Joe Louis - This is Your Life (1961 NBC Documentary) 

Someone needs to go fix that on Wikipedia. Schmeling became very wealthy after the war and helped Louis out financially for many years. He also made very clear in their first meeting after WWII that he did not share the Nazi ideology in any way and in fact was never a member of the Nazi party. (That fact by the way has been backed up by many sources) Louis understood that fact and accepted Schmeling as a friend from that point forward. Upon his passing Schmeling paid for Louis' funeral. Schmeling himself lived to the ripe old age of 99. A great man stuck in a horrible situation during the Nazi regime. There is no question that Louis was the better boxer. In Schmeling however he found that one bit of surprise adversity that made him even greater.

He paid for Joe’s funeral

@@canalesworks1247 Vielen Dank, für deine lieben, wahren Worte, Max Schmeling war ein Ehrenmann und Humanitarian, ein Menschernfreund, genau wie sein Freund Joe Louis es war. Er wird sehr verehrt hier in Deutschland. Ich traf ihn als kleiner Bub von 4 Jahren in Hollenstedt, mit seiner Frau anny Ondra, nur 15km von meiner Heimatstadt entfernt!

Amen 🙏 I’ve just seen not long ago an HBO Actual Movie Film Titled JOE & MAX-based on their two Iconic boxing fights and how-like you stated-respected each other and became great friends till the end 🎉 🥊 🥊

That's true, Sugar Ray is the only guy ever considered as a challenger to Ali as the greatest. Joe is close behind them on that list.

@@andyelliott8027 Joe Frazier too,there would be no Ali without Frazier.

@@joshuatree5620 Yes, Frazier was everything a fighter should be.

@@andyelliott8027 you lost your damm mind Louis is the goat

@@therumbleinthejunglee Look at any poll amongst boxing magazines anywhere. It's always Ali or Sugar Ray. Joe often comes third but it's a two-horse race for GOAT.

You got that right. A credit to all Americans

@@throwball2248 the way the IRS treated Joe after he donated all his earnings to military relief charities during the war. Stripped him of everything he had.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️😊

He was so humble

My prayers that he would have respect his wife committing adultery is a sin I hope he repent of your sins and God for gave him so that his soul can you rest in heaven

jimmyd10100 They should have awarded him Slave Reparations. Instead, he owed a crooked government back taxes when he died.

Louis was the gayest

@@jasonford6317 your gay

really ? thats so cool man

@@leeelisaia4892 yhh

So true, thanks! And Drew Bundini Brown was a trainer and influencer for Sugar Ray Robinson and when Cassius Clay fight against Sonny Liston, Bundini became the whisperer for Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxchampion the world has known, due to Media broadcasting technic and Alis encouragment for his people and against false wars and his greatness in the ring. Joe Louis, Max Schmeling, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali were the legends for generations, the greatest boxchampions and humanitarians of the 20th century.

Yeah and after seeing how the US government treated Joe, Max helped Joe financially. Sad story really

THAT WAS THE ERA WHEN PUGS RESPECTED ONE ANOTHER, THE REAL MEANING OF SPRTSMANSHIP...NOT TODAY"S SHOWBOATING!!!

IF MY FALTERING MEMORY SERVES ME RIGHT, I UNDERSTAND ULTIMATELY, THE U.S. CONGRESS GRANTED "THE BROWN BOMBER" PARDON PN HIS ASTRONOMMICAL TAX ARREARS!!!

Sounds gay

Joe wasn't just great, he was special not just as an athlete but as a man

Gotta pay taxes

Fucking disgusting . I'm a white man and when I heard the money he donated to the military wasnt allowed to go to Black soldiers I felt sick . Absolutely disgusting

It wasn't just the government he also got robbed blind my James j braddock. To even get a title shot with the then champion he had to agree to 10% of every pursue he would get for the rest of his career. Nobody understands what he went through just to be a champion.

@@CockneyClint are you serious?!

@@dantedlane2 …pay taxes my ass!

They'll never be on a par with Joe

In fair, Ralph Edwards referred to many of the TIYL male recipients (Roy Rogers comes to mind of several) as "boy" on numerous occasion. There was nothing in Edwards mannerism or language that suggest he meant nothing but the highest of respect. he held the guest in

He did slip up there but I think that was an honest mistake. Ralph Edwards was so respectful to Joe Louis on the show. I don't honestly think he meant any malice towards Joe Louis.

First of all - sorry for my english, i come from Germany. A similar story like Louis/Schmeling was the Long Jump at the Nazi-Olympics 1936 in Berlin. German Jumper Luz Long get friendship with Jesse Owens in the competition - in front of Hitler. They laughed together and posed together for the photographs. Hitler was angry that the black man won and the German was only 2nd. This story show me that sportsmanship is bigger than politics. Sadly Luz died in the war.

***** of course man. Joe was a great boxer and an even greater man! He was a hero

Let's hope so .

It was 25 title defenses in 11 years

@@abdulaidainkeh2756 yes but there was a big gap between them because of those war years when Louis was in the army. If not for the war, Louis would realistically be probably around the 30ish mark for defenses. Ali had the same deal, instead of freezing the title because of vietnam he decided not to go and got stripped of the title instead. He was on pace to match Joe if not for that, and it'd of been very interesting to see prime Ali vs prime Frazier for real, I mean, we saw prime Frazier in that first fight but not Ali.

Amen to that

He was our first black boxer hero!

@@Lonelysportofboxing Jack Johnson would beg to differ.

​@Lonelysportofboxing . Second after Jack Johnson.

I really hope you are correct

It was, however I'm not surprised. Even if the host had no intention to be demeaning, as a member of the media, it was his societal responsibility at that time to continue to perpetuate the racial attitudes towards black ppl. This likely dictated language and the undertone in which black ppl were spoken to in order to maintain a certain attitude that white ppl had about them and that black ppl had about themselves. The nature in which the host spoke to Joe with back handed comments was likely normal. Very unfortunate.

Joe was a man with the highest of integrity. I dont believe he was bothered or ashamed. He had nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has debt when we live in this life. Many will retire or die broke. I remember seeing a play about Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Before we saw the play James Brown's old manager was speaking to us on stage about James. He told us about how humbled he was being someone from nothing made it big then get robbed by his managers. Still in all of that over the years he still took care of all of his band mates and families gave away most of his wealth to the poor but he never said anything about the managers. Of course he was illiterate so he couldnt understand contract jargon or financial estates. He wrote all of his music off notes played and by ear. For what he did in music was incredible. Joe was the same way. Lafayette Alabama to heavyweight champion. He likely gave them ok to mention those details during production.

I respect your tremendous admiration of Joe. I do not blame you, he has definitely cemented himself in the legacy of boxing, and history, hands down. He inspired the man, who inspired Ali. Without a doubt, he punched with the precision of a surgeon's blade during an operation. However, the fastest hands go to Ali, and the most powerful goes to Foreman. Though In the end, Joe was without a doubt the greatest of his time, and one of the all time greats. Respect brother.

+ThirdEyePoet Throughout Heavyweight history, there may have been a few harder punchers and better boxers than Louis, but he combined them perfectly. That is something that cannot be said about any other Heavyweight Champ in history. He could adjust and adapt to any type of style he was confronted with. It was suicide to move towards him, and no way any fighter could beat him by running from him. He was dangerous inside and outside, he could win by slugging and trading, and had the ring savvy to out think and Box his opponent. Louis was the consummate Boxer-Puncher.

+Samuel Ettima With all due respect though, during Louis' time period, everyone in his division fought virtually identical to one another. That old school jab, jab, right cross & flat footed stance. So as far as adapting, there wasn't really much of any to adapt to. It's true that Joe combined speed, precision, and power, but against the likes of an Ali, Larry Holmes, Roy Jones, Mike Tyson.. Louis wouldn't have stood a prayer. His style worked for his time, but is too primitive to have been in the late 60s and on.

+ThirdEyePoet Some critics question Louis level of competition but that criticism can be leveled at any heavyweight champion with the exception of Muhammad Ali. Louis competition is better than many give him credit for. Louis never fought a preliminary fight in his career and fought in main events from the beginning. He cleaned out the division on the way to the title. He defeated 6 men who held the heavyweight championship of the world, and two excellent world light-heavyweight champions. His near 12-year reign and 25 successful title defenses are division records that likely will never be broken.

+ThirdEyePoet Overall Ali faced the better competition, but Max Schmeling (a first rate counter-puncher), Max Baer (one of the hardest hitters in division history), Arturo Godoy (a strong chinned swarmer), and Jersey Joe Walcott (one of the slickest boxer-punchers of all time) are better than anyone that Ali faced during his prime years, with the exception of Sonny Liston.

Jerry Pavelec was the ABSOLUTE BEST! ARGUE? WATCH SMELLINGS 2 FIGHTS WITH HIM! ONE FOR THE THE OLYMPICS THE LAST IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN AS AN EXHIBIT! JERRY PAVELEC KNOCKED OUT SMELLING IN THE FIRST ROUND OVER ALL 3 ROPES, INTO THE 5TH ROW!!! BEFORE MAX BAER VS. PRIMO CARNERA

@@ericalincoln1408 wtf are you talking about? Max never fought a guy named Jerry Pavelec.

YOU'RE RIGHT, ROGER! THE SHOW SHOWS US RARE SNIPPETS OF RING GREATS SPEAKING~OUT iN THEIR BUSINESS SUITS!!!

Also the host called him boy at the end, quote "you're a legend boy"