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Louis, Joe & President Franklin D. Roosevelt - Boxing G

Currency:USD Category:Sports - Cards & Fan Shop Start Price:0.00 USD Estimated At:10,000.00 - 15,000.00 USD
Louis, Joe & President Franklin D. Roosevelt - Boxing G
Louis, Joe & President Franklin D. Roosevelt - Boxing Gloves Signed by Both. Joe Louis Barrow (1914-1981), known as "The Brown Bomber," was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. In 2005 the International Boxing Research Organization named Louis the greatest heavyweight of all time. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) was our longest-serving President (1933-1945).

Pair of Spalding boxing gloves signed on each glove by Joe Louis and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, before Louis' June 22nd rematch with Max Schmeling. Louis' signatures are very faint, the ink having faded over the years, but President Roosevelt's signatures are very bold, a result of the heavy ink he used. The gloves are housed in a lucite case and accompanied by a letter of authenticity from Dr. Joseph J. Plaud, President of the Frankln D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum.

On June 19, 1936, Louis, who had a 23-0 professional record, was knocked out in Round 12 by German boxer Max Schmeling. Hitler and his Nazis were ecstatic. Schmeling (who was not a Nazi) became a national hero and was held up as the paragon of Aryan manhood and proof of Aryan superiority.

In June 1937, Louis defeated "Cinderella Man" Jim Braddock, and earned the right to a rematch with Schmeling. The rematch took on a dimension far beyond boxing: It was the USA against Germany; it was a contest between fascism and democracy, and Louis became the hope of all America, both black and white. President Roosevelt invited Louis to the White House and, feeling his biceps, said to him: "Joe, we need muscles like yours to beat Germany."

On June 22, 1938, before a crowd of over 70,000, at Yankee Stadium, and with radio broadcasts going out all over the world, Louis took just 124 seconds to obliterate Schmeling, who only got two punches in during the fight. Louis knocked Schmeling down three times, and the third time, Schmeling's trainer threw in the towel. Referee Arthur Donovan stopped the fight. It was the most important boxing match in history.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 15,000.
Franklin D. Roosevelt American Heritage Center Museum.

Our item number 156304