Braddock Defends Against Schmeling Before Louis

Not funny.

 

Schmeling beats the crud out of Jim

 

I think that we woudl have to make Schmeling a strong favorite.

Schmeling himself said that his plan was to retire after he won back the title.

Now based up these two assumptions, the title becomes vacant, and Louis ends up fighting somebody for the vacant title (I can expand upon the possibilities if anybody cares).

So Louis wins the title, and goes on to have the inevitable long title reign, but there is always the lingering question of whether he could ever have beaten Schmeling.

There are of course other possible scenarios.

Schmeling wins the title, then changes his mind about retiring, and Louis Schmeling II eventually takes place with Louis as the challenger.

Braddock somehow beats Schmeling, and creates a real life Rocky story.

 

Braddock would have won. If nothing else Braddock has a better chin than Louis and doesn't go down. Schmeling would not have been able to ride that momentum to a win. Braddock over 190 pounds is one of the best HWs H2H ever. Certainly pre Liston.

John Henry Lewis, Loughran, Farr and Al Gainer beat Schmeling as well. We already know Max Baer did. Retzlaff, Lasky and Shucco have an excellent chance. Schaaf would be included if he was still alive.

This is exactly why I made my "Schmeling is overrated" ted talk thread.

 

You ae of course entitled to your opinion, but it might be a hard sell to the masses.

I get it that the momentum as with Braddock at the time, but he was, well Braddock.

 

Oddball comments. What leads you to believe that “BRADDOCK over 190 lbs was one of the best heavyweights ever h2h”? What data leads you to that incredible conclusion?

Schmeling was either heavyweight champion of the world or a top five heavyweight contender for a decade. (In contrast Braddock was heavyweight champion for two years, never defended that title and never was a listed years end contender for the heavyweight title). Schmeling also developed one of the greatest technical performances in heavyweight history to beat, knockout, near prime Louis in 1936. No one else comes close.

Historically Schmelings name is mentioned as a great fighter. Can’t say that of Braddock.

 

Schmeling would have given Braddock a beating.

 

Supposedly there was some drama about giving a shot to the German. The thought was he would take his belt to Germany and it would stay there. Given the obvious politics of the time was not a good look. Probably the only reason Joe got a shot (black fighters weren’t given shots since Johnson).
Would have been a competitive fight.

 

This is hysterically funny.

 

Braddock was tough, and his best performance was as champion against Louis, but he was an arm puncher and not well coordinated. Schmeling would land the far harder shots and as long as his activity level was high enough he pounds out a pretty easy decision on the Cinderella man.

 

I hate to side with the Nazi, even if he was a begrudging one, but he was robbed. Really, the Germans should have stripped acknowledgement from Braddock when he agreed to fight Louis and set up Schmeling against someone else for their own version.

But it's a very strange spot to be in, here. Rooting against an American hero for someone who fought for the Nazis. Its just that he really deserved the shot.

 

"I can expand upon the possibilities if anyone cares"

Please do. Your take on that will be interesting.


On Braddock-Schmeling. I think Schmeling will definitely win the fight. Whether he gets the decision if it goes 15 is quite another matter. It is not only the American centered bias, it is the politics. I think Max would have to stop Braddock and, if nothing else, Braddock was durable. And Jimmy will know he only has to survive to remain champion.

So I think Braddock gets the decision with the film of the fight heavily edited to make it look close.

 

Braddock would gamely march forward repeatedly into Max's right. And would be stopped or lose a unanimous decision

 

Schmeling’s team attempted just that, and arranged a fight with Tommy Farr to be for the WHC, I forget the particulars but Louis’s team with much more money swooped in - and made Farr, Louis’s first title defense to end a chance at fracturing the belt.