LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The life and legacy of legendary boxer Joe Louis was celebrated in a tribute Friday night.
Over 70 years since his last fight and over 40 years since he passed away in southern Nevada, the "Brown Bomber" was remembered by adoring family and fans for his efforts in the ring and in the Civil Rights movement.
At the Rotunda Gallery of the Clark County Government Center in downtown Las Vegas, local figures, big names in boxing, and the public gathered for a free event to honor the fighter whose greatest contributions may have come outside the sport.
Channel 13's Nick Walters was there and spoke with Louis' children, John and Joyce, along with well-known International Boxing referee Tony Weeks. Hear their thoughts on the longest-running world champion ever, plus the advocate for social change and caring father that he's remembered to be.
Find more info on Louis and the tribute in the press release below regarding Friday's event:
“Joe Louis was not only an exceptional boxer, some of whose records still stand, but also a trailblazer for civil rights,” said Clark County Commissioner William McCurdy II, who will present the family with a Key to the Las Vegas Strip. “Given what he did for the nation and in the fight against discrimination, it is important that we remember Joe Louis’s contributions to sports history, our nation and our community. I’m very happy to shine a spotlight on the legacy of this great American.”
Louis won 25 consecutive defenses of his heavyweight title, a record for all weight classes. He also was champion longer than any other boxer in history -- from 1937 through 1949. In 69 professional bouts, Louis lost only three times, recording 52 knockouts. The World Boxing Council will take part in the county’s tribute, awarding the Louis family with a WBC belt in honor of Louis' life and legacy.
Louis is widely seen as the first African-American to achieve the status of a nationwide hero across the racial divide. Part of Louis’s legacy is his 1938 rematch with German boxer Max Schmeling, to whom he had previously lost, during the lead up to World War II. The event marked the first time that many white Americans openly cheered for a black man against a white opponent.
Prior to a World War II-era charity bout, Louis had spoken at a relief fund dinner at which he reportedly said of the war, "We'll win, 'cause we're on God's side." The comment brought him popularity and he became a symbol of the nation’s resistance to Adolph Hitler, and the press began to drop the use of stereotypical racial references when covering Louis and instead treat him more like a sports hero.
Louis also played a role in integrating golf. He broke its color barrier, appearing under a sponsor's exemption in a PGA event in 1952, and he financially supported several African-American golfers.
Though he never boxed professionally in Las Vegas, Lewis developed a connection to Southern Nevada, especially during the last years of his life.
In the 1950s, Louis was one of the original investors in the first racially integrated hotel-casino in Las Vegas, historic West Las Vegas’ Moulin Rouge. He served as a greeter there and even took turns on stage.
Despite Louis’s success in the ring, most of the financial proceeds went to handlers. It’s been estimated that more than $4.6 million was earned during his time boxing, but he received only about $800,000 of that. In 1935, when Louis began his ascent in boxing, President Franklin Roosevelt led the charge to increase the tax on top earners to a breathtaking 79%, which rose to 90% during and after World War II. The punitive taxes sapped Louis’s earnings, and gifts and even charity boxing matches were not allowed to be deducted. It was not until the 1960s that punitive top-income tax rates were reduced to 70% and were further lowered during the Reagan years to 28%. As a result, Louis suffered financially and was heavily in debt to the federal government.
In the 1970s, Louis moved to Clark County to become a casino host for Caesars Palace, where his longtime friend Irving “Ash” Resnick was the lead casino host. Louis greeted tourists, played golf with VIPs and joined Resnick on trips to collect casino debts.
When Las Vegas developed into the world’s boxing capital, Louis attended fights. In fact, his last public appearance was at Caesars for the Larry Holmes-Trevor Berbick heavyweight championship fight on April 11, 1981. Louis died hours later at Desert Springs Hospital from cardiac arrest.
Thousands attended a memorial officiated by Rev. Jesse Jackson in a boxing arena behind Caesars. The event was attended by fans, friends and celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes and promoter Don King. A gold casket carrying Louis’s body was flown from Las Vegas to Washington, D.C., where he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in recognition of his work on behalf of the nation during World War II. (He enlisted in the Army in 1942 but was kept away from the front lines because of his value to the morale of the nation. He boxed 96 times for the government during this time in order to raise funds for the war effort.)
Today, a life-sized statue of Louis may be viewed at the entrance to the Caesars Palace sportsbook.
