The year was 1938. Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party had just annexed Austria. Humanity held its breath as the world teetered ...

It was built into a battle of two ideologies. Joe Louis was the heavyweight champion from 1937-1941. In one corner was Schmeling, representing Hitler (though Schmeling wasn't a Nazi) and ...

In so doing, Joe ... Louis with an uppercut in the first round, but the challenger recovered, established his jab, ground down Braddock and knocked him out in the eighth to become world champion.

The fear of a powerful, uncontrollable black man remained on the minds of many when Joe Louis emerged as the next potential black champion. Neither boxer was expressly political. Johnson pushed ...