Joe Louis by Bettmann/Corbis/HBO
HBO pulls no punches with Saturday's documentary Joe Louis: America's Hero... Betrayed (Feb. 23, 8 pm/ET). Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, insisted not only on the last word in the title, but on having the last word about boxing's legendary Brown Bomber.Greenburg says he "just sat on the story" for years while others produced their own documentaries and films about Louis. "No one seemed to get it right," he says. "No one really dove any deeper and exposed the IRS and the American government and how they hounded him… almost to the day he died."Betrayed begins with the familiar tale of how Louis became a symbol of black pride. He was the first African-American athlete to be embraced by white America after defeating Nazi Germany's Max Schmeling in 1938 for the world heavweight title. After championing the rights of black soldiers in World War II, Louis fell behind on his taxes. The IRS refused to let up on him, putting him on the financial ropes. During his final years, L...
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