Muhammed Ali vs Joe Louis

Without Joe Louis who is to say the young Cassius Clays of the world would ever get a shot...

Ultimately though Louis did not transcend the sport like Ali did, Louis is a boxing legend, Ali is something bigger.

 

Unless you actually lived when Louis was in his prime, or Dempsey for that matter, I don't know how you can accurately answer this question. They were icons at the time this much we know. The sport was much more popular then, then it was in the 60's, this we also know.

But they didn't have television, so that's a draw back.

I personally don't think it's an easy question, but I'm obviously in the minority. I'm not saying Louis transended boxing more than Ali but here are some things to consider.

Joe Louis


The rematch between Louis and Schmeling is one of the most famous boxing matches of all time, and is remembered as one of the major sports events of the 20th century. Following his defeat of Louis in 1936, Schmeling became a national hero in Germany. Schmeling's victory over an African American was touted by Nazi officials as proof of their doctrine of [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan_race"]Aryan superiority[/ame]. When the rematch was scheduled, Louis retreated to his boxing camp in New Jersey and trained incessantly for the fight. A few weeks before the bout, Louis visited the White House, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt told him, "Joe, we need muscles like yours to beat Germany."

Louis later admitted: "I knew I had to get Schmeling good. I had my own personal reasons and the whole damned country was depending on me."


When Schmeling arrived in New York in June 1938 for the rematch, he was accompanied by a Nazi party publicist who issued statements that a black man could not defeat Schmeling, and that when Schmeling won, his prize money would be used to build tanks in Germany. Schmeling's hotel was picketed by anti-Nazi protesters in the days before the fight.

On the night of June 22, 1938, Louis and Schmeling met for the second time in the boxing ring. The fight was held in Yankee Stadium before a crowd of 70,043.

It was broadcast by radio to millions of listeners throughout the world, with radio announcers reporting on the fight in English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese. Before the bout, Schmeling weighed in at 193 pounds; Louis weighed in at 198¾ pounds.


The fight lasted two minutes and four seconds. Louis battered Schmeling with a series of swift attacks, forcing Schmeling against the ropes and giving him a paralyzing body blow (Schmeling later claimed it was an illegal kidney punch). Schmeling was knocked down three times, and only managed to throw two punches in the entire bout. On the third knockdown, Schmeling's trainer threw in the towel and referee Arthur Donovan stopped the fight.

Louis died of a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myocardial_infarction"]heart attack[/ame] in [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Springs_Hospital"]Desert Springs Hospital[/ame] near Las Vegas on April 12, 1981, just hours after his last public appearance viewing the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Holmes"]Larry Holmes[/ame]-[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trevor_Berbick"]Trevor Berbick[/ame] heavyweight championship. [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan"]Ronald Reagan[/ame] waived the eligibility rules for burial at Arlington National Cemetery, and Louis was buried there with full military honors on April 21, 1981

 

Seriously folks. If the question on this thread is "who was more famoue or popular" Joe Louis for 13 years or during Ali's reign. ? I say that no one posting today who did not live during Louis's day,can never truly understand how FAMOUS, KNOWN, and yes BELOVED
the Brown Bomber was when he was the heavyweight champion. I as a youngster was aware ot two famous names in America those long ago days, Franklin Delano Roosevelt
and the revered and loved Joe Louis..
And this was sans television...Without a shred of doubt Louis was the most beloved heavyweight champion of alltime...And he earned it...

 

Joe Louis

Study the boxing landscape before, during, and immediately after his career.

Ali may have been more popular and well known, but Louis had the far greater impact on the sport, which is what this thread asks.

 

Over here in Germany everybody knows Joe Louis. And Ali, and Frazier, and Schmeling and Tyson and the Klitschkos. Most know Foreman - not because of his grill which is not getting sold over here . Talking about non-boxing fans here.

I think Joe did more for boxing by breaking down the colourbar. Ali made the sport bigger than it was but without Joe no Cassius.

 

Joe Louis had a bigger historical impact, because he was respopnsible more than any other single athlete, for the dismanteling of the colour bar.