Joseph Louis Barrow (May 14 (sources differ), 1914 – April 13, 1981), better known in the boxing world as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, was a native of LaFayette, Alabama and is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions. He held the title over 11 years and made a record 25 successful heavyweight title defenses. At a turbulent time in history, just before World War II, he became a popular and national hero, along with Jesse Owens, for both black and white America.

In 2003, Ring Magazine rated Joe Louis No. 1 on the list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. In 2005, Louis was named the greatest heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization
Source : Wikipedia