Joe Louis

Buddy Baer (brother of former champion Max) who was leading the May 23 1941 bout in Washington D. Since the retirement of Jack Dempsey in 1929 boxing had devolved into a sordid mixture of poor athletes gambling fixed fights thrown matches and control of the sport by organized crime. Louis won the first bout by a decision and the rematch by a knockout in the eighth round.

Louis' cultural impact was felt well outside the ring. In 2005 Louis was ranked as the #1 heavyweight of all-time by the International Boxing Research Organization and was ranked #1 on The Ring's list of the 100 Greatest Punchers of All-Time. Detroit's Joe Louis Arena home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County's Joe Louis "The Champ" Golf Course situated south of Chicago in Riverdale IL are named in his honor.