THE FIGHT OF HIS LIFE

Revisiting—and revising—the Joe Louis legend.

This deeply researched volume by historians Roberts and Smith takes a look at the famed boxer’s World War II service and the little-known battles he fought on behalf of Black servicemen and the nascent Civil Rights Movement. It’s an excellent corrective to those who think militance began with Muhammad Ali, though the approaches of the two champions were different. While never denying the suffering of his people, from the outset Louis made his commitment clear to opposing the Nazi threat—he got off to a start by famously knocking out Germany’s Max Schmeling in 1938. As he told a reporter, “Sure the Negro has a lot of beefs, but Hitler and Hirohito aren’t going to change them any.” Louis followed his own course, endorsing FDR’s Republican opponent, Wendell Willkie, because of his disappointment with Roosevelt’s refusal to push for anti-lynching laws for fear of antagonizing Southern Democrats. Taking Jackie Robinson under his wing when they were stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, Louis supported Robinson’s struggle to be admitted into officer candidate school and Robinson’s defiance of an order to move to the back of a bus in Camp Hood, Texas. Along with Sugar Ray Robinson, Louis also defied a similar order in Alabama, paving the way for an end to antidiscrimination policies—and ultimately, Harry Truman’s (initially vague) executive order integrating the military. Louis appeared at benefits with Nat “King” Cole, Billie Holiday, and Woody Guthrie and was memorialized in a poem, “King Joe,” by Richard Wright. The authors do not stint on details of Louis’ personal life, including his scorching extramarital affair with Lena Horne, or on the mob’s involvement in the fighting racket and the sweetheart deals that left Louis broke while promoters and Uncle Sam cleaned out his fortune. But he remained a champion. As sportswriter Jimmy Cannon once put it: “He was a credit to his race—the human race.”

A groundbreaking look at a boxing champion’s antidiscrimination efforts.