A unique exploration of heavyweight champion Joe Louis, his impact on Black golfers, and his fight against the PGA.

Joe Louis Barrow was born in the Deep South and rose from the depths of poverty to become one of the most beloved sports figures of the mid-twentieth century. Although he is best known as a world heavyweight boxing champion, few people know of Joe Louis's profound impact on African-American golf or the part he played in the transformation of the Professional Golfers Association.

In The Biggest Fight of His Life, H. David Stone chronicles the incredibly powerful role Joe Louis played in elevating and supporting Black golfers during a time when they were banned from competing in PGA tournaments. Stone reveals how Louis leveraged his celebrity status to enhance golf's visibility in the African American community, financially support Black pros and amateurs, and showcase the talent of Black golfers. Louis battled Jim Crow laws while serving in the Army during World War II, and Stone shows how Louis continued his fight against discrimination after his discharge, taking on the PGA's “Caucasian Only Clause” and calling it the “biggest fight of my life.”

This singular biography not only chronicles the life and career of Joe Louis, who was himself an accomplished amateur golfer, but also serves as a tribute to pioneering Black golfers-men like Ted Rhodes, Bill Spiller, Charlie Sifford, and Lee Elder. Their journeys and Louis's reveal a lasting legacy that deserve their place in the annals of golf history.

This title views best in tablet-style eReaders.
This is a set of uncorrected page proofs. It is not a finished book and is not expected to look like one. Errors in spelling, page length, format and so forth will all be corrected by the time the book is published several months from now. Photos and diagrams, which may be included in the finished book, may not be included in this format. Uncorrected proofs are primarily useful so that you, the reader, might know months before actual publication what the author and publisher are offering. If you plan to quote the text in your review, you must check it with the publicist or against the final version. Please contact USPR@bloomsbury.com with any questions. Thank you!