Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling
| Date | June 19, 1936 and June 22, 1938 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Title(s) on the line | World Heavyweight Championship (2nd fight) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Boxer |
 Joe Louis |
 Max Schmeling |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Brown Bomber | Black Uhlan of the Rhine | |
| Hometown | Detroit, Michigan | Brandenburg, Germany | |
| Pre-fight record | 27–1 (23 KOs) | 48–7–4 (34 KOs) | |
| Recognition | World Heavyweight Champion (prior to 2nd fight) | Former (1930–1932) World Heavyweight Champion |
Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling refers to two separate fights between the two which are among boxing's most talked about bouts. Schmeling won the first match by a knockout in round twelve, but in the second match, Louis won through a knockout in the first round. Although the two champions met to create a pugilistic spectacle remarkable on its own terms, the two fights came to embody the broader political and social conflict of the times. As the most significant African American athlete of his age and the most significant African-American boxer since Jack Johnson, Louis was a focal point for African American pride in the 1930s. Moreover, as a contest between representatives of the United States and Nazi Germany during the 1930s, the fights came to symbolize the struggle between democracy and fascism. Louis' performance in the bouts made him one of the first true African American national heroes in the United States.
Joe Louis was born in Alabama, but lived much of his early years in Detroit. As a successful African American professional in the northern part of the country, Louis was seen by many other Americans as a symbol of the liberated black man. Since becoming a professional heavyweight, Louis amassed a record of 23–0 and was considered invincible heading into his first bout with Schmeling in 1936. Louis' celebrity was particularly important for African Americans of the era, who were not only suffering economically along with the rest of the country, but also were the targets of significant racially motivated violence, particularly in Southern states by members of the Ku Klux Klan. By the time of the Louis-Schmeling match, Schmeling was thought of as the final stepping stone to Louis' eventual title bid.
Max Schmeling, on the other hand, was born in Germany, and he had become the first world heavyweight champion to win the title by a disqualification in 1930, against Jack Sharkey, another American. One year later, Schmeling retained his title by a Round 15 knockout against William Stribling. Later Schmeling lost the title in a rematch with Sharkey by a very controversial decision in 1932. As a result, Schmeling was well known to American boxing fans, and was still considered the No. 2 contender for James Braddock's heavyweight title in 1936. Nevertheless, many boxing fans considered Schmeling, 30 years old by the time of his first match with Louis, to be on the decline and not a serious challenge for the Brown Bomber.
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