The Brown Bomber

Joe Louis was one of the greatest and most colorful boxers in modern fisticuffs.

Only Dempsey since the gloves era got under way and Sullivan in the bare knuckle and skin-tight gloves periods compared to him in popularity and ability.

This Alabama-born boxer who first saw the light of day on May 13, 1914, and whose father, "Mun" Barrow, was a cotton picker, was a pugilistic symphony with a tempo geared to bring him across the ring with all the grace of a gazelle and the cold fury of an enraged mountain lion. He combined excellent harmony of movement with crushing power stored in each hand.

His career was one that won't be forgotten in a hurry. The Brown Bomber did everything expected of a champion. He pulverized, paralyzed, or poked his way beyond a larger number of challengers than any heavyweight king who wore the Royal Robe before him.

He lacked the technique of the masterful Johnson, the powerful offense of Jeffries from a crouching position, the sinking body clouts of Freckled Bob Fitzsimmons, the beautiful ring science of Jim Corbett and the speed of Dempsey in carrying the fight to an opponent. But he combined a good portion of each of the assets of these great ringmen in addition to a mighty punch to roll up the largest string of successes ever attained by a heavyweight champion.

Long before he retired, the Bomber's place among ring immortals had become a topic of world-wide discussion.

Louis brought back to boxing life and color that was sadly needed, and when he had no more worlds to conquer he retired.

In his rise to fame he faced the good and mediocre, and in his entire career he lost only three contests: his knockout by Schmeling before he became a title holder, and his loss to Ezzard Charles and knockout by Rocky Marciano after he made his comeback attempt.

Louis started his professional career following his defeat by Max Marek in the finals of the national amateur championships. Henceforth he was to make a steady rise until he gained the top rung of the ladder.

Prior to the knockout he had suffered at the hands of Schmeling, he had won twenty-seven consecutive bouts, all except four by knockouts. Among his victims were many of the better class heavyweights, including Stanley Poreda, Charley Massera, Patsy Perroni, Natie Brown, Roy Lazer, Roscoe Toles, and Hans Birkie.

Then those who had launched his professional career - John Roxborough and Julian Black - aided by Mike Jacobs, who promoted all of his major fights after March 28, 1935, when Joe had won the decision over Brown in Detroit, figured that the Bomber was ready for the top men of his division. In successive bouts, Joe knocked out Primo Carnera, in six rounds; King Levinsky in one; 'Max Baer in four; Paulino Uzcudun in four; and Charley Retzlaff in one.

Then came the only setback he suffered during his prechanmpionship and championship day, the knockout by Schmeling.

So thorough and masterly a job did the Uhlan perform, that the thousands who had come in expectation of seeing the Brown Bomber put another opponent to sleep because of his supposed invincibility sat dumfounded watching the so-called Executioner executed. Not since the day when the great John L. Sullivan was dethroned by James J. Corbett had such a jolt been meted out to the fight public.

The "Superman of Boxing" was a pathetic figure as he sat in his corner, first aid administered to him by his trainer Jack Blackburn and his man agers after the fatal ten had been counted over him. Face puffed, mouse under his eye, thumbs sprained, he looked nothing like the man who had been mowing down opponent after opponent.

When the fight was over, Joe's mind was set on only one thing-revenge. He quickly decided on plans to prepare himself for a return bout and Mike Jacobs arranged for his comeback with the aim of building him up for a title bout.

Jack Sharkey was his first victim. He went out in three rounds. The murderous fists of the Brown Bomber worked beautifully that night. Next came Al Ettore of Philadelphia. He lasted through part of the fifth session. Jorge Brescia went out in three, Eddie Simms in one, and Steve Ketchell in two.

The start was most satisfactory. Joe's handlers and Jacobs were delighted with his comeback.

Uncle Mike then matched Joe with Bob Pastor of New York, who temporarily halted the steady stream of kayoes by lasting ten rounds of what the scribes termed a running match. Bob back-pedalled throughout the ten frames.

Another knockout of Natie Brown followed, and in the next session, Louis defeated Braddock to win the world crown. The goal of his ambition had been reached but what he wanted most, next to that, was to avenge his knockout by Schmeling. He sought a quick return bout and this he received after he had outpointed Tommy Farr of Wales in an international championship bout.

Tommy gave an excellent performance against the Bomber, and those among his countrymen who saw the affair both at the ringside and in the movies were strongly of the opinion that Farr had won. But the majority of the scribes and the judges thought otherwise and correctly so, for Louis, despite the aggressiveness of Tommy, tossed leather at a steady gait in the majority of the rounds. His effectiveness was far superior to that of the Welshman. It was a stirring bout and an excellent final tuneup for Louis.

His triumph over Schmeling followed. He scored the second quickest knockout in the history of the heavyweight championship bouts, 2:04 of the opening round, and in accomplishing this wonderful feat he handed Schmeling a terrible beating.

Joe collected $349,288.40, an average of $2,832 per second, the record up to that time in any championship fight.

The fists of the Bomber crushed his former conqueror in a manner that left no doubt about his superiority. Though Schmeling complained bitterly about being struck foul kidney punches, every blow was a fair one. Any that struck Max in the kidneys were caused by the twisting of Schmeling's body as he held on to the upper strand and tried desperately to avoid the vicious attack of his opponent.

The first two punches, powerful left hooks, started Schmeling on his downfall. Once Louis got the range, he kept up a steady bombardment until Max had been halted.

The first knockdown followed a right to the chin. The German fell on his shoulder and rolled over twice before coming to a rest with his feet in the air. Louis did most of his attack with his right. Nine such blows landed with accuracy in the first minute. Max was down twice more. The second time, after a count of two, he got to his feet, a powerful right crashed against his jaw and Max went down on all fours.

He tried to straighten himself to rise, but while in the process, his chief second, Max Machon tossed in the towel. Since this is not permitted under New York rules, Arthur Donovan, the referee, hurled it back, took a good look at Schmeling, and as Timekeeper Eddie Joseph had reached eight, Donovan. halted the bout.

The King had proved his right to the throne.

With that great victory, a series of contests was arranged for Louis before his enlistment in the Army, in which he tackled all comers in what became known as the "Bum of the Month" battles. Louis disposed of John Henry Lewis, Jack Roper, Tony Galento, and Bob Pastor in 1939, all by knockouts. Galento floored him but suffered a severe shellacking.

Louis started the next year with a discouraging affair with Arturo Godoy of Chile, who lasted the fifteen rounds as a result of unorthodox tactics, but later Joe got even with him by stopping him in a return engagement after first halting Johnny Paycheck.

A kayo over Al McCoy ended that year's campaign.

His biggest successes were registered in 1941 when Red Burman, Gus Dorazio, Abe Simon, Tony Musto, Buddy Baer, Billy Conn, and Lou Nova were taken into camp. The Simon bout in Detroit, as well as that with Pastor two years previous, was scheduled for twenty rounds but neither went the distance. Simon was knocked out in the thirteenth round and Pastor in the eleventh.

The bout with Baer resulted in Buddy's disqualification when he refused to come out for the seventh round, claiming a foul. He had put Joe through the ropes in the opening round of that mill. Buddy asserted that Joe had struck him after the bell had sounded ending the sixth round.

Joe's victory over Baer marked the champion's sixth outing in as many months. It had been a busy and wearying campaign of continuous training and fighting, but Louis wasn't prepared as yet to call it quits. He wanted to keep going.

Billy Conn, a brilliant light heavyweight champion, had been clamoring for a crack at Louis. Billy, a flashy boxer, had been enjoying consistent success against the bigger fellows, and a thirteen round kayo of Bob Pastor had convinced him of his ability to cope with Louis.

Louis wanted a June fight, and since Conn shaped up as the only possible opponent in sight, the match was arranged for the Polo Grounds.

The battle was to prove one of the most tumultuous of Louis' career, for Conn, outweighed more than twentyfive pounds and at further disadvantages in height and reach, came within the proverbial eyelash of dethroning Louis.

In this contest, the bludgeon was too much for the rapier. For the greater part of thirteen rounds, the beautiful jabbing, clever maneuvering of Conn gave him the advantage.

Then Billy, cocky, confident he was Louis' master, gambled a fortune on a knockout. He elected to trade punches with his heavy hitting rival and with only two seconds more to go before the bell would end the thirteenth frame, he was counted out by Referee Eddie Joseph.

A finishing right from the Bomber's TNT fist rang down the curtain on the dazzling show. The game Pittsburgher was within grasp of the crown yet tossed it away by attempting to outslug Joe at a time when the champion was a bewildered title holder and not too steady. From the eleventh through to the finish, Conn had suddenly turned aggressor and handed the champion a sound thrashing, much to the amazement of 54,487 fans who rocked the stands with their enthusiasm.

Overconfidence caused Billy's downfall. They were slugging it out, Billy with a grin on his face and Joe with a look of bewilderment, when Louis landed a powerful left hook to the jaw. He followed that with even a harder right and Conn was in a state of collapse. He had little left after that but courage as Louis battered his body with lefts and rights until the finishing right hand wallop came with only seconds more to go.

Billy Conn came nearest to defeating Louis. When he was halted by Joe, he was ahead on the cards of two of the officials. Judge Marty Monroe had the tally seven to four for Conn with one round even, Referee Eddie Joseph, seven to five for Billy. Judge Heals tabbed it six to six.

After enlisting in the U. S. Army, Louis went overseas on many exhibition tours. Before doing so he fought a return contest with Buddy Baer for the Naval Relief Fund and stopped Buddy in one round. He then tackled Simon in an Army Relief Fund bout and halted him in six.

When Louis and Conn were discharged from the Army, Mike Jacobs decided to match them in a repeater, figuring the public was ready, now that World War Two had ended, for a big time promotion in boxing. He was correct. With a ringside top of $100 for the first three rows, that bout, staged on June 18, 1946, at the Yankee Stadium, drew a paid attendance of 45,266 with a gross gate of $1,925,564, but the affair wasn't worth more than a $10 tops show.

From the standpoint of the fans, it was a flop, with little in it to arouse enthusiasm. It was one of the dullest in Joe's career, owing entirely to the tactics of Conn, who, fighting an entirely different battle from his first encounter with the Bomber, elected to back step. He took no chances.

Of the twenty-three minutes involved, more than three-quarters was packed with dullness and inaction. Conn offered the patrons nothing but flying feet and was knocked out in 2.19 of the eighth round. Louis couldn't catch up with Conn to make the bout interesting and Billy wouldn't mix it. It was inconceivable that these were the same two who had thrilled a vast gathering only five years before!

Up to seven rounds little had been accomplished by either. Here and there a weak-hearted jab was tossed. Conn threw nothing that even looked like a punch. Louis tried, but his delivery was ineffective because of the roaming tactics employed by his opponent.

When Conn landed on the canvas he assumed exactly the same posture as did Jack Johnson in Havana-he shaded his eyes from the hot lights, as Johnson did from the sun, while being counted out.

The one round knockout of Tami Mauriello followed, a bout in which Tami came close to dropping the champion in the first half minute. But Louis, after being hurled almost across the ring with the blow, rushed into his opponent with a vicious at tack and it soon was all over.

Then came a series of exhibitions before the Bomber accepted another' title defense, this time against aged Joe Walcott of Camden, New Jersey. That historic battle in the Madison Square Garden Arena on December 5, 1947, almost saw the termination of Louis' long successes.

Louis retained his crown because he received a split decision verdict, unpopular with the fans and scribes. Walcott lost his chance to take the crown through his back-pedalling. Never in the history of the division has a boxer won a championship running away without attempting a defensive counter-fire. Though Joe won the decision, he was nearer to dethronement than he ever had been through his ten years reign as world champion.

He was knocked down twice. The first occurred in the opening round for a count of two and the next in the fourth for a count of seven. The Brown Bomber was battered hard and bleeding.

At times he looked foolish as he tried to catch up with his elusive target. His reflexes were bad and his defense poor. All that was revealed plainly to 18,194 persons who paid $216,477 to see the battle, which was considered so one-sided when it was arranged that the odds were 1 to 10.

Referee Ruby Goldstein saw the challenger the victor, crediting Walcott with seven rounds to six with two even. Marty Monroe, one of the judges, gave the decision to Louis, nine to six, and judge Frank Forbes called Louis the winner, eight to six and one even.

Left jabs and several hooks baffled Louis in the opening round and a solid, short right to the jaw dropped him. The fourth was not a minute old when Walcott crashed his right to the jaw, again toppling Louis in his tracks.

Not until the ninth round did Louis catch up with his foe. Like a maniac he went after Jersey Joe. Though the blows carried jarring force, Jersey Joe withstood them. From then on Walcott missed many roundhouse rights and kept racing madly away from Louis, only occasionally halting momentarily to toss effective jabs to the head. It was the sprinting tactics of Jersey Joe which cost him the fight.

In a return bout six months later, June 25, 1948, at the Yankee Stadium, 42,657 persons saw Louis decisively whip his tormentor by knocking Wal cott out in the eleventh round. It was Joe's twenty-fifth and last title defense. Louis came back a long way to overcome a crafty antagonist who had baffled him for ten rounds, then crumbled to the canvas when the Bomber caught up with him.

Two minutes of the eleventh round had slipped away in a contest that had been quite tame and had drawn the boos of the crowd. Louis kept pressing, Walcott kept slipping aside, but the champion was in no mood to go through a repetition of their first encounter. Walcott was leading during the first two minutes of the round when his antagonist suddenly attacked with fury.

Lefts and rights landed on Walcott's head, but he made the error of coming off the ropes to swap blows with the Bomber. Jersey Joe thought he had the fight cinched and there's where he erred.

Louis nailed him with a right after three beautiful straight lefts to head and face had numbed Walcott's brain. His legs were now rubbery. A right to the body and he dropped his guard. As he began to sag, a fast and furious barrage followed.

Louis went after the kill, backed his man against the ropes, pounded away with both fists and while Louis set himself for the knockout punch, Nature beat him to it. Walcott collapsed, rolled over on his back, struggled to his knees, and began to crawl as the eight and nine counts were recorded by Referee Frank Fullam. Jersey Joe was still down when the fatal ten was reached.

With that victory, Joe Louis made up his mind to quit. He went on another long exhibition tour and on March 1, 1949, he announced his retirement.

Louis requested that Ezzard Charles of Cincinnati, and Walcott, who hailed from Camden, New Jersey, fight for the right to succeed him, since they were the outstanding heavyweight contenders. In a contest in Chicago on June 22, 1949, Charles was returned the winner over his Jersey opponent in fifteen rounds.

The National Boxing Association accepted this as a world title match, but neither the European Federations nor the New York Commission acknowledged Charles as the new champion. To prove his right to the crown, he stopped Gus Lesnevich, former light heavyweight king and Pat Valentino of California, each in eight rounds. Then he added New York to his supporters by stopping Freddie Beshore in Buffalo in fourteen rounds.

Unlike Jack Dempsey, with whom Louis has frequently been compared, the Brown Bomber had a vulnerable chin. He couldn't take it as the Manassa Mauler could. That was evidenced by the number of times Louis was dropped to the canvas.

In addition to being floored twice by Jersey Joe Walcott, he was put down by Buddy Baer, Tony Galento, and Jimmy Braddock in championship contests, and by Max Schmeling twice before, and by Rocky Marciano after returning as champion.

He grossed $4,626,721.69 during his fighting career, yet following his retirement he owed more than a million dollars in taxes to the U. S. Government due to the loss of his fortune in poor investments and high living.

Louis was not the last of the champs in a million dollar gate promotion.

Louis' friends were now clamoring for him to return to the ring and attempt to regain the throne he had abdicated. He challenged Charles. The champ accepted and further clinched his claim to world laurels. He gained universal recognition as Joe's successor when he easily out-pointed the Brown Bomber in fifteen rounds at Yankee Stadium.

Knockouts of Nick Barrone in eleven rounds, Lee Oma in ten, a victory over Walcott in fifteen rounds in Detroit and one over Joey Maxim at the same distance, brought Charles into another engagement with Walcott. In that contest, staged in Pittsburgh, a new champion was crowned.

Jersey Joe surprisingly knocked out the defending title holder in the seventh round. In a return bout, Walcott, whose age at the time was officially listed at thirty-eight years, but who was reported to be close to fortytwo, gained a points verdict in fifteen rounds, June 5, 1952, and three months later, September 23, the title changed hands to Rocky Marciano, the Brockton Blockbuster, who crashed a knockout blow to the chin of the champion.

Father Time caught up with Joe Walcott just as it seemed he would be acclaimed the "winner and still champion." One short, powerful right hand punch and age were sufficient to bring about his downfall.

The manner in which Marciano ended the tough, brawling, furious battle in forty-three seconds of the thirteenth round was a reminder of the days when another New Englander, John L. Sullivan, ruled the roost by virtue of his mighty fists.

At the time of the knockout, according to the official tallies of the judges, there was only one way in which Rocky could win-via the knockout route. And he did it with one solid crash.

The ending was as unexpected as was the knockout of Ezzard Charles by the man whom Marciano had dethroned. The clout struck its mark with such suddenness and swiftness that many in the vast Municipal Stadium of Philadelphia didn't see it. But what they did see was old Jersey Joe sprawled against the ropes in a grotesque position, an inert mass.

Under the impact of the punch that made him helpless, Jersey Joe's body began to sink as he was resting against the ropes, then he slid down on his left side. Walcott's left hand grabbed instinctively at the middle strand as he went down on one knee. He slumped slowly forward and he landed on his head. His face was on the canvas as Referee Charley Daggert counted him out.

The new champion, a product of the Army and amateur ranks, born on September 1, 1923, takes his place like Louis and Dempsey, among the world's top clouters, a fighter with iron fists. He was the only heavyweight who went through a career without a loss. Starting as a profes- sional in 1947, he scored forty-nine victories, forty-two by knockouts, and retired undefeated.

It was not until he fought Roland LaStarza in 1950 and gained a disputed decision that he became a headliner. He continued his rise by shunting to the sidelines mediocre talent until the mid-summer of 1951, when his knockouts of Rex Layne in six rounds and Freddie Beshore in four brought him into the championship spotlight.

He continued his rise by handing Louis a terrific beating, stopping the erstwhile Bomber in the eighth round, after which Lee Savold, Gino Buonvino, Bernie Reynolds, and Harry Matthews were put out of the picture. With those triumphs he was now ready for a shot at the world crown, which he won when he defeated Walcott.

Marciano defended his title six times. In his initial defense, a return bout, he knocked out Walcott in the opening round of a disappointing fight in Chicago. Four months later in New York he disposed of Roland LaStarza in the eleventh round.

The following year he fought two thrillers with Ezzard Charles. In the first, on June 16, 1954, at the Yankee Stadium, Rocky retained the throne, gaining the decision in fifteen rounds; and in the second, on September 17, in the same arena, Ezzard was knocked out in the eighth round. Each bout was replete with action and drama. The knockout was a stunner The power behind Rocky's punches was in evidence.

Then came the international championship mill in San Francisco where he easily stopped Don Cockell, British Empire champion, in the ninth round and followed that with his farewell fight, a contest in New York in which he stopped Archie Moore, holder of the light heavyweight crown, in the same number of rounds.

With that knockout ended the brilliant career of the Brockton Blockbuster. Only one other heavyweight king retired undefeated and made it stick, Gene Tunney.

His six title defenses netted Marciano purses totaling $1,462,961.

With his pre-championship income and his side income following his rise to the top, his earnings were well beyond the $2,000,000 mark.

John L. Sullivan popularized boxing in the United States; James J. Corbett set the model for scientific boxing; Jack Dempsey set the record for the million dollar gate; Gene Tunney was the first to retire undefeated and remain so; Joe Louis established an all-time record for title defenses; and Rocky Marciano is hailed as the only heavyweight king who not only won every bout in which he engaged as a professional but hung up his gloves with that clean slate and stuck to his decision.

Marciano's retirement brought about a world elimination in which Archie Moore received a bye and Floyd Patterson and Tommy (Hurricane) Jackson entered the final elimination, with Floyd winning a twelve rounder on a split decision.

He then tackled Moore in the Chicago Stadium on November 30, 1956, and in a surprising upset put Moore, the favorite, away in the fifth round to become Marciano's successor.

Born in Waco, North Carolina, on January 4, 1935, the former Olympic middleweight king who won his crown at the Helsinki Games in 1952, became the youngest professional ever to gain the top rung of the ladder. He is a fast moving, clever heavyweight with a snappy punch, though his blows lack the steam of those Louis, Marciano, and Dempsey could deliver.

He made his professional start after returning from his successful trip to Helsinki. His most important bouts prior to winning from Moore were those with Joey Maxim, in which the latter won an unpopular decision - the lone loss suffered by Patterson; his knockouts of Jimmy Slade and Willie Troy; and his twelve rounds victory over Jackson.

In the fight with Moore, the panther-like son of a Brooklyn sanitation truck driver disposed of his opponent in 2.27 of the fifth round before a roaring gathering in the Chicago Stadium.

Patterson was piling up a lead on the official score cards against a wildly-missing Moore when he crashed home a terrific left hook to the jaw. The blow had a delayed action effect on the old warrior. He started to step forward then he spun and fell on his face. Moore barely beat the count of Referee Frank Sikora.

As Archie wobbled, Patterson finished him off with another powerful left, sinking him to his haunches. Moore started to pull himself up, and just as he was getting to his feet, Sikora had completed the count.

The attendance was 14,000, with gross receipts of only $228,145-far from the figures Joe Louis' bouts registered.

On July 29, 1957, at the New York Polo Grounds, Patterson engaged in his first championship defense. He defeated Tommy (Hurricane) Jackson.

In that contest, Patterson accomplished what had been expected. The 14,458 persons who paid $156,936 to see the affair witnessed a bout in which the defending title holder was never in danger. Referee Ruby Goldstein halted it in one minute and fiftytwo seconds of the tenth round after a smashing left and right to the jaw had placed Jackson at the mercy of his opponent.

Many protested the referee's action, but he was justified. Jackson was dropped in the first round as the bell sounded; went down for a count of two in the second, though the knockdown timer continued to toll off six; and was floored again in the ninth for a count of four.

It was the first independently promoted heavyweight championship bout in many years, with Emil Lence, a New York dress manufacturer, in stead of the International Boxing Club, in charge. Jackson received $61,929.81 for the lacing he took, and the champion, after agreeing to cut $50,000 off his guarantee to save Lence from losing heavily on the promotion, got $123,859.62.

Jackson started off well, but as the fight progressed, he couldn't defend himself. He absorbed terrific body clouts and many to the jaw. Though floored three times, he continued to display raw courage in his attempt to go the route.

Three days following that fight, Patterson went into training again, this time to face the world amateur champion, Peter Rademacher, Olympic title holder in the latter's debut as a professional, an unheard of procedure.

Boxing commissions throughout the world appealed to both Governor Rosselini of Washington and his commission to prevent the staging of the bout, but the appeal was vetoed. The fight took place on August 22, 1957 at Seattle and the amateur title holder was knocked out. Tommy Loughran, the referee, counted off the doleful decimal. The time was two minutes and fifty-seven seconds of the sixth round. Rademacher had been sent to the canvas seven times.

The Olympic champion surprised by not only remaining in action so long following the pre-fight predictions that he would be lucky to last two rounds, but winning the opening round and decking Patterson for a count of four in the second frame. Thereafter, however, he was never in the running.

Rademacher was down for nine in the third round, four times for nine in the fifth and once prior to the final count in the sixth round. Four times Referee Loughran faltered at the count of nine when he could have counted Peter out.

The history-making fight, the first time an amateur fought a professional heavyweight champion for the crown, brought out a gathering of 16,961 persons for a record Northwest gate of $243,030 and a net of $209,556. Youth Unlimited which backed Rademacher, lost close to $120,000 on the promotion. Peter received nothing for his services while Patterson, guaranteed by his backer $250,000, received that amount.

Floyd Patterson made his second title defense in Los Angeles on August 18, 1958, against Roy Harris of Cut and Shoot, Texas.- After being decked in the seeond round, he battered the Texan into submission.

Referee Mushy Callahan halted the bout when Harris' trainer, 13i11 Core, told him that Roy could not come out for the twelfth. Attendance was 21,680 anal the gate amounted to $234,183. Another 196,762 fans paid $763,437 to see the bout on closed-circuit TV. Harris, though game, was outclassed.