Schoolcraft College

Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling

By
Nathan Baloga
Ryan Masters
Hist 153 - 122946
Due: 14 June 15
Submitted: 14 June 15

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While still holding the record for longest reigning World Heavyweight Champion and
most title defenses in boxing, Joe Louis legacy reaches far beyond the record books. Amidst
poverty and racial prejudice arose a national hero who made a worldwide impact. Two boxing
matches against Max Schmeling became a metaphor for nations on the cusp of war. In one
corner of the ring stood Democracy, and in the other, Fascism and racial prejudice; an epic
foreshadowing of Germanys rise to power, and Americas comeback victory.
During the Great Depression, Joe Louis Barrow rose through the ranks of
professional boxing. While viewed by the black community as a hero and a source of cultural
pride, many white Americans still held contempt for African Americans. Articles were printed
warning of race riots and a disruption in the social structure of the United States if Louis were to
become champion. Nicknames given by reporters always referred to the color of his skin, such
as: the Brown Bomber, Sepia Slugger, Tan Tornado, Dark Destroyer. His managers not only
coached him in sport, but also how to prevent negative publicity by avoiding certain behavior
that would be looked down upon by white people.1 His humble and polite demeanor, along with
a record of 27-0, gained him favor among most white people. Many African Americans started
to see him as a figure of equality and saw themselves and their futures in the Brown Bomber
(Sklaroff, Constructing G.I. Joe Louis: Cultural solutions to the "Negro problem" during World
War II).
The first match between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling left disappointment in the hearts
of black Americans, as Louis was defeated in the 12th round. After the first loss of his career in
1936, Louis went on to become the heavyweight champion of the world in 1937. Although a
milestone of racial equality for many blacks in America, Louis did not feel the title would be

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earned until a rematch with Schmeling. His wish was granted and a rematch was scheduled for
June 22, 1938.
By the time Louis and Schmeling met in the ring again, Hitler and the German Army had
already taken control of Austria and had it sights on Czechoslovakia. The American public
started to see the evils within the Nazi regime. Soon, this rematch between world heavyweight
champions became the political symbol of worlds at war. Although Schmeling never joined the
Nazi party and tried to stay out of politics, America saw him as a diplomat for Hitler. Weisbord
and Hedderich wrote, In the eyes of Americans [Schmeling] had become the front man for the
feared and despised German Chancellor and there was nothing he could do about it3For the
tightly controlled Nazi media, Schmeling had become a propaganda bonanza, proof of the
validity of Hitlers racial theories. Germany claimed the victory as a sign of Aryan superiority.
Das Schwarze Korps, a Nazi journal stated, Schmelings victory was not only sport. It was a
question of prestige for our race2 (Boddy 101). German propaganda films were made using the
fights footage. Most of America has all it needed to back a colored fighter; black people with
hope for their future and a racial pride to protect, white people with a distaste for Hitlers tactics,
and a champion, the Brown Bomber, eager to drop the figurative bomb on his nemesis.
After a two year build up, the stage was set and the world was watching. A cartoon was
drawn during the time depicting a globe intently watching Joe and Max in a boxing ring, Yankee
Stadium was packed to the brim with white and colored folk alike. While 70,000 people
watched in person, 100 million people worldwide were huddled around their radios with bated
breath (Singleton, Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink).
Dropping Schmeling to the mat a total of four times in just 2:04 seconds, Joe Louis redeemed his
pride and defeated the Aryan figurehead of the Nazi Reich. Frederic Morton recounts listening

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to the dumbfounded German sports announcer, pleading with Schmeling to get up through the
radio. [The German announcer] had made so little sense to his audience that night that the
following morning Germans pondered just what had really happened. But to Morton and other
Jewish listeners that night, the result was luminously, joyously clear4 (Margolick). In Fight of
the Century, Emmett Berg also quotes Morton saying, For the first time there was an inkling
that Hitler might somehow be stopped. As Germany licked its wounds, America erupted with
celebration. Jews and Americans alike felt that if the Teutonic god depicted in Nazi propaganda
could be defeated, so in time, Hitler could also be defeated. African Americans felt a joy like
never before, as cities like Harlem and Detroit had people pouring out into the streets. Louis
became a banner flying for the whole world to see; its message was one of racial egalitarianism.
Black people had a national icon who proved to the Nazis that whites were not a superior race.
Louis later went on to join the army, though he was never put near the front. Schmeling
was drafted into paratrooper division in the German Air Force. Post war, both men were looked
upon as heroes in their respective countries. Louis was seen as a selfless, humble, and patriotic
champion; qualities that could be appreciated and respected in America regardless of race. In the
same light, Schmelings well known anti-Nazi stance brought him favor and fame in post war
Germany.
In conclusion, Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling became a prophetic metaphor for both racial
superiority and the Allied victory over the Axis powers of WWII. Louis rose to a position of
pride for all African Americans, and a hope for a better life in America. Hitlers quest for
domination and racial purity would later be terminated after the United States entrance into
WWII. Schmeling and Louis developed a friendship outside of the ring that would continue until
Louis death. They both are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame; Louis in 1990

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and Schmeling in 1992 (Modern Category). It is incredible how something that would normally
seem so trivial today, such as two boxing matches, became a significant metaphor for two
nations on the brink of war.

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Notes
1. See Sklaroff to read the commandments limiting Louis behavior set by his managers,
taken from the Journal of American History, the leading scholarly publication and the journal of
record, published by the Organization of American Historians.
2. See Boddy. Kasia Boddy is a lecturer in the Department of English at University
College London and has contributed to American Bodies: Cultural Histories of the Physique and
Voyages and Visions.
3. See Weisbord and Hedderich for more information about Max Schmeling. Taken from
History Today, a magazine out of London publishing the worlds leading scholars.
4. To read more about Frederick Mortons firsthand account of the German radio
broadcast, see Margolick, taken from the famous New York newspaper, the Wall Street Journal.

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Works Cited
Berg, Emmett. "Fight of the Century." Humanities. 01 Jul. 2004: 10. eLibrary. Web. 11
Jun. 2015.
Boddy, Kasia. Boxing: A Cultural History. Clerkenwell, Reaktion Books, 2013
Modern Category. International Boxing Hall of Fame. International Boxing Hall of
Fame, 28 Apr.1996. Web. 14 June 2015.
Margolick, David. "When Joe Louis Made the Nazis Go Mad; The German announcer's
arrogance melted into incoherence as Schmeling hit the mat.." Wall Street Journal (Online). 24
Apr. 2015: n/a. eLibrary. Web. 11 Jun. 2015.
Singleton, Royce A Jr. Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the
Brink. Journal of American Culture 4(2006):493. eLibrary. Web. 14 Jun. 2015
Sklaroff, Lauren Rebecca. "Constructing G.I. Joe Louis: Cultural solutions to the "Negro
problem" during World War II." Journal of American History 3(2002):958. eLibrary. Web. 11
Jun. 2015
Weisbord, Robert, and Norbert Hedderich. "Max Schmeling: Righteous ring
warrior?." History Today. 01 Jan. 1993: 36. eLibrary. Web. 12 Jun. 2015.