“Joe Louis: America’s Hero … Betrayed” relates in detail how the IRS hounded the fighter mercilessly for payment of back taxes for nearly the rest of his life — and this after Louis abandoned boxing during the prime of his career to serve four years in the Army during World War II. The 75-minute documentary premieres on the pay cable network Saturday night. Louis became a pathetic figure reduced to refereeing wrestling matches, tap dancing on TV and working as a greeter at a Las Vegas casino to make a buck. Yet he never got square with the IRS until his third wife, attorney Ruth Morgan, persuaded the government to drop its claim to the $1.3 million it said Louis still owed. When Joe died, he was virtually penniless. Frank Sinatra, a friend and admirer, paid for his funeral. Source: Washington Times
