What Types Of Drugs Was Joe Louis Addicted To?

[StarshipTrooper]

I thought it was in reference to his career, my bad. But as I've said, many fighters have had associations with such people, I don't see it as a big deal unless a career was actually being manipulated.

Liston was also associated with Lesnick: In fact, the rumor was at the time that it was Lesnick who ordered Sonny "rubbed out".

Poet

[CarlosG815]

I thought it was in reference to his career, my bad. But as I've said, many fighters have had associations with such people, I don't see it as a big deal unless a career was actually being manipulated.

No, all of this went down after he retired and was broke.

[JAB5239]

Liston was also associated with Lesnick: In fact, the rumor was at the time that it was Lesnick who ordered Sonny "rubbed out".

Poet

I didn't know that. I appreciate the info my friend.

[mickey malone]

Here is an article that mentions it.

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2003/01/12/story41253528.asp

Instead of an honourable retirement, Louis was swallowed up by the sharks circling the boxing business, and gradually pulled into the netherworld of drugs, drink, violence and the mob.

It spat him out in the late-1960s; broke and addicted to heroin. Louis' third wife helped to pull him back from the brink of self destruction. But one of the greatest ever heavyweight champions in the world was to finish his life as a 'meeter and greeter' at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

What I read had a little more detail but I can't seem to find it. He suffered from massive paranoia always thinking the mob was after him and that the crooks he had conspired with were always trying to kill him.

I've seen it somewhere too.. He got into the party scene after he retired, and enjoyed a few lines of coke to begin with.. Like all addictions, it probably got out of control and he may have gone on to heroin when his money ran out, which is familiar story you'll hear from a lot of drug addicts..

I'm fairly confident he wasn't into drugs as a fighter though.. Perhaps, had this been the case, he'd have come out for the 8th and done an 'Aaron Pryor' on Marciano lol.

[JAB5239]

Here is an article that mentions it.

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2003/01/12/story41253528.asp

Instead of an honourable retirement, Louis was swallowed up by the sharks circling the boxing business, and gradually pulled into the netherworld of drugs, drink, violence and the mob.

It spat him out in the late-1960s; broke and addicted to heroin. Louis' third wife helped to pull him back from the brink of self destruction. But one of the greatest ever heavyweight champions in the world was to finish his life as a 'meeter and greeter' at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

What I read had a little more detail but I can't seem to find it. He suffered from massive paranoia always thinking the mob was after him and that the crooks he had conspired with were always trying to kill him.

I appreciate you finding that, and Im not saying it can't be true, but that is the only time I've ever read anything about heroine and Louis. Who knows though.

[CarlosG815]

I appreciate you finding that, and Im not saying it can't be true, but that is the only time I've ever read anything about heroine and Louis. Who knows though.

Louis was very close friends with Frank Lucas, the biggest heroin dealer in Harlem.

[JAB5239]

Louis was very close friends with Frank Lucas, the biggest heroin dealer in Harlem.

That isn't any proof that Louis was using heroin though. I highly doubt Lucas would have approved of his friend using his product.

"Lucas and Joe Louis became good friends. Louis would appear every day at Lucas’ many trials and Lucas returned the favor by paying off a $50,000 tax lien for the champ. He described Louis as a ‘beautiful man’ and was inconsolable when Louis died."

Doesn't sound like the type of guy who would let a man like Louis become addicted to heroin.

[CarlosG815]

That isn't any proof that Louis was using heroin though. I highly doubt Lucas would have approved of his friend using his product.

"Lucas and Joe Louis became good friends. Louis would appear every day at Lucas’ many trials and Lucas returned the favor by paying off a $50,000 tax lien for the champ. He described Louis as a ‘beautiful man’ and was inconsolable when Louis died."

Doesn't sound like the type of guy who would let a man like Louis become addicted to heroin.

I was watching "Intervention" on A&E and there was a couple who gave their 2 oldest boys money everyday knowing they were addicted to heroin....

[JAB5239]

I was watching "Intervention" on A&E and there was a couple who gave their 2 oldest boys money everyday knowing they were addicted to heroin....

I don't even think the two scenarios are comparable. What the parents did is called enabling because that don't know what else to do. They're afraid the kids will steal from them or get hurt or arrested trying to steal from someone else. It is very common amongst the familes of addicts, that is a fact. Frank Lucas would have had absolutely no reason to enable Joe Louis. Again, Im not saying it couldn't have happened, but it seems very unlikely in my opinion.

[CarlosG815]

I don't even think the two scenarios are comparable. What the parents did is called enabling because that don't know what else to do. They're afraid the kids will steal from them or get hurt or arrested trying to steal from someone else. It is very common amongst the familes of addicts, that is a fact. Frank Lucas would have had absolutely no reason to enable Joe Louis. Again, Im not saying it couldn't have happened, but it seems very unlikely in my opinion.

Good point on parents typically being enablers.

If Joe did have a love for heroin, I could see the dude throwin him some here and there.