't hide." After 12 rounds, Conn was ahead on points, only to be knocked out by Louis in the 13th round. In the rematch, held when the two fighters returned from World War Two, Louis won by a knockout in the eighth round.

Louis retired after two fights with Jersey Joe Walcott. In the first fight, Walcott scored two knockdowns over Louis but lost a disputed decision. In the second fight, Walcott again knocked Louis down, but the aging Louis came on to knock out Walcott in the 11th round.Obviously no longer the fighter he once had been, Louis wisely retired.

Louis served in the Army from 1942 to 1945 and spent that period traveling around Europe visiting with the troops and boxing in exhibitions — and the money awarded to him during the fights he would sign over to the U.S. government to show more of his support and belief in the U.S. participation in the war. During this time, he became a national spokesman for the Army. After he came back to keep defending his title in 1946, Louis looked somewhat slower in his fights, and his best years were obviously behind him. On March 1, 1949, Louis announced his retirement from boxing.

1950s In 1950, he was harassed by the I.R.S. -- it is reported the IRS took away not only the $600 his mother left to him after her death, but also his children's trust funds).

After losing his fortune to the I.R.S., Louis announced a comeback. In his comeback fight, he lost a 15 round unanimous decision to world champion Ezzard Charles, who had won the vacant title after Louis retired. Although far from is prime years, overweight, and much slower than in his youth, Louis kept boxing, but at a level far below that of his championship days. In 1951, Louis lost by a knockout in eight rounds sending louis out of the ring by future world Heavyweight Champion, Rocky Marciano. He retired with a record of 69 wins and 3 losses, with 55 of those wins coming by knockout. Joe louis retired at the age of 39.

Louis became a professional wrestler in 1956, but retired in 1957 due to injuries suffered during a match.

Retirement and later life A few years after his retirement, a movie about his life, The Joe Louis Story , was filmed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The role of Joe Louis was played by fighter Coley Wallace. Louis remained a popular celebrity in his twilight years. Because of Louis's increasing poverty due to heavy taxes, old army buddy Ash Resnick gave him a job welcoming tourists to the Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Ash was an executive, just so Louis could make ends meet.

Louis's health began to deteriorate to the point where he had to be in a wheelchair. He had two operations, paid for by long-time friend Frank Sinatra. Sinatra flew Louis to Houston to have Michael DeBakey perform surgery. Later Louis suffered a stroke, and a year later his heart finally failed him.

Joe Louis died at age 66 of a myocardial infarction in Desert Springs Hospital in 1981. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Virginia with full military honors. Reportedly his funeral was paid for by former competitor Max Schmeling, but recent biographies (of both Schmeling and Louis) deny this fact. His life and his achievements prompted famed New York sportswriter Jimmy Cannon to write "Joe Louis is a credit to his race - the human race." Jenny Nolan of the Detroit News reported, "His heart was bad: he had two operations, which long time friend Frank Sinatra paid for. Sinatra flew Louis to Houston to have Michael DeBakey perform surgery. Louis suffered a stroke a year before his death and eventually his heart gave out."

Ronald Reagan waived the eligibility rules for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, and Louis was buried there with full military honors on April 21, 1981.{{cite web |accessdate=2007-07-04|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/joe_louis.html|title=Joe Louis (Barrow), "The Brown Bomber," Heavyweight Champion of the World|work=Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes|author=Peters, James Edward|publisher=Woodbine House |date=2000--> Published on the Official website of Arlington National Cemetery {{cite web|accessdate=2007-07-04|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=644|title=Joe "The Brown Bomber" Louis|publisher=Find-A-Grave-->

Louis was survived by two children from his first wife, Marva Trotter, and his third wife, Martha Jefferson.



Legacy Joe Louis lives on in popular memory. Among other contributions, Louis coined two of boxing's most famous quotes: "He can run, but he can't hide" and "Everyone has a plan until they've been hit."

Filmography Numerous films have been made about Louis over the years.

• Joe and Max, 2002
• The Phynx, 1970
• The Fight Never Ends, 1949
• Johnny at the Fair, 1947
• Joe Palooka, Champ, 1946
• This Is the Army, 1943
• Spirit of Youth, 1938
• Max Schmeling siegt über Joe Louis, 1936

Commemoration in 1982Louis was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given by the U.S. legislative branch, in 1982. Congress stated that he "did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial times in American history and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the nation." He has a sports complex named after him in Detroit, the Joe Louis Arena, where the Detroit Red Wings play their National Hockey League games. A memorial to Louis was dedicated in Detroit (at Jefferson Avenue & Woodward) on October 16, 1986. The sculpture, commissioned by Time Warner and executed by Robert Graham (sculptor), is a 24-foot long arm with a fisted hand suspended by a 24-foot high pyramidal framework. It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring. Joe Louis is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

A street near Madison Square garden is named after Joe Louis.

Trivia

• During a 1944 promotional tour of Liverpool, England, Louis (as a publicity stunt) actually signed for Liverpool Football Club as a player. The official club records still record him as being "on the books" and is therefore officially classed as having been a Liverpool player.
• On June 17, 1951, he fought Lee Savold in what was the first professional prizefight carried to theaters on closed circuit TV. He knocked out Savold in 2 minutes 29 seconds of the sixth round.
• Louis was the star of the 1938 motion picture, "Spirit of Youth." The movie was a cautionary morality fable featuring Louis as an up-and-coming boxer named Joe Thomas. This same motion picture received a public film showing at the September 2006 Mid atlantic nostalgia convention in Aberdeen, Maryland.
• The song "Killer Joe" arranged by Quincy Jones is a tribute to Joe Louis' career. Jones met Louis as a child in Chicago.
• Another song "A Ballad For Joe (Louis)" is also a tribute to the boxer. It was composed Joe Sample of the Crusaders and came out on the 1974 album Southern Comfort.

Career record |-|align="center" colspan=8|69 Wins (55 knockouts, 13 decisions, 1 disqualification), 3 Losses (2 knockouts, 1 decision) |-| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res.| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes

|-align=center|Loss|align=left| Rocky Marciano|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Jimmy Bivins|align=left|[Baltimore, Maryland|align=left|San Francisco, California|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Lee Savold|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Omelio Agramonte|Decision |10 |[1951-05-02|align=left|[San Francisco, California|align=left|[Miami, Florida|align=left|Detroit, Michigan|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Cesar Brion|Decision |10 |[1950-11-29|Decision |15 |[1950-09-27|KO|11 |[1948-06-25|Decision |15 |[1947-12-05|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Billy Conn|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Johnny Davis|TKO|1 , 0:53|[1944-11-14|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Buddy Baer|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Lou Nova|align=left|New York City|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Billy Conn|align=left|New York City|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Buddy Baer|align=left|[Washington, D.C.|align=left|[Saint Louis, Missouri|align=left|Detroit, Michigan|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Gus Dorazio|KO|2 , 1:30|[1941-02-17|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Al McCoy (boxer)|TKO|6 |1940-12-16|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Arturo Godoy|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Johnny Paychek|TKO|2 , 0:41|[1940-03-29|Decision |15 |[1940-02-09|align=left|Detroit, Michigan|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Tony Galento|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Jack Roper|KO|1 , 2:20|[1939-04-17|KO|1 , 2:29|[1939-01-25|KO|1 , 2:04|[1938-06-22|KO|5 , 2:50|[1938-04-01|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Tommy Farr|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [James J. Braddock|align=left|Chicago, Illinois|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Natie Brown|KO|4 |[1937-02-17, Missouri|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Bob Pastor|Decision |10 |[1937-01-29|align=left|[Buffalo, New York|align=left|[Cleveland, Ohio|align=left|Hippodrome, New York City|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Al Ettore|KO|5 , 1:28|[1936-09-22|KO|3 , 1:02|[1936-08-18|KO|12 , 2:29|[1936-06-19|align=left|Chicago, Illinois|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Paulino Uzcudun|align=left|[Madison Square Garden, New York City|KO|4 |[1935-09-24|TKO|1 , 2:21|[1935-08-07|TKO|6 , 2:32|[1935-06-25, [New York|align=left|[Kalamazoo, Michigan|align=left|[Peoria, Illinois|align=left|[Flint, Michigan|align=left|[Dayton, Ohio|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Natie Brown|Decision |10 |[1935-03-29|TKO|3 |[1935-03-08|align=left|Los Angeles, California||-align=center|Win|align=left| Hans Birkie|TKO|10 , 1:47|[1935-01-11|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Lee Ramage|TKO|8 , 2:51|[1934-12-14|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Stanley Poreda|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Jack O'Dowd|KO|2 |[1934-10-31|KO|8 |[1934-10-24|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Al Delaney|TKO|4 |[1934-09-11||-align=center|Win|align=left| Buck Everett|KO|2 |[1934-08-27|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Larry Udell|TKO|2 |[1934-07-30|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Jack Kracken|align=left|[Chicago, Illinois|

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers
• List of notable boxing rivalries

References and Notes

• Joe Louis: My Life (Dark Tower Series) (Paperback) by Joe Louis (Author), Edna Rust (Author), Art Rust Jr (Author).

External links

• Obituary, NY Times, April 13, 1981, Joe Louis, 66, Heavyweight King Who Reigned 12 Years, Is Dead
• Louis' TAX issues
• Louis' TAX issues in video documentary clip
• Joe Louis' career boxing record
• Joe Louis biography International Boxing Hall of Fame
• The Brown Bomber -- The man behind The Fist" Jenny Nolan in The Detroit News
• Remembering Joe Louis
• Joe Louis' Gravesite
• Solid boxing Joe's bio and Profile
• The Fight of the Century NPR special on the selection of the radio broadcast to the National Recording Registry

{{succession box | before= [James J. Braddock | title= [List of heavyweight boxing champions | years= 1937–1949 | after= [Ezzard Charles -->

{{Persondata|NAME=Louis, Joe|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Barrow, Joseph Louis (full name)|SHORT DESCRIPTION=American boxer|DATE OF BIRTH=May 14, 1914, [Alabama, [United States, [1981 {{Infobox_Boxer| name = Joe Louis| realname = Joseph Louis Barrow| image = joe_louis_barrow.jpg| nickname = The Brown Bomber| weight = Heavyweight| birth_date = | death_date = | birth_place = [LaFayette, Alabama, [Michigan, [1914 – April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, a native of LaFayette, Alabama, Alabama, is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions that ever lived. He held the title for over 11 years, recording 25 successful defenses of the title. In 2003, Ring Magazine rated Joe Louis No. 1 on the list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. In 2005, Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization.{{cite web | last = International Boxing Research Organization | title = All Time Rankings | url=http://www.ibroresearch.com/All%20Time%20Rankings.htm | date = March, 2005 | accessdate = October 14, 2006--> He participated in 27 heavyweight championship fights, a record which still stands.

In the turbulent era before World War II, he became national hero for both black and white America. Sportswriter Jimmy Cannon characterized Louis as "a credit to his race - the human race."

Biography Early life and career Joe Louis Barrow was born on May 13, 1914, in LaFayette, Alabama, the seventh of eight children. The grandson of slaves, he was the son of Barry Barrow, a sharecropper, and Lilly Barrow. His father was committed to an asylum when Louis was just two years old, where he died just two years later.

His mother re-married when Joe was seven and the family moved to Detroit in 1924. In his teens he worked for an ice company; he would later credit lifting the heavy blocks of ice with helping build his arm and upper body strength. It was during this time that he first became interested in boxing. He used money given to him by his mother for violin lessons to pay for a locker at a local recreation center. His mother was not pleased but encouraged him to do his best.

Louis had a successful and lucrative 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 at Chicago, Illinois, Illinois. He won 12 fights that year, all in Chicago, 10 by knockout. Among his opponents in 1934 were Art Sykes and Stanley Poreda.

Originally, Joe's trainer, Jack Blackburn, wanted him to only fight other African-American boxers. Joe decided to ignore this advice and fought white boxers as well.

Ascendance

In 1935, Louis fought 13 times, creating an extraordinary sensation. He knocked out his first world champion, former world heavyweight champion, the 6'4' 265 pound Primo Carnera, in six rounds. Louis then knocked out the iron-chinned former heavyweight champion Max Baer in four rounds. Before losing to Louis, Baer had been knocked down only once, by Frankie Campbell. Louis also knocked out Paolino Uzcudun, who had never been knocked down or out before Louis KO'd him.

In his next fight, he was matched with former world heavyweight champion Max Schmeling. Although not considered a threat, the German had studied Louis' style intently, and believed he had found a weakness. By exploiting Louis' habit of dropping his left low after a jab, Schmeling handed Louis his first loss by knocking him out in round 12 in Yankee stadium.

Louis, despite the loss, was awarded a title shot by champion James J. Braddock after negotiations with Madison Square Gardens number 1 contender Schmeling broke down. Braddock, looking to retire on a large payoff, was promised a more lucrative fight with the Brown Bomber after Louis bounced back up the pecking order by knocking out former champion Jack Sharkey. Schmeling (and the German government) were furious, and insisted that a win over highly ranked Sharkey did not reverse the Louis defeat by Schmeling, which was considered a title eliminator. The matter was settled in court, and Madison Square Garden and Schmeling lost. The fight was staged in Chicago, and Braddocks heavyweight championship would be up for grabs. Despite a knock down in round 1, Louis defeated the "Cinderella Man" by KO in round 8. Joe Louis was heavyweight champion of the world.

During World War II From December 1940 to March 1942, when his career was interrupted by World War II, Louis defended his title ten times, a frequency unmatched by any heavyweight champion since the end of the bareknuckle era. His nearly-monthly fights against every challenger, and his convincing wins, earned his opponents the unfair group nickname "Bum of the Month."

In all, Louis made 25 defenses of his heavyweight title from 1937 to 1949. He was a world champion for 11 years and 10 months. Louis set records for any division in number of defenses and longevity as world champion non stop, and both records still stand. His most remarkable record is that he knocked out 23 opponents in 27 title fights.

Other notable title defenses before Louis enlisted were:

• His title defense against Max Schmeling. After having attempted to prevent Louis from even competing for the title, given his knockout defeat at Schmeling's hands, Joe Louis went on to crushingly defeat the German boxer. The match was promoted, on both sides of the Atlantic, as a clash of civilizations.
• His fight versus world Light Heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, knocked out in the first.
• His fight with "Two Ton" Tony Galento, who knocked Louis down in the third round with a left hook. Giving Galento a terrible beating, Louis knocked Galento out in the fourth round.
• His two fights with Chilean Arturo Godoy. In their first bout Louis won by a decision, and then Louis won the rematch by a knockout in the eighth round.
• His fight with world Light Heavyweight champion Billy Conn, the first of which is remembered as one of the greatest fights in heavyweight history. Conn, smaller than Louis, said that he planned to "hit and run," prompting Louis's famous response, "He can run, but he can't hide." After 12 rounds, Conn was ahead on points, only to be knocked out by Louis in the 13th round. In the rematch, held when the two fighters returned from World War Two, Louis won by a knockout in the eighth round.

Louis retired after two fights with Jersey Joe Walcott. In the first fight, Walcott scored two knockdowns over Louis but lost a disputed decision. In the second fight, Walcott again knocked Louis down, but the aging Louis came on to knock out Walcott in the 11th round.Obviously no longer the fighter he once had been, Louis wisely retired.

Louis served in the Army from 1942 to 1945 and spent that period traveling around Europe visiting with the troops and boxing in exhibitions — and the money awarded to him during the fights he would sign over to the U.S. government to show more of his support and belief in the U.S. participation in the war. During this time, he became a national spokesman for the Army. After he came back to keep defending his title in 1946, Louis looked somewhat slower in his fights, and his best years were obviously behind him. On March 1, 1949, Louis announced his retirement from boxing.

1950s In 1950, he was harassed by the I.R.S. -- it is reported the IRS took away not only the $600 his mother left to him after her death, but also his children's trust funds).

After losing his fortune to the I.R.S., Louis announced a comeback. In his comeback fight, he lost a 15 round unanimous decision to world champion Ezzard Charles, who had won the vacant title after Louis retired. Although far from is prime years, overweight, and much slower than in his youth, Louis kept boxing, but at a level far below that of his championship days. In 1951, Louis lost by a knockout in eight rounds sending louis out of the ring by future world Heavyweight Champion, Rocky Marciano. He retired with a record of 69 wins and 3 losses, with 55 of those wins coming by knockout. Joe louis retired at the age of 39.

Louis became a professional wrestler in 1956, but retired in 1957 due to injuries suffered during a match.

Retirement and later life A few years after his retirement, a movie about his life, The Joe Louis Story , was filmed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. The role of Joe Louis was played by fighter Coley Wallace. Louis remained a popular celebrity in his twilight years. Because of Louis's increasing poverty due to heavy taxes, old army buddy Ash Resnick gave him a job welcoming tourists to the Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Ash was an executive, just so Louis could make ends meet.

Louis's health began to deteriorate to the point where he had to be in a wheelchair. He had two operations, paid for by long-time friend Frank Sinatra. Sinatra flew Louis to Houston to have Michael DeBakey perform surgery. Later Louis suffered a stroke, and a year later his heart finally failed him.

Joe Louis died at age 66 of a myocardial infarction in Desert Springs Hospital in 1981. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, Virginia with full military honors. Reportedly his funeral was paid for by former competitor Max Schmeling, but recent biographies (of both Schmeling and Louis) deny this fact. His life and his achievements prompted famed New York sportswriter Jimmy Cannon to write "Joe Louis is a credit to his race - the human race." Jenny Nolan of the Detroit News reported, "His heart was bad: he had two operations, which long time friend Frank Sinatra paid for. Sinatra flew Louis to Houston to have Michael DeBakey perform surgery. Louis suffered a stroke a year before his death and eventually his heart gave out."

Ronald Reagan waived the eligibility rules for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, and Louis was buried there with full military honors on April 21, 1981.{{cite web |accessdate=2007-07-04|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/joe_louis.html|title=Joe Louis (Barrow), "The Brown Bomber," Heavyweight Champion of the World|work=Arlington National Cemetery: Shrine to America's Heroes|author=Peters, James Edward|publisher=Woodbine House |date=2000--> Published on the Official website of Arlington National Cemetery {{cite web|accessdate=2007-07-04|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=644|title=Joe "The Brown Bomber" Louis|publisher=Find-A-Grave-->

Louis was survived by two children from his first wife, Marva Trotter, and his third wife, Martha Jefferson.



Legacy Joe Louis lives on in popular memory. Among other contributions, Louis coined two of boxing's most famous quotes: "He can run, but he can't hide" and "Everyone has a plan until they've been hit."

Filmography Numerous films have been made about Louis over the years.

• Joe and Max, 2002
• The Phynx, 1970
• The Fight Never Ends, 1949
• Johnny at the Fair, 1947
• Joe Palooka, Champ, 1946
• This Is the Army, 1943
• Spirit of Youth, 1938
• Max Schmeling siegt über Joe Louis, 1936

Commemoration in 1982Louis was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given by the U.S. legislative branch, in 1982. Congress stated that he "did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial times in American history and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the nation." He has a sports complex named after him in Detroit, the Joe Louis Arena, where the Detroit Red Wings play their National Hockey League games. A memorial to Louis was dedicated in Detroit (at Jefferson Avenue & Woodward) on October 16, 1986. The sculpture, commissioned by Time Warner and executed by Robert Graham (sculptor), is a 24-foot long arm with a fisted hand suspended by a 24-foot high pyramidal framework. It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring. Joe Louis is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

A street near Madison Square garden is named after Joe Louis.

Trivia

• During a 1944 promotional tour of Liverpool, England, Louis (as a publicity stunt) actually signed for Liverpool Football Club as a player. The official club records still record him as being "on the books" and is therefore officially classed as having been a Liverpool player.
• On June 17, 1951, he fought Lee Savold in what was the first professional prizefight carried to theaters on closed circuit TV. He knocked out Savold in 2 minutes 29 seconds of the sixth round.
• Louis was the star of the 1938 motion picture, "Spirit of Youth." The movie was a cautionary morality fable featuring Louis as an up-and-coming boxer named Joe Thomas. This same motion picture received a public film showing at the September 2006 Mid atlantic nostalgia convention in Aberdeen, Maryland.
• The song "Killer Joe" arranged by Quincy Jones is a tribute to Joe Louis' career. Jones met Louis as a child in Chicago.
• Another song "A Ballad For Joe (Louis)" is also a tribute to the boxer. It was composed Joe Sample of the Crusaders and came out on the 1974 album Southern Comfort.

Career record |-|align="center" colspan=8|69 Wins (55 knockouts, 13 decisions, 1 disqualification), 3 Losses (2 knockouts, 1 decision) |-| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Res.| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd., Time| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location| align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes

|-align=center|Loss|align=left| Rocky Marciano|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Jimmy Bivins|align=left|[Baltimore, Maryland|align=left|San Francisco, California|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Lee Savold|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Omelio Agramonte|Decision |10 |[1951-05-02|align=left|[San Francisco, California|align=left|[Miami, Florida|align=left|Detroit, Michigan|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Cesar Brion|Decision |10 |[1950-11-29|Decision |15 |[1950-09-27|KO|11 |[1948-06-25|Decision |15 |[1947-12-05|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Billy Conn|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Johnny Davis|TKO|1 , 0:53|[1944-11-14|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Buddy Baer|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Lou Nova|align=left|New York City|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Billy Conn|align=left|New York City|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Buddy Baer|align=left|[Washington, D.C.|align=left|[Saint Louis, Missouri|align=left|Detroit, Michigan|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Gus Dorazio|KO|2 , 1:30|[1941-02-17|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Al McCoy (boxer)|TKO|6 |1940-12-16|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Arturo Godoy|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Johnny Paychek|TKO|2 , 0:41|[1940-03-29|Decision |15 |[1940-02-09|align=left|Detroit, Michigan|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Tony Galento|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Jack Roper|KO|1 , 2:20|[1939-04-17|KO|1 , 2:29|[1939-01-25|KO|1 , 2:04|[1938-06-22|KO|5 , 2:50|[1938-04-01|align=left|Madison Square Garden, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Tommy Farr|align=left|Yankee Stadium, New York|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [James J. Braddock|align=left|Chicago, Illinois|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Natie Brown|KO|4 |[1937-02-17, Missouri|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Bob Pastor|Decision |10 |[1937-01-29|align=left|[Buffalo, New York|align=left|[Cleveland, Ohio|align=left|Hippodrome, New York City|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| Al Ettore|KO|5 , 1:28|[1936-09-22|KO|3 , 1:02|[1936-08-18|KO|12 , 2:29|[1936-06-19|align=left|Chicago, Illinois|align=left||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Paulino Uzcudun|align=left|[Madison Square Garden, New York City|KO|4 |[1935-09-24|TKO|1 , 2:21|[1935-08-07|TKO|6 , 2:32|[1935-06-25, [New York|align=left|[Kalamazoo, Michigan|align=left|[Peoria, Illinois|align=left|[Flint, Michigan|align=left|[Dayton, Ohio|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Natie Brown|Decision |10 |[1935-03-29|TKO|3 |[1935-03-08|align=left|Los Angeles, California||-align=center|Win|align=left| Hans Birkie|TKO|10 , 1:47|[1935-01-11|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Lee Ramage|TKO|8 , 2:51|[1934-12-14|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Stanley Poreda|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Jack O'Dowd|KO|2 |[1934-10-31|KO|8 |[1934-10-24|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Al Delaney|TKO|4 |[1934-09-11||-align=center|Win|align=left| Buck Everett|KO|2 |[1934-08-27|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| Larry Udell|TKO|2 |[1934-07-30|align=left|Chicago, Illinois||-align=center|Win|align=left| [Jack Kracken|align=left|[Chicago, Illinois|

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers
• List of notable boxing rivalries

References and Notes

• Joe Louis: My Life (Dark Tower Series) (Paperback) by Joe Louis (Author), Edna Rust (Author), Art Rust Jr (Author).

External links

• Obituary, NY Times, April 13, 1981, Joe Louis, 66, Heavyweight King Who Reigned 12 Years, Is Dead
• Louis' TAX issues
• Louis' TAX issues in video documentary clip
• Joe Louis' career boxing record
• Joe Louis biography International Boxing Hall of Fame
• The Brown Bomber -- The man behind The Fist" Jenny Nolan in The Detroit News
• Remembering Joe Louis
• Joe Louis' Gravesite
• Solid boxing Joe's bio and Profile
• The Fight of the Century NPR special on the selection of the radio broadcast to the National Recording Registry

{{succession box | before= [James J. Braddock | title= [List of heavyweight boxing champions | years= 1937–1949 | after= [Ezzard Charles -->

{{Persondata|NAME=Louis, Joe|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Barrow, Joseph Louis (full name)|SHORT DESCRIPTION=American boxer|DATE OF BIRTH=May 14, 1914, [Alabama, [United States, [1981

Joe Louis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981), best known as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, a long-time resident of Detroit, Michigan, is considered to be one of ...

Joe Louis Arena - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe, and JLA, is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the National Hockey League franchise, the ...

Joe Louis

Joe Louis
Global ID: 9027: sex: male: birth date: 1914-05-13: death date: 1981-04-12: division: heavyweight: nationality : United States : alias: The Brown Bomber: residence: Detroit ...

Joe Louis v Max Schmeling
UCL News the news service of UCL ... Joe Louis v Max Schmeling. On 22 June 1938, 64% of radio-owning Americans tuned in to hear the broadcast of a boxing match between Joe Louis ...

Welcome to the official website of Big Joe Louis
bigjoelouis.com

The Official Site of Joe Louis
joelouis.com, includes biography, career highlights, photos and quotes ... Joe Louis burst onto the professional boxing scene in 1934 with style and skill such as the boxing world ...

The Official Site of Joe Louis
joelouis.com, includes biography, career highlights, photos and quotes ... NEWS New exhibit honors black athletes in film 01-09-2007 In honor of Black History Month, the Louisville ...

Big Joe Louis and his Blues Kings
Big Joe Louis ... an important force in modern British Blues.. ... BIG JOE LOUIS AND HIS BLUES KINGS "...an important force in modern British Blues."

IBHOF / Joe Louis
Courtesy of The Ring. Born: May 13, 1914 Died: April 12, 1981 Total Bouts: 71 Won: 68 Lost: 3 Drew: 0 KOs: 54 Induction: 1990. Joe Louis J OSEPH LOUIS BARROW, the legendary "Brown ...