Joe Louis, September 1941

Joseph Louis Barrow was born on May 13, 1914 in Lafayette, Alabama — he grew up to be known as Joe Louis, one of America’s greatest heavyweight boxing champions. Louis became champ in 1937, and for nearly 12 years, defended his crown a record 25 times.

Recently, Louis has been honored by boxing experts as the greatest puncher, and the greatest heavyweight, of all time. An African-American, his nickname was the “Brown Bomber.” His lifetime record is 68 wins and three losses — 54 of his victories were by knockouts. Now in the U.S., nearly 5.6 million people attend boxing matches each year, while millions more watch on television.