The Monument to Joe Louis, known also as The Fist,^[1] is a memorial dedicated to boxer Joe Louis located at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Woodward Avenue in Detroit, near Hart Plaza.^[2]

Dedicated on October 16, 1986, the sculpture, commissioned by Sports Illustrated from the Mexican-American sculptor Robert Graham (1938–2008), and poured by the legendary bronze artist, Rolf Kriken, is a 24-foot-long (7.3 m) arm with a fisted hand suspended by a 24-foot-high (7.3 m) pyramidal framework.^[3][2] The sculpture weighs 5000 pounds and the total weight including the framework is 8000 pounds.^[4][5]

The inscription on the back of the arm reads:

MONUMENT
TO
JOE LOUIS
BY
ROBERT GRAHAM

A GIFT FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF
DETROIT. THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF
ARTS AND ITS FOUNDERS SOCIETY
ON THE OCCASION OF THE MUSEUM'S
CENTENNIAL. 1885-1985.

It represents the power of his punch both inside and outside the ring. Because of Louis' efforts to fight Jim Crow laws, the fist was symbolically intended as a statement against racism.^[6] Graham referred to the sculpture as a "battering ram".^[7] It is claimed to be an historical metaphor, even down to its placement (pointing toward Canada).^[8]

The sculpture was vandalized by two white men in 2004, who covered it in white paint and left a sign which read, "Courtesy of Fighting Whities".^[7] Graham responded that the piece was "working" if it aroused passion.^[7]

The sculpture is one of two monuments in Detroit honoring Joe Louis. The other is a full size statue of Louis located inside Cobo Center (which was renamed TCF Center).^[9]

In 2013, Detroit-based artist Jerry Vile placed a 4-ft. tall can of Crisco in front of the monument^[10] with a statement indicating it was for "helping to ease the pain of Detroit's bankruptcy."^[11] Many interpreted the can as a reference to fisting,^[12] a sex act in which Crisco is sometimes used as lubricant.^[13]