Читать книгу Jacobs Beach. The Mob, the Garden and the Golden Age of Boxing онлайн

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The rest of World War II, Joe traveled the country, went to Europe, boxed exhibitions, had his face on billboards, and was on the screen and radio. From fights for the Army and Navy Emergency Relief Fund, he raised $100,000—all of it taxed. It was a debt that would one day crush not only his finances but his spirit.

Had he been asked, Joe would have killed Germans for a private's pay of $1.25 a day. That is pretty clear from what he said at the time, and later. But Joe knew he would not be asked to go into action, even alongside fighting men who adored him. America did not do that to their celebrities. Also, he was black. There was a residual prejudice that blighted the American war effort, as black soldiers, sailors, and airmen struggled with the dilemma of defending a country where they were still considered second-class citizens. It was as if blacks were so far down the social and cultural scale, they were barely worth sacrificing on the battlefield.

Into that very argument stepped a man who would later play a pivotal role in Joe's life, and that of the Mob in boxing.