Friday / Weekend Open Line


One of America’s greatest boxers became world heavyweight champion on this day 75 years ago — Joe Louis. The bout took place at Comiskey Park in Chicago, and Louis knocked out James J. Braddock in the eighth round. A year later to the day, he knocked out German champ Max Schmeling in the first round. Louis, an African-American, was nicknamed “the Brown Bomber,” and held his title for 12 years, longer than any other heavyweight champion. He defended his title often and was very popular with boxing fans all over the country. Today, more than a 1.5 million people attend boxing matches in the U.S. each year. Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America–People, Places, and Our Economy.


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