Max Baer is a champion molded for the jazz age. He is the number one fighting man of the universe. He is a motion picture star of more ability than 70% of the actors in Hollywood today. He is a night club entertainer with few peers. He is an entertaining singer. He is one of the most pleasing performers heard over the air with the most infectious laughter ever carried by the ether waves. He is a hoofer of distinction and a vaudevillian who can get a contract on stage ability alone. Detroit news Maybe Max Baer will be too busy to even bother with a fight for another year. It has been suggested that he can pile up $300 000 over the next twelve months, after deducting extravagant expenses and taxes. What price sport? His present income is estimated at $20 000 per week. Winnipeg Free Press The total gross gate for the Braddock fight was about $205 000, of which Baer received 42%. The bottom line is that Baer was making much more money outside the ring, than he could make inside it!
and? I prefer to view the actual performance as the reason he lost. Ya know, not trying and grinning the entire time. That had vastly more to do with why he lost than anything outside of the ring. You could have all that going on, and simply run out of gas or not be crisp from lack of training. However, you can at least try and if those things come to fruition, cool, you don't get to use that as excuse when you simply don't try and win.
Baer was big for his time, tough, had a terrific chin and a big shot .. however he was not driven or highly motivated to be a top fighter and also pretty limited .. an inferior but highly motivated Bradock out hustled him for the title and after that Baer lost interest .. after being exposed and destroyed by Louis his career was a joke .. look at the level of opposition he fought .. y t=far the best were an ancient Galento and the limited Nova ..
I wouldn't describe a run that sees a fighter regain the position of #1 contender as a joke, whatever I thought of the top fighters of the era!
He may have been molded for it but most consider the Jazz Age to have ended abruptly in 1929 with the Crash. Max had just begun his pro career at that point.
Several champions before and after max made tons of money outside the ring. I dont consider that a valid excuse. He simply didnt have the heart or warrior's pride and that's ok. Thats a lonely path that isnt for everyone.
That is very true and it is something Max Baer never tried to hide. He said he didn't like to fight, never wanted to be a fighter, but he was offered a chance to make some money. He was broke so he took the chance and did better than most, but his heart was never in it. It doesn't surprise me at all that, once he was able to make money elsewhere, he lost interest in fighting. You can say he shouldn't have been distracted or that he should've tried harder even if he was. Okay. But training to fight is hard as hell even if you want to. And mentally preparing to punch somebody with the intent to hurt them, or to accept that somebody that wants to hurt you is going to punch you. If you don't want to fight in the first place, that's a heavy thought. I'm just curious as to how many people that claim fighters should take punches, fight through it all, never quit, etc...have such an attitude when it comes to their jobs?
I think it was Hagler that said it's harder to get up and do roadwork at 4am when your wearing silk pajamas. Or in Max's case maybe a blonde on his left and a brunette on the right.
I didn't use the word excuse I used the word reason, which is not exactly the same thing. Baer strikes me as particularly extreme example in this respect, because boxing wasn't even his main income any more! I hate to bring up the example yet again, but Joshua is one of the most recognized faces in the UK. He is obviously coining it off advertising and modeling contracts. Boxing feeds off hunger, and it is hard to be hungry in that scenario! In terms of fighting heart, the line between a hero and a coward is sometimes a fine one. Didn't Baer show fighting heart in the Lou Nova fights for example?
Ive been a fighter and I never quit in my life, regular job or otherwise. Im not the one who set the standard. Legends like Ali and Louis did and Baer simply isnt on their level by his own admission. I dont get why this is so hard tl accept. You dont get a pass fpr being an easy going guy who doesnt train hard. You are judged by your effort and your accomplishments, period.
Again, why are you pretending like other boxers such as Ali, Louis, Foreman, Holmes, etc didnt get an opportunity to make money outside of boxing and yet stayed focused despite having enough to live well without it. That should be the end of the discussion. Baer wasnt special in that sense. Pacquiao makes millions from sponsors/commercials/and even had a senator job yet he's 40 and a belt holder! I never called Baer a "coward". I agree there's a line and there's levels to it. He had some bravery and hard work but obviously not to the same degree as other champions.
From Louis to Farr he fought 22 times ... twelve times his opponents had losing records, six opponents had over twenty five career losses, eight had under ten fights total, none were contenders .. then he splits with Farr, gets destroyed by Nova, fights two more novices, beats an even more shopworn Galento, gets destroyed by Nova again. I'd say Dempsey fought better men in his own exhibition tour in the 1930's ...
