11/12/2020
🎩 Joe Louis, arguably one of the best heavyweights of all time, enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1942.
used his influence to help Jackie Robinson gain entrance into Officer Candidate School after Robinson was unfairly denied admission because of his race. Louis rose to the rank of technical sergeant and was awarded the Legion of Merit for “incalculable contribution to the general morale” before being discharged in October 1945.
After nearly four years in the military, Louis returned to boxing.
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The ‘Brown Bomber’ was world champion from 1937 to 1949, a reign that lasted 140 consecutive months. The longest in heavyweight history.
Louis successfully defended his title 25 times—more than any heavyweight ever—knocking out 21 of them, including five former world champions–along the way.
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@ World Boxing