71 years ago: Joseph Louis "Brown Bomber" Barrow vs. Arnold Raymond "Jersey Joe Walcott" Cream II

He was talking about Louis in his prime.

 

True, the polite, quiet, non-smiling Joe Louis was all a veneer to make him appeal to everyone, especially White Americans who were appalled by the nonconformist attitude and behaviour of Jack Johnson. However away from the public eye and the flash of the cameras, Louis was known for his love of having sex with prostitutes and sniffing cocaine.

Here are Joe Louis's Seven Commandments:

He is never to have his picture taken with a white woman.
He is never to go to a nightclub alone.
There will be no soft fights.
There will be no fixed fights.
He will never gloat over a fallen opponent.
He will keep a "dead pan" in front of the cameras.
He will live and fight clean.

 

My friend's dad said Robinson was fun to be around but you had to watch what you said around Louis.

 

In his book, 'The 12 Greatest Rounds Of Boxing', Dr. Ferdie Pacheco recalls that Sugar Ray Robinson was very genial and a great guy to be around, and how he always loved listening to Robinson's anecdotes.