THE RESURGENCE OF AN ICON By Jeff Mayweather

With the resurgence of Boxing, the sport is making its way to the big screen via HBO, Starz, ESPN, many other cable network channels and/or your local theater. I'm an avid movie goer and love the sport of boxing. There aren't very many boxing movies that I haven't seen. I was even fortunate enough to play a role in the boxing movie 'Body and Soul' which starred former world Lightweight Champion Ray "Boom Boom' Mancini, but enough said about me. One boxing movie that really intrigued me was the Sugar Ray Robinson story "Bright Lights and Dark Shadows;" of course there were also "Hurricane," "The Raging Bull," "Price of Glory" and the most recently released "Ali." I think they were all great and each told a story that went much deeper than just boxing. I watched the Joe Louis and Max Schmeling story just last week and this is a story that I'm most captivated about; not necessarily the subject itself, but it's the story of Joe Louis Barrow, born May 13th, 1914, who really peaked my interest when I came in contact with one of his offspring. I consider her to be a very dear friend and I marveled as how, when she spoke of her dad her face would light up with the sincerest of joy. The mere thought of him would bring such a great big smile to her face, so I decided to go a little deeper in my research of what this man was about and what he stood for. The only thing I really knew was that he was one hell of a fighter and sort of a super hero to his race during his reign as Heavyweight Champion of the world. His tenure as champion was very long-standing and it had major significance; he uplifted his race of people. He also produced a very beautiful daughter that I'm proud to know and associate with, Joyce Louis Barrow. When I think of Joe Louis now, I think of the man and what he stood for, rather than his achievements in the ring. Of course without his ring accomplishments, he would have been a great man undiscovered other than by those closest to him, but he was ours; Joe Louis belonged to the entire world. Louis and Muhammad Ali are probably the two most influential boxers of any decade. They were so different but yet quite the same. Joe, quite confident, carried not only his race of people on his back but the entire United States when he faced Max Schmeling in a quest to prove to Hitler that Germans were not the superior race. I'm sure that to Joe, he was just doing his job as a prizefighter but the stakes were much, much higher, and he prevailed. Ali was the complete opposite; brash, overflowing with confidence, he too came along during a time when his people needed a hero, the Civil Rights Movement, a real life Superman that could actually go in the ring and not be held down or back because of his race. He even took a political stand against the United States government for his beliefs. Yet their quest was the same, parallel to that of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King; same mission, different route to getting there. In our modern times as fighters we would compare Oscar De La Hoya's persona with Louis and Prince Naseem Hamed as the Ali of our modern era. Not because of their accomplishments but for their character. It's strange, now that I know so much about this man, it mortifies me that my generation and those that will come behind me are unaware of his accomplishments or his importance to the fiber of his African-American heritage. I train nine amateur fighters and not one really knew anything about Joe Louis; some didn't even know he was a fighter. I have shared with them the knowledge that I have obtained through my readings and through my frequent conversations with Louis' daughter. I'm now aware of the fact that Spike Lee is going to do a movie about Joe Louis' life. I really hope that this film will be a huge success and that a lot of parents will take their kids along to share this experience with them. I've been fortunate enough to get some of my information from people who lived during that era, (and boy do they have some made-for-movies stories to tell!) when they go back in time and try their best to take you back with them. They can remember exactly where they were on that day and time of the event  they're sharing with you. You can visualize time stopping and you being caught up in that moment. I've heard stories of Louis' kindness, stories of his generosity and stories of his hardships, and most importantly to me are the stories about him being a complete gentleman. We will forever miss you Mr. Joe Louis Barrow, you were truly a class act. Rest In Peace.   Brought to you by Saratogamist copyright 2001-2005