Joe Louis

In 1955, he married Rose Morgan and their marriage was annulled three years later.

He married Martha Jefferson in 1959 and the marriage lasted a lifetime.

Joseph ‘Joe’ Louis Barrow was the seventh of the eight children born to Lillie and Munroe Barrow in Lafayette, Alabama. He was of African-American-Cherokee descent. Both his parents were children of former slaves in America.

When he was a young boy, he suffered from a speech disorder and spoke very less till about the age of 6. He spent most of his early years growing up in the countryside of Alabama.

In 1920, his mother married Pat Brooks, a production contractor, after his father Munroe Barrow was admitted to a mental facility. Munroe Barrow lived there for the remainder part of his life and passed away there.

He studied at Bronson Vocational School and even though his mother always tried to get him to learn the violin, he carried his boxing gloves with him secretly everyday.

He made his amateur debut as a boxer when he was just 17-years old.

In 1933, he won the Detroit-area championship, when he fought against Joe Biskey in the ‘light heavyweight’ division. The next year, he won the ‘light heavyweight’ division in the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

In 1934, he went on to win the United States Amateur Champion National AAU tournament in St. Louis, Missouri. These amateur performances, in which he produced 43 knockout victories in 54 matches, soon caught the eyes of certified boxing promoters, who soon approached him.

By the end of 1935, it was clear that his string of amateur-level successes was no coincidence. He fought 14 sessions that year and received nearly $370,000 in prize money. The next year, he had his first professional downfall to Max Schmeling, a former heavyweight champion.

Undeterred by the defeat, he fought Jim Braddock in 1937 for the heavyweight crown and managed to eventually defeat him in the eighth rounds. He set the record as the new heavyweight king, earning the title of ‘Brown Bomber’, a title he kept for 12 years.

One of his most iconic matches was a replay with Schmeling in June 1938. The fight took place in the Yankee Stadium before colossal crowds and in a matter of less than three minutes, Louis beat Schmeling with swift advances and knocked him down three times, before the referee announced him as the clear winner.

He won the Chicago Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions for the ‘Light Heavyweight Champion’ category, in 1934.

He won the National AAU Boxing Championship for the ‘Light Heavyweight Champion’ category, in 1934.

The ‘Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year’ Award was conferred to Louis, in 1936.

He held the title of ‘World Heavyweight Championship’ from the years 1937 to 1949.

In 1941, he won the Edward J. Neil Trophy.