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Joe Louis

Era - 1930s / Early 1950s - Boxing - Heavyweight

The Brown Bomber was one of the deadliest punchers in boxing history, carrying both speed and power in both hands. He was a hero to the American public, crossing color barriers in a difficult time, representing the Army in a public relations campaign and became an institiution through the forties as the Heavyweight champion.

Joe Louis Barrow was born in LaFayette, Alabama in 1914, but his family would move to Detroit for much of his youth, looking for opportunities and to escape the virulent racism of the region. Louis was attracted to the sweet science, and learned quickly at the Brewster Street Recreation Center, and by 1934, won the National AAU championship tournament.

Louis turned professional later in the year and hired former Lightweight contender, Jack Blackburn for his training. Louis quickly rose up through the ranks, with his management team carefully navigating the attitudes of the time, cognizant of the backlash that Jack Johnson had faced as the first black Heavyweight champion of the world. Louis was publically the polar opposite of the flamboyant Johnson, letting his fists speak for him as he defeated a string of notable foes including Primo Carnera, Kingfish Levinsky, Max Baer and Paolino Uzcudun. In 1936, the undefeated Louis would face Germany's Max Schmeling, who had carefully studied the Brown Bomber's weaknesses on film, and exploited them in the fight, handing him his first loss.

Louis was down, but not defeated, and with global politics placing great pressure to prevent a Schmeling title shot at James Braddock, Louis instead managed to step into the 1937 title shot, which he finished with an eighth round knockout over Braddock. Though he was now the Heavyweight champ, Louis had unfinished business.

A tough win over Tommy Farr was but an intermission as Louis prepared for what would be referred to as the Fight of the Century, well before Ali-Frazier I would take the name. Louis and Schmeling would be seen in grandiose, nearly mythical proportions, Schmeling seen to represent the racial superiority of the German Nazi regime, while Louis, who's family moved away from the racism of the KKK, who still could not receive a meal in certain establishments, who had to adhere to a careful code of living to avoid the backlash his predecessors had faced, would be the embodiment of America's will. None other than Franklin Delano Roosevelt met with Louis and implored him to win for the sake of the nation. And win is exactly what Louis did when he met Schmeling on June 22nd of 1938, blasting his foe out with a blitzkreig rush of rights and lefts that resulted in three knockdowns in the first round, the third of which was sufficient to claim the win and a matter of retribution.

Following the Schmeling fight, Louis kept a stranglehold on his title, defeating a long list of contenders in the early 1940s that would be described by some cynical sportswriters as the "Bum of the Month Club." While he did face one a month, and while some were woefully outmatched, there were some solid contenders in the mix, including the rotund Tony Galento, Light Heavy standout John Henry Lewis, the fierce Chilean, Arturo Godoy, Abe Simon and Buddy Baer, both sizable foes, the steady Bob Pastor and culminated with a bout with the speedy Billy Conn, who managed to outbox Louis for much of their bout, but as the Bomber said, "You can run but you can't hide," and by the 13th, Louis found Conn with a knockout.

By 1942, Louis joined the U.S. Army, and entered into a multi-faceted effort to raise funds, awareness and morale for the War, touring along with fellow great, Sugar Ray Robinson and baseball pioneer, Jackie Robinson among others, signed with the Liverpool Football Club for a visit, had a notable role in 1943 musical, This Is the Army(which starred future US President, Ronald Reagan) and fought in numerous charity exhibitions, eventually receiving his discharge in 1945.

With his title and the Heavyweight rankings frozen out during WW II, Louis returned back to civilian life with significant challengers to face. A rematch win over Conn would be followed by a controvercial decision victory over Jersey Joe Walcott in 1947. Louis was no longer at his best, but in a rematch, was still able to knockout Walcott. A retirement in 1949 was truncated by the malignant grasp of the Internal Revenue Service, which demanded Louis to pay taxes on the charity fights he had undertaken in his nation's service.

Louis would return to the ring to directly pay off his stated debts, taking on the great Ezzard Charles in 1949, and would lose his title by means of unanimous decision to the Cincinatti Cobra, a faded shell of his former self. A win over Lee Savold would lead to a fight against an ascendent force in the division by the name of Rocky Marciano. Louis managed eight rounds in 1951 against the future undefeated champ, but could do no more, knocked out and knocked out of the ring, both literally and metaphorically.

As with all my edits, full AI-Moveset-Parameters are set.

Attire:
1. Purple shorts with lavender trim, black gloves
2. Black shorts with red and white trim, red gloves
3. White shorts and wrist wraps
4. Olive and khaki Army uniform