Looking back at local, national and world events through the Deseret News archives.
The excitement was epic.
It was mid-June 1937 and Joe Louis was going to fight for the world heavyweight boxing title against title-holder Jim Braddock. The bout was scheduled to take place in Chicago, one of the best locations for such a big event. The heavyweight division was packed with talent, including Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney. And sports fans were going wild.
On June 22, 1937, the Deseret News carried the following headline:
“60,000 people will be watching the mixed title fight tonight.”
“Louis is likely to beat the champion.”
“This game is likely to be very close.”
“Braddock's courage is not enough,” Rice said.
Those were just the headlines. The sports cover also included breakdowns of the two fighters and other details, as well as a humorous story about how Dempsey and Tunney, who were rivals in the ring, had to sit next to each other on the plane to their fight.
The next day's headline read:
“Bomber blasts Braddock out of boxing championship: Lewis wears down Old Jim in seven rounds, then beats him”
Lewis knocked out “Gentleman Jim” Braddock in the eighth round of the bout, establishing himself as the world heavyweight boxing champion.
It's worth noting that while sports in general was a great unifying force on racial issues in the United States, news headlines at the time were still often nuanced.
Nicknamed “The Brown Bomber,” he won 25 consecutive championship bouts, including one by four seconds, before retiring in 1949. He died in Las Vegas in 1981.
Louis is considered the first African-American to achieve national hero status in the U.S. He later played golf extensively and was reported to have been quite talented in the sport.
Below is an article about Joe Louis provided by the Deseret News Archives.
“The Strengths and Weaknesses of Joe Louis”
“Louis has beaten many fighters in his career. Now he can beat you too.”
“New study seeks to answer old boxing questions”
