06/23/2021
Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling II, June 22, 1938.
In what was the most important sporting event in world history, heavyweight champion Joe Louis climbed into the ring at Yankee Stadium, carrying the hopes and aspirations of his country on his shoulders as the prospect of war loomed on the horizon.
Two years prior, former champion - Germany’s Max Schmeling - scored one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, knocking out the invincible Joe Louis in the twelfth round of a non-title fight to earn a shot a Jimmy Braddock’s heavyweight crown.
As a result of beating Louis, Schmeling was cast as the symbol of A***n supremacy by Adolf Hi**er and the N**i Regime. At heart, Schmeling opposed the N**i’s and their deplorable belief system. However, this did not stop him from associating with leading N**i officials, including Hi**er himself.
However, Mike Jacobs - or Uncle Mike as he was affectionately known - went to work to prevent Braddock from fighting the German. With a promise of 10% of Louis’s salary for the next ten years, Braddock would ultimately fight and lose his crown to Joe Louis instead.
By the night of the fight, some 100 million people were tuned into their radios to hear the result of a battle that symbolized the struggle between fascism and democracy and the war to come.
After two minutes and four seconds of the very first round, Joe Louis had vanquished Schmeling - avenging his defeat from two years prior. Louis would become a national hero and arguably the man who truly broke the colour barrier in American sports.
Louis would defend his crown 25 times - still a record for any weight class - and serve in the US Army during the Second World War.
Schmeling, on the other hand, returned to Germany a disgraced fighter in the eyes of the N**i’s and his nation. He would be sent out to the front lines as a result of his loss to Louis.
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