Chicago Sun - Joe Louis

Heavyweight Champion Joe Louis is featured in this poster that was a supplement of The Chicago Sun on Sunday, October 11, 1942. It is part of a series of three posters featuring famous boxers serving in the War, with Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney rounding out the group. Details about Louis' station location and boxing record are below his illustrated portrait. Joe Louis (1914-1981) was the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949. Nicknamed the "Brown Bomber", Louis was ranked as the #1 heavyweight of all-time by the International Boxing Research Organization in 2005. Louis also broke the color barrier in golf in 1952. Prior to the War, Louis won a widely publicized rematch with the German boxer Max Schmeling. The bout garnered the attention of President Roosevelt, who met with Louis and stressed the need for victory. Louis voluntarily enlisted and served from 1942 to 1945, rising to the rank of Technical Sargent. He never saw combat, but traveled the world boxing as entertainme