Hardcover. The boxing champion whose fight against the Nazis in and out of the ring made him a global icon "A sharp, hard-hitting, beautifully written account of one of the greatest sports figures in all American history."Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of King: A Life During the 1930s and 1940s, no African American athlete commanded the spotlight more than heavyweight boxer Joe Louis. His 1938 knockout victory over German Max Schmeling struck an early blow against Nazi Germany. But it was Louis's service in the looming war that transformed him from a patriotic role model into history's first prominent Black athlete turned activist. In The Fight of His Life, award-winning sports historians Johnny Smith and Randy Roberts tell the story of heavyweight champion Joe Louis's battles both in and out of the ring. Already world-famous at the outset of World War II, Louis enlisted in the army, serving as a goodwill ambassador and promoting unity across military bases that crackled with racial tension. Yet Louis's experience with segregation in the army sparked his political awakening. As the war dragged on, he advocated for Black soldiers facing discrimination. Once the war ended, he joined veterans and civil rights activists to fight for voting rights and racial equality. Expertly revising the life story of one of America's most iconic Black athletes, Smith and Roberts's biography celebrates Joe Louis's forgotten fight against fascism abroad and racism at home. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: The Fight of His Life (Hardcover)
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication Date: 2025
Language: English
ISBN 10: 1541605063
ISBN 13: 9781541605060
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The boxing champion whose fight against the Nazis in and out of the ring made him a global icon

“A sharp, hard-hitting, beautifully written account of one of the greatest sports figures in all American history.”―Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of King: A Life

During the 1930s and 1940s, no African American athlete commanded the spotlight more than heavyweight boxer Joe Louis. His 1938 knockout victory over German Max Schmeling struck an early blow against Nazi Germany. But it was Louis’s service in the looming war that transformed him from a patriotic role model into history’s first prominent Black athlete turned activist.

In The Fight of His Life, award-winning sports historians Johnny Smith and Randy Roberts tell the story of heavyweight champion Joe Louis’s battles both in and out of the ring. Already world-famous at the outset of World War II, Louis enlisted in the army, serving as a goodwill ambassador and promoting unity across military bases that crackled with racial tension. Yet Louis’s experience with segregation in the army sparked his political awakening. As the war dragged on, he advocated for Black soldiers facing discrimination. Once the war ended, he joined veterans and civil rights activists to fight for voting rights and racial equality.

Expertly revising the life story of one of America’s most iconic Black athletes, Smith and Roberts’s biography celebrates Joe Louis’s forgotten fight against fascism abroad and racism at home.

About the Author

Johnny Smith is the J. C. “Bud” Shaw Professor of Sports History at Georgia Tech. Author of Jumpman, he lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Randy Roberts is the 150th Anniversary Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University. He lives in Lafayette, Indiana.

Together, they are coauthors of Blood Brothers, A Season in the Sun, and War Fever.

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