Editing Joe Louis (section)

==Legacy==
[[File:Monument to Joe Louis--.jpg|thumb|''[[Monument to Joe Louis]]'', erected in October 1986 in [[Detroit]]]]
Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. He reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1937 to 1949, during which he participated in 26 championship fights, defeated 21 fighters,<ref name=louis-21-fighters>{{Cite web|url=https://footballua.tv/sport/75041-ne-sobirayus-lomat-chelyust-vladimir-klichko-zagovoril-o-vozvrashchenii-v-ring|title=Не собираюсь ломать челюсть: Владимир Кличко заговорил о возвращении в ринг|access-date=20 March 2021|language=ru}}</ref><ref name=sobytia-v-bokse>{{Cite web|url=https://isport.ua/boxing/2589695-glavnye-sobytiya-desyatiletiya-boks|title=Главные события десятилетия: бокс|date=December 27, 2020|access-date=20 March 2021|language=ru}}</ref> made 25 defenses and was a world champion for 11 years and 10 months. The latter two are still records in the heavyweight division, the former in any division.<ref>{{Cite web |title=East Side Boxing: IBRO's 25 Greatest Fighters of All Time |url=http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=8921&more=1 |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref> Louis has won the most world heavyweight title fights in history, at 26.<ref name=louis-record-26>{{Cite web|url=https://sport.ua/news/536279-vladimiru-klichko-nuzhno-provesti-odin-chempionskiy-boy-dlya-povtoreniya-rekorda|title=Владимиру Кличко нужно провести один чемпионский бой для повторения рекорда|access-date=23 May 2021|language=Russian}}</ref><ref name=louis-record-26-2>{{Cite web|url=https://focus.ua/sport/481879-vperedi-taysona-i-ali-vladimir-klichko-vtoroy-v-mire-po-kolichestvu-vyigrannyh-chempionskih-boev|title=Впереди Тайсона и Али: Владимир Кличко – второй в мире по количеству выигранных чемпионских боев |date=May 6, 2021 |access-date=23 May 2021|language=Russian}}</ref><ref name=louis-record-26-3>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-sports/3240341-volodimir-klicko-drugij-v-istorii-boksu-za-kilkistu-vigranih-cempionskih-boiv.html|title=Володимир Кличко другий в історії боксу за кількістю виграних чемпіонських боїв|date=May 5, 2021 |access-date=23 May 2021|language=uk}}</ref>  In addition to his accomplishments inside the ring, Louis uttered two of boxing's most famous observations: "He can run, but he can't hide" and "Everyone has a plan until they've been hit".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sugar |first=Bert Randolph |title=Boxing's Greatest Fighters: Joe Louis |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2449309 |access-date=April 29, 2009 |website=ESPN|date=May 17, 2006 }}</ref><ref name=arlington/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Top 10 Greatest Boxers of All Time |date=September 12, 2006 |url=http://techblogbiz.blogspot.com/2006/09/top-10-greatest-boxers-of-all-time.html |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref>

Louis was named fighter of the year four times by ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring]]'' magazine in 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1941. His fights with Max Baer, Max Schmeling, Tommy Farr, Bob Pastor and Billy Conn were named fight of the year by that same magazine. Louis won the [[Sugar Ray Robinson Award]] in 1941. In 2005, Louis was ranked as the best heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization,<ref>{{Cite web |title=All Time Rankings <!-- he has 19 gold medals, 8 silver, and 3 bronze (commented out 2/27/22) --> |url=http://www.ibroresearch.com/All+Time+Rankings.htm |date=March 2005 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707114512/http://www.ibroresearch.com/All%20Time%20Rankings.htm |archive-date=July 7, 2007 |website=International Boxing Research Organization |access-date=February 27, 2022}}</ref> and was ranked number one on ''[[The Ring (magazine)|The Ring]]'' magazine's list of the "100 greatest punchers of all time".<ref name="PBS1">{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2004 |title=Joe Louis (1914–1981) |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/fight/peopleevents/p_louis.html |access-date=June 24, 2012 |website=The American Experience The Fight |publisher=Public Broadcasting System}}</ref><ref name="boxrec-hw-annuals">{{Cite web |title=BoxRec's Annual Ratings: Heavyweight Annuals |url=https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/BoxRec%27s_Annual_Ratings:_Heavyweight_Annuals |access-date=December 25, 2020 |publisher=BoxRec}}</ref><ref name="louis-record">{{Cite web |title=Professional boxing record: Joe Louis |url=https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/9027 |access-date=March 14, 2020}}</ref> In a 1978 poll conducted by [[HBO]], the [[Boxing Writers Association of America|Boxing Writers of America]] voted Louis the greatest heavyweight of all time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Fresno Bee 11 May 1978, page 54 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/704088186/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en |quote="On Tuesday, the Boxing Writers of America voted Sugar Ray not only the best boxer of all time, but also the best middleweight and best welterweight. Joe Louis beat out Muhammad Ali as the best heavyweight, Archie Moore was named the best light heavyweight and Roberto Duran, the current champ, was voted the best lightweight in the balloting, conducted by Home Box Office."}}</ref> [[Hank Kaplan]], [[Bert Sugar]], [[Teddy Atlas]], [[George Foreman]], [[Joe Frazier]], and [[Sugar Ray Robinson]] named Louis as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=139046|title=Bert Sugar's top 10 Greatest Heavyweights: BoxRec|website=boxrec.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.silive.com/sports/2016/06/teddy_atlas_speaks_of_the_geni.html|title=Teddy Atlas speaks of the 'genius' of Muhammad Ali|first=Stephen|last=Hart|date=June 6, 2016|website=silive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-there-s-never-been-a-boxer-better-than-joe-louis-you-d-take-one-shot-from-him-and-you-george-foreman-61-66-71.jpg|title=AZ quotes – George Foreman about Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://quotefancy.com/quote/1017087/Joe-Frazier-Joe-Louis-is-the-greatest-heavyweight-champion-of-all-time-Rocky-Marciano-is|title=Joe Frazier Quote: "Joe Louis is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time. Rocky Marciano is second only to Louis. Where do I rate Ali?..."|website=quotefancy.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bright Lights Gone for Boxing's 'Sugar Man'. The Fresno Bee 11 May 1978, page 54 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/704088186/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en |quote="...if you ask me who I think was the greatest ever, two fellows come to my mind — Henry Armstrong and Joe Louis. What a little fighting guy Henry was! And Joe had the fastest hands I ever saw!"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=March 1978 |title=Who is the greatest heavyweight champion of all time? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oACqry5GZ-sC&dq=ebony+magazine+joe+louis+muhammad+ali+greatest+of+all+time+black+sportswriters&pg=PA125 |journal=Ebony Magazine |pages=132 |access-date=August 31, 2023 |quote="Joe Louis was the greatest heavyweight I ever seen!" Robinson says. "Everybody knows he could hit, but, in my opinion, he had the fastest hands of anyone—including Ali!" |via=Google books}}</ref>

Louis is also remembered in sports outside of boxing. A former indoor sports venue was named after him in Detroit, the [[Joe Louis Arena]], where the [[Detroit Red Wings]] played their [[National Hockey League|NHL]] games from 1979 to 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joe Louis Arena: Official Site |url=http://www.olympiaentertainment.com/venues/joelouisarena.jsp?dispPos=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522111716/http://www.olympiaentertainment.com/venues/joelouisarena.jsp?dispPos=1 |archive-date=May 22, 2009 |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref> In 1936, [[Vince Leah]], then a writer for ''[[The Winnipeg Tribune]]'' used Joe Louis's nickname to refer to the Winnipeg Football Club after a game. From that point, the team became known popularly as the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winnipeg Blue Bombers Official Site |url=http://www.bluebombers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=166&Itemid=94 |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jim Coleman|last=Coleman|first=Jim|author-link=Jim Coleman (journalist)|date=May 9, 1980|newspaper=[[Edmonton Journal]]|location=Edmonton, Alberta|page=34|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/94042698/leah-1980/}}{{free access}}</ref>

His recognition also transcends the sporting world. In 2002, scholar [[Molefi Kete Asante]] listed Joe Louis on his list of [[100 Greatest African Americans]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Asante |first=Molefi Kete |title=100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia |publisher=Prometheus |year=2002 |isbn=978-1573929639 |location=Amherst, New York |pages=207–209}}</ref> On August 26, 1982, Louis was posthumously approved for the [[Congressional Gold Medal]], the highest award given to civilians by the U.S. legislative branch.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives: Recipients of the Congressional Gold Medal |url=http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref> Congress stated that he "did so much to bolster the spirit of the American people during one of the most crucial times in American history and which have endured throughout the years as a symbol of strength for the nation".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Y2u.co.uk Biography of Joe Louis |url=http://famous.y2u.co.uk/F_Joe_Louis_Boxer_Champ_A1.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226124951/http://famous.y2u.co.uk/F_Joe_Louis_Boxer_Champ_A1.htm |archive-date=December 26, 2008 |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref> Following Louis's death, President [[Ronald Reagan]] said, "Joe Louis was more than a sports legend—his career was an indictment of racial bigotry and a source of pride and inspiration to millions of white and black people around the world".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement By President Ronald Reagan on the Death of Former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Joe Louis April 13, 1981 |url=http://www.congressionalgoldmedal.com/JoeLouis.htm |access-date=August 1, 2007 |archive-date=August 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825153113/http://www.congressionalgoldmedal.com/JoeLouis.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On October 16, 1986, a [[Monument to Joe Louis|memorial to Louis]] was dedicated at Jefferson Avenue and Woodward in [[Detroit]]. The sculpture, commissioned by [[Time Warner|Time, Inc.]] and executed by [[Robert Graham (sculptor)|Robert Graham]], is a {{convert|24|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} arm with a fisted hand suspended by a {{convert|24|ft|m|adj=mid|-high}} pyramidal framework. It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fist of a Champion – Detroit's Monument to Joe Louis |date=November 26, 2007 |url=http://michpics.wordpress.com/2007/11/26/fist-of-a-champion-detroits-monument-to-joe-louis/ |access-date=January 14, 2015}}</ref>

In an interview with [[Arsenio Hall]] in the late 1980s, former heavyweight champion [[Muhammad Ali]] stated that his two biggest influences in boxing were [[Sugar Ray Robinson]] and Joe Louis.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 13, 2008 |title=Muhammad Ali @ Arsenio Hall, Part 1 of 3 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBmoGV2FTw | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316020932/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhBmoGV2FTw| archive-date=2012-03-16|access-date=December 31, 2013 |publisher=YouTube}}</ref> After Joe Louis died, Ali stated, "Whatever I said before, I don't mean it, 'cause Joe Louis was the greatest."<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Kindred |first=Dave |date=1981-04-18 |title=A Sad Funeral for 'Poor Joe' Ends as Celebration of a Hero |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1981/04/18/a-sad-funeral-for-poor-joe-ends-as-celebration-of-a-hero/3b1f0170-bf0b-4533-853a-997bacb99eef/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Ali then told the [[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]:  <blockquote>

<small>Look at Joe's life. Everybody loved Joe. He would have been marked as evil if he was evil, but everybody loved Joe. From black folks to red-neck Mississippi crackers, they loved him. They're all crying. That shows you. Howard Hughes dies, with all his billions, not a tear. Joe Louis, everybody cried.</small><ref name=":0" />  </blockquote>On February 27, 2010, an {{convert|8|ft|m|adj=on}} bronze statue of Louis was unveiled in his Alabama hometown. The statue, by sculptor Casey Downing Jr., sits on a base of red granite outside the Chambers County Courthouse.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statue of Joe Louis unveiled in Alabama hometown |date=February 28, 2010 |url=http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/02/statue_of_joe_louis_unveiled_i.html |access-date=March 3, 2010}}</ref>

In 1993, he became the first boxer to be honored on a postage stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Joe Louis Stamp, 1993 |url=http://www.sites.si.edu/images/exhibits/Art%20of%20the%20Stamp/pages/Joe-Louis_jpg.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412054157/http://www.sites.si.edu/images/exhibits/Art%20of%20the%20Stamp/pages/Joe-Louis_jpg.htm |archive-date=April 12, 2009 |access-date=April 28, 2009}}</ref>

Various other facilities have been named after Joe Louis. In 1984, the four streets surrounding [[Madison Square Garden]] were named Joe Louis Plaza in his honor. The former Pipe O' Peace Golf Course in [[Riverdale, Illinois]] (a Chicago suburb), was in 1986 renamed "Joe Louis The Champ Golf Course".<ref>{{Cite web |title=TheGolfCourses.net |url=http://www.thegolfcourses.net/golfcourses/IL/9664.htm |access-date=April 29, 2009}}</ref> [[American Legion]] Post 375 in Detroit is also named after Joe Louis. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $4 million, Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe, was a hockey arena located in downtown Detroit. It was the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League from 1979 until 2017. The planned demolition of the Arena prompted the City of Detroit in 2017 to rename the Inner Circle Greenway as the [[Joe Louis Greenway]]. The {{convert|39|mi|km|0|adj=on}} biking and walking trail  passes through the cities of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Dearborn.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Goodbye, Inner Circle Greenway. Hello, Joe Louis Greenway. |url=http://detroitgreenways.org/goodbye-inner-circle-greenway-hello-joe-louis-greenway/ |access-date=May 14, 2018 |website=Detroit Greenways Coalition|date=October 30, 2017 }}</ref>

In one of the most widely quoted tributes to Louis, ''[[New York Post]]'' sportswriter [[Jimmy Cannon]], when responding to another person's characterization of Louis as "a credit to his race", stated, "Yes, Joe Louis is a credit to his race—the human race".<ref>[[#Roberts|Roberts]], p. 491.</ref>
[[File:SGT. JOE LOUIS - CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS - NARA - 535687.jpg|thumb|Illustration of Joe Louis by Charles Henry Alston]]
Joe Louis trained at the site of the [[Pompton Lakes]] (NJ) Elks Club.  When he won one of his fights, he donated the first ambulance to the Pompton Lakes First Aid Squad.