It became more than two men fighting. So people who weren't black Americans rooted for Joe, and rooted with dead earnestness. Before that moment, seeing a black American as a national hero was just not done, no matter what the realities actually were. Society changed then. That's boxing's little secret, its eternal life.
All sports have the capability of transcending the boundaries of their field dimensions.
Only in boxing is this transcendence distilled to its simplest essence. Road Dog, he woke up then. Ralph Wiley spent nine years at Sports Illustrated and wrote 28 cover stories on celebrity athletes. Information are applicable to this site.