In this short, Baer demonstrated some of his skills -- such as they were -- for the camera. You can see a couple of these tricks in his fights. So there was apparently some method in his crude-looking boxing. Just very, very strange method: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpFTVrutZe4
He lost composure in the ring. He makes Tyson Fury look like Joe Walcott. But then again, great power and a great chin go a **** of a long wat in that division.
I've never understood why no trainer, manager, hanger on, etc. was able to convince Maxie not to throw backhands.
Max Baer used plenty of tricks in his fights. I see him spinning his opponents quite often, that's an old pro trick, and, yes, he liked to back-hand. His cross-arm defense was only marginally effective, but sometimes he got it right, and he could parry the occasional punch. I mean, let's not exaggerate. His "skills were ****" in relative terms, but he did plenty of things that take a bit of practice or nous.
Various trainers tried to do things to improve his style, but he proved pretty rigid in his style. Later in his career when father time started to catch up with him, he employed a cross arm defence as the older George Foreman later would. If I ever meet George Foreman, I will ask him if he got the idea from Max Baer.
Thanks Janitor, I guess Max was just his own guy that way. I wonder now also if George got that from him or maybe Archie Moore? Maybe I'm wrong but did Archie work with Dick Sadler training George for awhile?
Archie Moore worked with Foreman in both his 70s career and 90s career, so perhaps he is a more likely source for the style. Even so, Foreman seems to hold Max Baer in a higher regard than most, and might have seen him as a model due to the stylistic similarities with himself.
in typical me style..can i take this a little left of topic this is from one of my granddads magazines he gave me.... farr v baer.. http://i1127.photobucket.com/albums/l629/dougm1971/boxing related/67.jpg
I love Baer as a character but think he is ridiculously overrated by many ... far and away his best win was over a career inconsistent Schmeling ... he had good size and natural strength .. he had a pretty good chin but it sure did not stand up too well to Louis though .. he had decent stamina if fighting at his own , slower pace ... he was a big puncher with the right hand ... all this being said he was a bit of a front runner, his style amateurish and while dangerous really not of championship caliber ... his absolute terror facing Louis says a lot as well ....
He was certainly inconsistent, and his mentality (and skills) left a lot to be desired. On the other hand, he beat two of the best fighters of his era by brutal beatings -- Schmeling and Carnera. That's got to count for something.
I fail to see how Schmeling can be judged to be inconsistent. He was probably about as consistent as you could get for the era.
Number one it was a weak era .. number two he earned a title shot practically by showing up .. number three through out his career he was vulnerable to the unexpected upset ... number four he looked terribly spent against Baer but absorbs near equal punishment but thrives against Louis 1 ... Max, in a macro comparison, was not the most consistent performer ..