'Clash of Nations' review: Joe Louis-Max Schmeling's legendary fights, legacy revisited in History doc originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Joe Louis Barrow Jr. believes context is always important.
In that sense, he appreciated watching how The History Channel depicted his father Joe Louis in the documentary "The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling," which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on History. How those two boxers collided in two fights in the 1930s and their surroundings is the context behind the story-telling that requires that appreciation.
"The understanding of Joe Louis growing up the way that he did, in the environment that he did, and then juxtaposed Max Schmeling growing up the way that he did, and the environment in Germany at the time. I enjoyed that context," Louis Barrow Jr. told The Sporting News. "People don't realize that Joe Louis grew up in a very segregated community, and he was one of the few African-American people who was revered by all of America over time."
"The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling" explores those themes in both the United States and pre-World War II Germany. Louis dealt with racism during his rise as a heavyweight champion boxer – which coincided with the Harlem Renaissance in New York. Schmeling became a propaganda figure for Adolf Hitler during the rise of ****** Germany. Legendary boxing ****** ysts Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant are among the experts who offer insight.
Joe Louis Barrow Jr. believes context is always important.
In that sense, he appreciated watching how The History Channel depicted his father Joe Louis in the documentary "The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling," which airs Friday at 8 p.m. ET on History. How those two boxers collided in two fights in the 1930s and their surroundings is the context behind the story-telling that requires that appreciation.
"The understanding of Joe Louis growing up the way that he did, in the environment that he did, and then juxtaposed Max Schmeling growing up the way that he did, and the environment in Germany at the time. I enjoyed that context," Louis Barrow Jr. told The Sporting News. "People don't realize that Joe Louis grew up in a very segregated community, and he was one of the few African-American people who was revered by all of America over time."
"The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling" explores those themes in both the United States and pre-World War II Germany. Louis dealt with racism during his rise as a heavyweight champion boxer – which coincided with the Harlem Renaissance in New York. Schmeling became a propaganda figure for Adolf Hitler during the rise of ****** Germany. Legendary boxing ****** ysts Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant are among the experts who offer insight.
3 months ago
