Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 â€" April 12, 1981), known
professionally as Joe Louis, was an American professional boxer who
competed from 1934 to 1951. He reigned as the world heavyweight
champion from 1937 to 1949, and is considered to be one of the
greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber,
Louis' championship reign lasted 140 consecutive months, during which
he participated in 26 championship fights. The 27th fight, against
Ezzard Charles in 1950, was a challenge for Charles' heavyweight title
and so is not included in Louis' reign. He was victorious in 25
consecutive title defenses.[nb 1] In 2005, Louis was ranked as the
best heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research
Organization, and was ranked number one on The Ring magazine's list of
the "100 greatest punchers of all time". Louis had the longest single
reign as champion of any heavyweight boxer in history.Louis' cultural
impact was felt well outside the ring. He is widely regarded as the
first person of African-American descent to achieve the status of a
nationwide hero within the United States, and was also a focal point
of anti-Nazi sentiment leading up to and during World War II. He was
instrumental in integrating the game of golf, breaking the sport's
color barrier in America by appearing under a sponsor's exemption in a
PGA event in 1952.Born in rural Chambers County, Alabamaâ€"in a
ramshackle dwelling on Bell Chapel Road, located about 1 mile (2
kilometres) off state route 50 and roughly 6 miles (10 kilometres)
from LaFayetteâ€"Louis was the seventh of eight children of Munroe
Barrow and Lillie (Reese) Barrow. He weighed 11 pounds (5 kg) at
birth. Both of his parents were children of former slaves, alternating
between sharecropping and rental farming. Munroe was predominantly
African American, with some white ancestry, while Lillie was half
Cherokee.
professionally as Joe Louis, was an American professional boxer who
competed from 1934 to 1951. He reigned as the world heavyweight
champion from 1937 to 1949, and is considered to be one of the
greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber,
Louis' championship reign lasted 140 consecutive months, during which
he participated in 26 championship fights. The 27th fight, against
Ezzard Charles in 1950, was a challenge for Charles' heavyweight title
and so is not included in Louis' reign. He was victorious in 25
consecutive title defenses.[nb 1] In 2005, Louis was ranked as the
best heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research
Organization, and was ranked number one on The Ring magazine's list of
the "100 greatest punchers of all time". Louis had the longest single
reign as champion of any heavyweight boxer in history.Louis' cultural
impact was felt well outside the ring. He is widely regarded as the
first person of African-American descent to achieve the status of a
nationwide hero within the United States, and was also a focal point
of anti-Nazi sentiment leading up to and during World War II. He was
instrumental in integrating the game of golf, breaking the sport's
color barrier in America by appearing under a sponsor's exemption in a
PGA event in 1952.Born in rural Chambers County, Alabamaâ€"in a
ramshackle dwelling on Bell Chapel Road, located about 1 mile (2
kilometres) off state route 50 and roughly 6 miles (10 kilometres)
from LaFayetteâ€"Louis was the seventh of eight children of Munroe
Barrow and Lillie (Reese) Barrow. He weighed 11 pounds (5 kg) at
birth. Both of his parents were children of former slaves, alternating
between sharecropping and rental farming. Munroe was predominantly
African American, with some white ancestry, while Lillie was half
Cherokee.
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