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A heavyweight crown can change a career. Fighting for dignity can change a country. We sit down with historian Randy Roberts to explore how Joe Louis moved from Detroit icon to global symbol during World War II, turning quiet resolve into a powerful stand against Jim Crow while uniting millions under one flag.

Randy takes us inside The Fight of His Life, the book he coauthored with Johnny Smith, drawing on thousands of newspaper archives, Army and State Department records, and on‑the‑ground reports from bases in the United States, England, and Italy. We retrace Louis’s transformative wartime years: the relief title defenses where he donated his entire purses, the morale‑boosting exhibition tours with Sugar Ray Robinson, and the tense showdown at Camp Sibert when an MP tried to force him from a whites‑only area. These moments reveal how a soft‑spoken champion found his political voice and insisted the Army live up to American ideals.

We also unpack the long shadow of Jack Johnson and how Louis was crafted as his public opposite, only to outgrow the script when justice demanded it. The conversation follows Louis beyond the ring: helping Jackie Robinson into officer candidate school at Fort Riley, pushing the PGA to grant an exemption that cracked golf’s color line, and ultimately earning an Arlington burial waiver with an assist from Ronald Reagan. Along the way, we reflect on Detroit’s own story—from the famed fist on Jefferson to a new statue honoring Louis the golfer, and the memory of Black Bottom as the city aims to rebuild with respect for what was lost.

If you care about sports history, World War II, civil rights, or Detroit’s legacy, this deep dive offers fresh insight into a champion whose greatest victories happened outside the ring. Listen, share with a friend, and tell us your takeaway—and if you enjoy the show, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find these stories.

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