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Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn: Boxing's Unforgettable Summer of 1941 - Hardcover | Diverse Reads

Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn: Boxing's Unforgettable Summer of 1941

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Sports fans had much to occupy themselves with during the memorable summer of ’41, including New York Yankees great Joe DiMaggio's record-setting consecutive games hit streak and Boston Red Sox star Ted Williams' dogged pursuit of batting .400. No sports story, however, loomed larger that summer than Joe Louis versus Billy Conn, the hard-hitting heavyweight champion, Detroit’s "Brown Bomber," battling the stylish and cocky "Pittsburgh Kid.” Considered one of the greatest matches in boxing history, the fight saw the underdog Conn well ahead on points until Louis knocked him out in the 13th round. Ed Gruver captures the high drama of that sultry night at the Polo Grounds, the brash confidence of the challenger from Pittsburgh, and the quiet dignity of the Black champion Louis, who personified “the memory of every injustice practiced upon his people and the memory of every triumph.”

ISBN-13: 9781493066643

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers - Inc.

Publication Date: 07-15-2022

Pages: 264

Product Dimensions: 6.20(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.00(d)

Ed Gruver is the author of eight books, including Bringing the Monster to Its Knees: Ben Hogan, Oakland Hills, and the 1951 U.S. Open, From Baltimore to Broadway: Joe, the Jets and the Super Bowl III Guarantee, Nitschke, Koufax, The Ice Bowl: The Cold Truth About Football’s Most Unforgettable Game, and The American Football League: A Year-by-Year History, 1960-69. He also writes for Ringside Seat magazine.

Table of Contents

Foreword: "Win or Lose Fighting" vii

Prologue: A Match of Will and Skill xi

Chapter 1 Detroit Brown Bomber 1

Chapter 2 Pittsburgh Kid 33

Chapter 3 Chappie and Johnny 61

Chapter 4 Prelude to a Classic Confrontation 79

Chapter 5 The Ballpark and the Broadcaster 99

Chapter 6 "He Can Run, But He Can't Hide" 117

Chapter 7 Conn-fidence 135

Chapter 8 Black Moses 149

Chapter 9 "Knock This SOB Out!" 163

Chapter 10 "You've Got a Fight Tonight!" 179

Epilogue: Greatest Heavyweight Championship Ever? 197

Acknowledgments 221

Sources 222

Index 224