I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing and Joe Louis
...etroit in 1924, at ten years old, he became involved in boxing and because of his childhood in Alabama, he had the “instinct” and drive of a true boxer. He would come to face various challenges on his way to becoming a champion: his skin colour, his different style of boxing, and every white boxer wanted a chance to prove that he was a loser and defeat him in the ring. Not only would he overcome each challenge but he would become a champion prize fighter and an icon to his people. As a Black man wanting to step into the world of boxing, it was a rough and harsh road to walk. The boxing ring was dominated by people of light-coloured skin. Even though Jack Johnson had proved that a Black boxer could win the heavyweight champion title, Joe Louis had to work hard, giving all he could, and after ten years would he finally be recognized as a professional boxer, winning the Golden Gloves in lightweight boxing. Joe Louis won his first twenty seven fights, all won by knockouts but four, with a style and skill that the boxing world had rarely seen. He won twelve contests in his first year of being a professional boxer, proving his worth and moving up fast to the pyramid of the heavyweight class. People of all colours rushed to watch him fight with his unique approach to boxing; he even had white people rooting for him, although numbers were slim. It wasn’t until June of 1935 would he show the whole world what he was capable of by defeating Primo Carnera, the former heavyweight champion. The fight was held in Yankee Stadium with sixty two thousand screaming fans. It would take him two more years to become a Heavyweight Champion but the fight against Primo Carnera proved a huge turning point in his career, and Maya’s people. “My race groaned…” is an appropriate statement from Maya. “It was our people falling.” As Joe Louis went down from Carnera’s punch, it was as i...