Joe Louis Record
| Total Fights | 69 |
|---|---|
| Wins | 66 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No-Contests | 0 |
| Title Wins | 3 |
|---|---|
| Title Defenses | 26 |
| Title-Fight KOs | 23 |
| KO Wins | 52 |
| KO Losses | 2 |
Featured Opponents
What is Joe Louis' boxing record?
In a professional boxing career spanning 17 years and three months, Joe Louis fought 69 times with 66 wins and 3 losses.
Louis retired from professional boxing with a record of 66-3, which included three heavyweight world-title wins and 26 successful title defense fights. He had a 75.4% knockouts-to-fights ratio with 52 of his total 69 fights being knockout wins, 23 of which were in title fights. Louis suffered two knockout losses, both of which were in non-title fights.
His last fight was a 8th round TKO defeat to Rocky Marciano on October 26, 1951.
Some of Louis' best fights and notable victories include wins over eight Hall-of-Famers (Jimmy Bivins, Jersey Joe Walcott, Billy Conn, John Henry Lewis, Max Schmeling, James J. Braddock, Jack Sharkey, and Max Baer), Primo Carnera.
| # | Date | Age | Opponent | Res | Via |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69 | Oct 26, 1951 | 37 | Rocky Marciano | Loss | TKO8 |
| 68 | Aug 15, 1951 | 37 | Jimmy Bivins | Win | UD |
| 67 | Aug 1, 1951 | 37 | Cesar Brion | Win | UD |
| 66 | Jun 15, 1951 | 37 | Lee Savold | Win | KO6 |
| 65 | May 2, 1951 | 36 | Omelio Agramonte | Win | UD |
| 64 | Feb 23, 1951 | 36 | Andy Walker | Win | TKO10 |
| 63 | Feb 7, 1951 | 36 | Omelio Agramonte | Win | UD |
| 62 | Jan 3, 1951 | 36 | Freddie Beshore | Win | TKO4 |
| 61 | Nov 29, 1950 | 36 | Cesar Brion | Win | UD |
| 60 | Sep 27, 1950 | 36 | Ezzard Charles | Loss * | UD |
| 59 | Jun 25, 1948 | 34 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Win * | KO11 |
| 58 | Dec 5, 1947 | 33 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Win * | SD |
| 57 | Sep 18, 1946 | 32 | Tami Mauriello | Win * | KO1 |
| 56 | Jun 19, 1946 | 32 | Billy Conn | Win * | KO8 |
| 55 | Nov 14, 1944 | 30 | Johnny Davis | Win * | TKO1 |
| 54 | Mar 27, 1942 | 27 | Abe Simon | Win * | TKO6 |
| 53 | Jan 9, 1942 | 27 | Buddy Baer | Win * | KO1 |
| 52 | Sep 29, 1941 | 27 | Lou Nova | Win * | TKO6 |
| 51 | Jun 18, 1941 | 27 | Billy Conn | Win * | KO13 |
| 50 | May 23, 1941 | 27 | Buddy Baer | Win * | DQ |
| 49 | Apr 8, 1941 | 26 | Tony Musto | Win * | TKO9 |
| 48 | Mar 21, 1941 | 26 | Abe Simon | Win * | TKO13 |
| 47 | Feb 17, 1941 | 26 | Gus Dorazio | Win * | KO2 |
| 46 | Jan 31, 1941 | 26 | Red Burman | Win * | KO5 |
| 45 | Dec 16, 1940 | 26 | Al McCoy | Win * | RTD5 |
| 44 | Jun 20, 1940 | 26 | Arturo Godoy | Win * | TKO8 |
| 43 | Mar 29, 1940 | 25 | Johnny Paychek | Win * | TKO2 |
| 42 | Feb 9, 1940 | 25 | Arturo Godoy | Win * | SD |
| 41 | Sep 20, 1939 | 25 | Bob Pastor | Win * | KO11 |
| 40 | Jun 28, 1939 | 25 | Tony Galento | Win * | TKO4 |
| 39 | Apr 17, 1939 | 24 | Jack Roper | Win * | KO1 |
| 38 | Jan 25, 1939 | 24 | John Henry Lewis | Win * | KO1 |
| 37 | Jun 22, 1938 | 24 | Max Schmeling | Win * | KO1 |
| 36 | Apr 4, 1938 | 23 | Harry Thomas | Win * | KO5 |
| 35 | Feb 23, 1938 | 23 | Nathan Mann | Win * | KO3 |
| 34 | Aug 30, 1937 | 23 | Tommy Farr | Win * | UD |
| 33 | Jun 22, 1937 | 23 | James J. Braddock | Win * | KO8 |
| 32 | Feb 17, 1937 | 22 | Natie Brown | Win | KO4 |
| 31 | Jan 29, 1937 | 22 | Bob Pastor | Win | UD |
| 30 | Jan 11, 1937 | 22 | Steve Ketchel | Win | KO2 |
| 29 | Dec 14, 1936 | 22 | Eddie Simms | Win | TKO1 |
| 28 | Oct 9, 1936 | 22 | Jorge Brescia | Win | KO3 |
| 27 | Sep 22, 1936 | 22 | Al Ettore | Win | KO5 |
| 26 | Aug 18, 1936 | 22 | Jack Sharkey | Win | KO3 |
| 25 | Jun 19, 1936 | 22 | Max Schmeling | Loss | KO12 |
| 24 | Jan 17, 1936 | 21 | Charley Retzlaff | Win | KO1 |
| 23 | Dec 13, 1935 | 21 | Paulino Uzcudun | Win | TKO4 |
| 22 | Sep 24, 1935 | 21 | Max Baer | Win | KO4 |
| 21 | Aug 7, 1935 | 21 | King Levinsky | Win | TKO1 |
| 20 | Jun 25, 1935 | 21 | Primo Carnera | Win | TKO6 |
| 19 | Apr 22, 1935 | 20 | Biff Bennett | Win | KO1 |
| 18 | Apr 12, 1935 | 20 | Roy Lazer | Win | KO3 |
| 17 | Mar 29, 1935 | 20 | Natie Brown | Win | UD |
| 16 | Mar 8, 1935 | 20 | Don Barry | Win | TKO3 |
| 15 | Feb 21, 1935 | 20 | Lee Ramage | Win | TKO2 |
| 14 | Jan 11, 1935 | 20 | Hans Birkie | Win | TKO10 |
| 13 | Jan 4, 1935 | 20 | Patsy Perroni | Win | PTS |
| 12 | Dec 14, 1934 | 20 | Lee Ramage | Win | TKO8 |
| 11 | Nov 30, 1934 | 20 | Charley Massera | Win | KO3 |
| 10 | Nov 14, 1934 | 20 | Stanley Poreda | Win | KO1 |
| 9 | Oct 31, 1934 | 20 | Jack O'Dowd | Win | KO2 |
| 8 | Oct 24, 1934 | 20 | Art Sykes | Win | KO8 |
| 7 | Sep 26, 1934 | 20 | Adolph Wiater | Win | PTS |
| 6 | Sep 11, 1934 | 20 | Al Delaney | Win | TKO4 |
| 5 | Aug 27, 1934 | 20 | Buck Everett | Win | KO2 |
| 4 | Aug 13, 1934 | 20 | Jack Kranz | Win | UD |
| 3 | Jul 30, 1934 | 20 | Larry Udell | Win | TKO2 |
| 2 | Jul 12, 1934 | 20 | Willie Davies | Win | TKO3 |
| 1 | Jul 7, 1934 | 20 | Jack Kracken | Win | KO1 |
* World-title fight
Boxing career
Joe Louis (Brown Bomber) was an American professional boxer. He was born in LaFayette, Alabama, U.S. on May 13, 1914. He was a heavyweight world champion. He died on April 12, 1981 at the age of 66 years. Louis was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990. His professional boxing career spanned more than 17 years — from 1934 to 1951.
Louis made his professional boxing debut against Jack Kracken at the age of 20 on July 7, 1934, defeating Kracken via 1st round KO. He went on to win 23 more consecutive fights after the debut, which included 19 wins via stoppage.
He had his first world title fight at the age of 23 on June 22, 1937 after 32 professional fights, against James J. Braddock for the heavyweight NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring titles. He defeated Braddock via 8th round KO to become the heavyweight champion of the world.
Louis won one world title at heavyweight. For all the details about Louis' world title wins and defenses refer to the "Championships" section below.
Louis had a total of three losses in his professional boxing career.
His last professional fight was a non-title bout against fellow American boxer Rocky Marciano at 37 years of age, on October 26, 1951. Louis lost the fight via 8th round TKO.
Championships
Louis had a total of 28 world-title fights, which includes winning three world titles and 26 successful title defenses. He won 27 of these fights and lost one.
Title Wins
Joe Louis fought for a heavyweight world title in two fights and won once, which came via way of stoppage. He won one heavyweight belt.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Won | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 1937 | James J. Braddock | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
Title Defenses
Joe Louis had 26 heavyweight world-title defense fights. He won all of these fights.
| Date | Opponent | Division | Titles Defended | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 1948 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Dec 5, 1947 | Jersey Joe Walcott | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | SD |
| Sep 18, 1946 | Tami Mauriello | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Jun 19, 1946 | Billy Conn | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Nov 14, 1944 | Johnny Davis | Heavyweight | NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Mar 27, 1942 | Abe Simon | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Jan 9, 1942 | Buddy Baer | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Sep 29, 1941 | Lou Nova | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Jun 18, 1941 | Billy Conn | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| May 23, 1941 | Buddy Baer | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | DQ |
| Apr 8, 1941 | Tony Musto | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Mar 21, 1941 | Abe Simon | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Feb 17, 1941 | Gus Dorazio | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Jan 31, 1941 | Red Burman | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Dec 16, 1940 | Al McCoy | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | RTD |
| Jun 20, 1940 | Arturo Godoy | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Mar 29, 1940 | Johnny Paychek | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Feb 9, 1940 | Arturo Godoy | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | SD |
| Sep 20, 1939 | Bob Pastor | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Jun 28, 1939 | Tony Galento | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | TKO |
| Apr 17, 1939 | Jack Roper | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Jan 25, 1939 | John Henry Lewis | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Jun 22, 1938 | Max Schmeling | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Apr 4, 1938 | Harry Thomas | Heavyweight | NBA, The Ring | KO |
| Feb 23, 1938 | Nathan Mann | Heavyweight | NBA, NYSAC, The Ring | KO |
| Aug 30, 1937 | Tommy Farr | Heavyweight | NYSAC, The Ring | UD |
Highlights
Louis fought a total of 69 times during his professional career, which includes 28 world-title fights at the heavyweight division. He was among the very best of his generation and is one of the pound-for-pound best boxers of all time. These nine fights are the highlight of his career.
June 25, 1935: Joe Louis puts on the first remarkable performance of his career, defeating Primo Carnera via 6th round TKO.
September 24, 1935: Joe Louis beats Max Baer via 4th round KO.
August 18, 1936: Joe Louis beats Jack Sharkey via 3rd round KO.
June 22, 1937: Louis wins his first world titles by defeating James J. Braddock via 8th round KO. He is now the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight world champion.
June 22, 1938: Louis successfully defends the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles against Max Schmeling, winning the fight via 1st round KO.
June 18, 1941: Louis successfully defends the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles against Billy Conn, winning the fight via 13th round KO.
June 19, 1946: Louis successfully defends the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles against Billy Conn, winning the fight via 8th round KO.
December 5, 1947: Louis successfully defends the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles against Jersey Joe Walcott, winning the fight via 15 round split decision.
June 25, 1948: Louis successfully defends the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring heavyweight titles against Jersey Joe Walcott, winning the fight via 11th round KO.
FAQs
How many KOs does Joe Louis have on his record?
Louis knocked out 52 of his 69 opponents. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 75.4%. Of his total 66 wins, 52 of them were via KO (78.8%).
What was Joe Louis' first world title win?
Louis' first world-title win were the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring belts at heavyweight. He defeated James J. Braddock via 8 round KO to win the titles.
How many world titles did Joe Louis win?
Louis won one world title at heavyweight.
How many title defenses did Joe Louis make?
Louis had 26 successful title defense fights.