A fan stands to applaud a play by the New York Yankees in a game against the Anaheim Angels in this Aug. 25, 1998, file photo at Yankee Stadium in New York. While the Yankees have provided many memorable moments in their namesake ballpark, a case can be made for the Joe Louis-Max Schmeling heavyweight fight, held there June 22, 1938, as being the greatest.

NEW YORK — When the last brick is carted away at Yankee Stadium after the season, gone with it will be a lifetime of memories shared by millions.

Most people in Yankeeland will think of the 26 world championships, the immortal players who graced "The House That Ruth Built," Monument Park, Lou Gehrig Day, George Brett's "pine tar" home run, Derek Jeter's dive into the stands against the Red Sox ...

But there are many who will remember the stadium as the venue for one of the most important sporting events in American history.

June 22, 1938, was the date when heavyweight boxing great Joe Louis became the American symbol for democracy and freedom. It was the date when Louis, a black man, stood for America against Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.

Louis, considered by many the greatest heavyweight of all time, captured the hearts and souls of black and white America 70 years ago today when he stopped Max Schmeling 2:04 into round one for the heavyweight title in front of 70,043 raucous fans at Yankee Stadium.

"It ranks as one of the most significant sports events of all time," Louis' son, Joe Louis Barrow Jr., told Newsday last week.

For Louis, who suffered his first loss as a professional fighter at the hands of Schmeling in 1936, it was all about redemption and retaining the heavyweight crown. Changing the course of history, reshaping the minds of Americans, making a positive impact on race relations and fighting at historic Yankee Stadium weren't foremost in Louis' mind.

"I know for a fact that he didn't focus on that," Barrow said when asked if his father was aware of the broad implications of the fight. "He was focused on the man across the ring."

In his father's later years, however, Barrow said Louis understood what the fight meant. "He was very proud of that fight," Barrow said. "In his mind and heart, he wanted to be heavyweight champion of the world. But over time my father had a greater appreciation for the 1938 fight."

Beating Schmeling into submission in front of tens of thousands made Louis a champion forever in the eyes of America. His victory meant more than just the raising of the heavyweight belt over his head in triumph. It meant a win for the American way of life.

"Louis represented the symbol of democracy," boxing historian Bert Sugar said. "Schmeling was the symbol as well as an agent of the totalitarian Nazi government."

Actually, Louis and Schmeling became good friends later in life, and Schmeling reportedly helped pay for Louis' funeral.

The fact that the fight was at Yankee Stadium spoke to the magnitude of the situation. "There were over 40 championship fights at Yankee Stadium," Sugar said. "It was the place for boxing before TV and the casinos came along."

There isn't a boxing expert alive who wouldn't agree. The experts also agree that no fight will ever reach that magnitude again.

Yankee Stadium hasn't hosted a boxing match since Muhammad Ali scored a unanimous decision over Ken Norton for the heavyweight title in 1976.

Yankee Stadium was a prime venue for boxing for a half-century. But as time passed, things changed. Yankee Stadium has given way to the likes of the MGM Grand, Boardwalk Hall and pay-per-view. Outdoor fights with 70,000-plus screaming fans are a distant memory in this country.

"New York was the boxing town and Yankee Stadium was the place," Barrow said. "It will be a sad day when it's torn down."