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George Slaton
George Slaton was a boxing trainer from Detroit, Mi that trained legend Joe Louis Barrow as an amateur.
Slaton worked at a local boxing gym in Detroit in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1931, a small 16 year old black kid walked into the gym and asked for lessons. The kid said his name was Joe Louis Barrow. It was during the Great Depression and Barrows family was taking a big hit when his father got laid off. Barrow had few options and the one most of kids his age turned to in Detroit was the gang life. Barrows parents taught him better so he took up boxing as a hobby and turned to having matches to help raise money. It was during these matches, where back in the locker rooms, when Barrow signed his name, he always wrote it in big writing. He never had enough room to write out his whole name so he always stopped at Joe Louis and thats what he was called his whole career.
Slaton would take Joe Louis under his wing and teach him the ins and outs of boxing. He entered Louis into amateur matches and tournaments. Over the years, Louis kept on wining and wining. He moved onto more famous trainers where he left Slaton. As an amateur, Louis would go 50 and 4 with 43 knockouts. While Slaton only trained him half of his amateur career, Louis still used everything Slaton taught him to become one of the greatest Amateur and Professional boxers of all time.
George Slaton is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Mi.
George Slaton
George Slaton was a boxing trainer from Detroit, Mi that trained legend Joe Louis Barrow as an amateur.
Slaton worked at a local boxing gym in Detroit in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1931, a small 16 year old black kid walked into the gym and asked for lessons. The kid said his name was Joe Louis Barrow. It was during the Great Depression and Barrows family was taking a big hit when his father got laid off. Barrow had few options and the one most of kids his age turned to in Detroit was the gang life. Barrows parents taught him better so he took up boxing as a hobby and turned to having matches to help raise money. It was during these matches, where back in the locker rooms, when Barrow signed his name, he always wrote it in big writing. He never had enough room to write out his whole name so he always stopped at Joe Louis and thats what he was called his whole career.
Slaton would take Joe Louis under his wing and teach him the ins and outs of boxing. He entered Louis into amateur matches and tournaments. Over the years, Louis kept on wining and wining. He moved onto more famous trainers where he left Slaton. As an amateur, Louis would go 50 and 4 with 43 knockouts. While Slaton only trained him half of his amateur career, Louis still used everything Slaton taught him to become one of the greatest Amateur and Professional boxers of all time.
George Slaton is buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit, Mi.