Lot # 1468: June 22, 1938 Joe Louis Versus Max Schmeling II Official On-Site Yankee Stadium Program

The propaganda was as thick as the backroom cigar smoke, when this Joe Louis-Max Schmeling II heavyweight championship fight program was issued at Yankee stadium on June 22, 1938. Two years earlier, Schmeling detected a drop in the "Brown Bomber's" guard after throwing a jab, and he exploited this flaw to stop Louis in the 12th round. To Hitler and the Nazi Party, Schmeling a shining example of Aryan superiority, while Louis was seen as a symbol of American freedom and opportunity. By the time their rematch took place, Louis had beaten James J. Braddock to claim the heavyweight title, and he had defended his crown three times. Louis needed just 2 minutes and four seconds to stop Schmeling in their second fight, which was recorded as a first round TKO. Fronted with a colorful art-deco style cover, this vintage on-site souvenir is a complete, intact and solid Vg+ example.