“Louis is widely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, a man who broke racial barriers, a national hero. But Louis also broke racial barriers in golf,” the Detroit city government wrote in a press release a year ago, when the project was first announced. 

“Louis began playing golf in 1935 and became a major supporter of the United Golf Association (UGA), the African American organization that conducted tournaments nationwide. And as an amateur golfer, he was the first African American to play in a PGA-sanctioned event.”

The statue sits on a newly opened section of the Joe Louis Greenway, a bicycling and walking trail that now has six miles available of what will ultimately be a 30-mile route.

“He had a love affair with golf,” said Louis’ daughter, Joyce Barrow-Henderson. “If you asked Mr. [Jack] Blackburn, my dad’s trainer, he would probably tell you that golf is the reason that he lost that first fight to [Max] Schmeling, because he fell in love with golf and spent a little bit too much time on the greens.

Other cities also have statues dedicated to Louis – in fighting form – including Lafayette, Alabama (where he lived until the age of 12); and Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Caesars Palace hotel and casino.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.