A look back at local, national and world events through Deseret News archives.
The buildup was epic.
Mid-June, 1937. Joe Louis would meet titleholder Jim Braddock for the world heavyweight boxing title. The fight would be in Chicago, one of the best locales for these big events. The heavyweight division, which also included Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney and others, was packed with talent. And the sports public ate it up.
On June 22, 1937, coverage in the Deseret News included these headlines:
“60,000 will see mixed title fight tonight”
“Louis is favored to whip champ”
“Fight is likely to be a slam-banger”
“Braddock’s courage isn’t enough, says Rice”
And those were just the headlines. The cover of the sports section also included breakdowns of the two fighters and other details, as well as a humorous story of how Dempsey and Tunney, rivals in the ring, had to sit side-by-side in the airplane while traveling to the fight.
The headline the next day read:
“Bomber blasts Braddock off fistic throne: Louis wears down Old Jim for 7 rounds then lets him have it”