Joe Louis was a national hero who helped symbolize American resistance to fascism, yet he ended up working as a casino greeter in Las Vegas and wrestling professionally to pay a tax debt to the government he served. This episode follows him from a sharecropping family in Alabama and the Great Migration to Detroit, the boxing gloves he reportedly hid in a violin case, and the managers who took half his earnings while shaping a carefully controlled public image.

We cover his win over Primo Carnera, his loss to Max Schmeling, his 1938 rematch knockout in about two minutes at Yankee Stadium, and his wartime service, including helping Jackie Robinson reach officer candidate school. Then we explain how money from charity bouts led to a massive IRS bill, his painful comeback against Rocky Marciano, his challenge to the PGA’s Caucasian-only clause, and Schmeling’s later friendship and support.

• The rules his managers imposed to avoid the backlash Jack Johnson faced
• Why the 1938 Schmeling rematch carried the weight of a looming world war
• How Louis used his influence in a segregated army
• How charity bouts for the military turned into a tax trap
• His later years, from wrestling and Las Vegas to burial at Arlington