"max schmeling is in new york to train for his long anticpiated crack at the world heavyweight title. 22, 1938 so special was nearly everything else surrounding it. louis was just the second african-american to become heavyweight champ, beating james braddock to take the title in 1937. he became a symbol of what blackmericans could become the civil rights movement began to make inroads. schmeling was the complicated champion of nazi germany. a man who once raised the nazi salute after beating an american in hamburg. a guy who had teaith hitler. his fights in the states. for louis, that meant not only trying top a man who knocked him out in the 12th round of their previous bout in 1936 very sure i had it in hand" at a time when fears of a second world war were building by the day. contract was signed, louise houe president franklin d. roosevelt was quoted in the new york times as saying: "joe, we need muscles like yours to beat germany" the challenge. night of june the 22." "ding - ding - ding" pounded schmeling for two minutes and four seconds. it wasn't even a contest. louis forced t