Louis-Schmeling Documentary Premieres on 90th Anniversary

A documentary examining the heavyweight rivalry between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling will premiere Friday on The HISTORY Channel, exactly 90 years after the two first met in the ring at Yankee Stadium.

"The Clash of Nations: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling" airs June 19 at 8 p.m. ET, according to The Ring. The film is executive produced by UNINTERRUPTED, the athlete storytelling brand founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter. James, Carter, Jamal Henderson and Matt Rissmiller serve as executive producers.

How Louis-Schmeling Rivalry Shaped World War II Era

The documentary traces the parallel careers of Louis and Schmeling as they rose through boxing against the backdrop of fascism in Europe and Jim Crow segregation in America. Their 1936 bout shocked the world when Schmeling stopped Louis in the 12th round, handing the Brown Bomber his first professional loss in what The Ring named Fight of the Year. The 1938 rematch at Yankee Stadium carried even heavier symbolism — democracy against Nazism — and Louis settled the score with a first-round knockout.

The film draws on archival footage and commentary from Joe Louis Barrow Jr., the champion's son, along with historians and authors. As the synopsis states, the documentary "brings new depth to a legendary rivalry" by exploring Louis' rise as a unifying American figure and Schmeling's complicated role as "a reluctant symbol of Nazi propaganda and a complex individual who defied simple categorization."

The documentary also examines the unlikely friendship the two fighters formed later in life and the lasting impact their clashes had on culture, politics and history. Both original fights took place at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Source: ringmagazine.com