Cinderella man. The ESB directors cut.

On June the 14 1934 Max Baer ripped the heavyweight title from Primo Carnera many assumed to hold it for a long time. On the undercard a washed up journeyman named Jimmy Braddock made his comeback.

A year later almost to the day Braddock would win the heavyweight title from Max Baer in a stunning upset having established himself as the mandatory challenger.

While I would hesitate to say that Braddock was lucky to be installed as the mandatory challenger, he did exploit a seizmic chain of events, and was certainly fortunate to get the fights that alowed him to establish himself as a title challenger in less than a year.

Max Baers contract dictated that his first title challenger would be apointed by the New York State Athletic commision after which he would be free to fight whoever he chose. At the time that Baer won the title the three top most logical challengers were thought to be

1. Steve Hamas
2. Art Lasky
3. King Levinsky

Here I am going to discuss some of the other ways that history might have turned out:

Max Baer vs Steve Hamas
Steve Hamas was the No1 contender having defeated Max Schmeling and also had a win over the No2 Art Lasky. In hindsight he should probably have been offered the title shot with no preconditions. Inexplicably he was told to rematch Art Lasky who he had already beaten (on somewhat unfavourable terms) before he would be offerd the title shot. Hamas refused instead opting for a rematch with Schmeling. It turned out to be a fatefull choice as Schmeling put a career ending beating upon him. Hamas wlaked into the fight as a28 year old No1 contender and after it he was out of the heavyweight title picture for ever.

Hamas was afighter of the swarmer type who would have been a good stylistic match up for Baer. On the other hand he was a highly capable fighter and given Baer's hand problems and lax training habits it is not out of the question that he might have prevailed.

Max Baer vs Max Schmeling II
Following Schmelings destruction of Steve Hamas he was viewed as the logical challenger for Max Baer's title. The fight was actualy scheduled and only fell through when Schmelings manager failed to produce the required advance. Schmeling had not only eliminated Hamas but had also indirecty eliminated himself throwing the scramble for the title fight wide open.

Baer had beaten Schmeling before and it is tempting to think that he could have done so again. I don't personaly think that he would have however. Schmeling was coming off a long layoff coming into the first Baer fight and progresively improved afterwards with better return showings against both Uzcdun and Hamas. Baer in the mean time had developed hand problems and had trouble maintaining his work ethic as champion. If this fight had come off it is possible that the title would have gone to Germany and perhaps that future defences would have taken place there.

The post Hamas Schmeling mess
The Removal of two sucessive challengers left a bit of a can of worms which Jimmy Braddock and his manager Joe Gould would ultimately take command of by astute match making and politicing. It was widley assumed at this point that Art Lasky (another swarmer) would be the man to face off against Baer. The New York state athletic comission would have been within their rights to gift the fight to Lasky then and there. They could also have matched Lasky against another contender such as Levinsky for the title shot.

It is also possible to imagine scenarios where Jimmy Braddock was matched less astutely. One option on the cards was matching him with a young Detroit heavyweight called Joe Louis. As things turned out a tournament was arranged that effectivley fast tracked Jimmy Braddock to a title shot propeling him in one year to where he might otherwise have taken two to get to.

The rest is history.

 

Have you read the book Mac,Its a good read,interestingly ,the author in his acknowledgements gives thanks to Steve Klompton for his help with research.

 

It is possible to imagine a scenario where Braddock is cut out of the scramble for the title shot altogether.

 

Agreed the cards fell well for Braddock eventually resulting in his challenge for Baer's title - and the rest as they say is history.

But it's often forgotten that, although Braddock had a roller-coaster career, he did have some ability. Enough to get him a challenge at Loughran's light heavy title a handful of years prior to the Baer fight. The thing that adds lustre to Braddock's story is the hardships that he endured along the way.

Have read at least a couple of books, plus seen the movie, and Braddock's story is hard to top in the history of boxing.

 

These NYT articles suggest two more possibilities in the boxing multiverse.Jimmy Braddock fighting Primo Carnera for the shot at Baers crown and Jimmy Braddock fighting Max Schmeling for a shot at Baerr crown.

I would suggest that Braddock refused to fight Carnera on the advice of his astute manager and might have taken the fight under less able counsel. I would also suggest that he might have been forced to take the Schmeling fight if things had gone differently.

On the flip side of the coin why the f*** did Carnera take the fight with Louis when he could have got a fight with Braddock for the vacant title?

Did he think that he knew something that everybody else didn't?

Schmelings decision not to fight Braddock might have been fatefull because a win would have propeled him straight to a title shot against Baer which he might have won.


[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Braddock Rejects Bout" - 3/24/1935.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRADDOCK REJECTS BOUT WITH CARNERA[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Declares, Through Manager, He Will Meet No One Except Schmeling or Baer. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]JOHNSTON PLAN HITS SNAG[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Garden promoter's Elimination Tourney is Blocked by Fighter's Decision. By JOSEPH C· NICHOLS[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The heavyweight elimination tournament conducted by the Madison Square Garden Corporation is at an end, as far as James J. Braddock and Prime Camera are concerned. Braddock who registered a aurprieing victory over Art Lasky on Friday night, declared yesterday through his manager, Joe Gould. that he will fight no one except Max Schmeling or Max Baer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Carnera, who won the first bout in the elimination tourney by stopping Ray Impellittiere, also gave evidence that he is not Interested In a clash with Braddock. The former heavyweight champion oL the world has signed to meet Joe ~ouis under the formation of the Twentieth Century S. C.. and the State Athletic Commission is expected to place its stamp of approval on the bout at its next meeting.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]James J. Johnston, who conceived the tournament, had no comment to make regarding the fighters' defection. He did state, however, that he was planning a show for April 5, which will present lightweights in the feature attraction.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It was Johnston's original intention to match the winners of the first and second elimination battles in a third bout, and to have the ultimate victor meet Baer for the title in June. But his plans struck a snag when Schmeling knocked out Steve Hamas to catapult himself into the front rank of challengers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]And when Louis, the hard-hitting Detroit Negro, inserted himself into the local picture by signing with the Twentieth Century Club, which represents the Free Milk Fund for Babies, the Garden's tourney lost ground in public interest.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]It is generally accepted that Schmeling and Baer will fight this Summer, although no contracts have been officially filed.[/FONT]



[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Board to consider Schmelling case - 3/26/1935[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Match Between Schmeling and Lasky's Conqueror Urged[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Commission to Determine Next Foe for Baer--Carnera Is Eliminated by Decision to Fight Louis Next Summer - By Fred Van Ness[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]James J. Braddock of New Jersey, who came booming out of obscurity with his surprising victory over Art Lasky, found himself in the front rank of the heavyweights yesterday when the State Athletic Commission designated him the No. 1 contender for Max Baer's title.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]At the same time the commission eliminated Primo Carnera from the heavyweight title picture when the former champion's manager, Louis Soresi, told the commissioners he was not willing to send Camera through another elimination bout with Braddock unless the management of Madison Square Garden would post a guarantee of 550,000 that the winner of the bout would be matched with Baer for the title.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Since the Garden had declined to post the guarantee, Carnera had signed to meet Joe Louis under the auspices of the Twentieth Century Sporting Club and the commission took the stand that the big Italian had eliminated himself.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]To Sound Schmeling on Bout.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The commission left the way open for an appearance here of Max Schmeling by directing James Johnston, matchmaker for the Garden, to get in touch with Schmeling or his manager, Joe Jacobs, to learn if the German heavyweight was willing to box Braddock, the winner of the fight to be the commission's candidate for a title match with Baer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The boxing body made it emphatic that if Schmeling refused to box Braddock, the latter would be the leading challenger for the championship and Schmeling would no be permitted to fight Baer in the state before he met Braddock.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The meeting was the most important of the commission in many months and was attended by many boxing figures. Braddock and his manager, Joe Gould: Soresi, representing Carnera: Johnston, representing the Garden, and Mike Jacobs, for the Twentieth Century Sporting Club, were called in the commission's effort to bring some order out of the chaotic heavyweight tangle.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Contract With Garden Disclosed.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The result of the two-hour session left Schmeling holding a key position in the situation. Johnston revealed that the Garden had a verbal contract with Jacobs for Schmeling to meet Baer in June at the Garden Bowl in Long Island City. This was in existence while the elimination bouts were held, and it was because of this that Carnera balked after his victory over Ray Impellittiere.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The Garden management has persistently regarded a Schmeling-Baer match as the ideal one. The Garden's contract for Baer's defense of his title for the corporation expires in June, and the Garden must produce an opponent before then or Baer will be free to make other agreements.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Johnston said yesterday that he would be willing to promote a Schmeling-Braddock match if it could be arranged.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In view of the commission's edict and the possible refusal of Schmeling to fight Braddock, the Garden was faced with the alternative of taking a Schmeling-Baer match out of the State. When this was suggested, Commissioner Bill Brown declared that the board would stand behind Braddock.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dates to be Assigned.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]No dates will be allotted until the next meeting of the commission on Tuesday, but it was pointed out that there would be plenty of time for the staging of two and possibly three heavyweight fights culminating in a title bout late in June.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]If Schmeling agrees to meet Braddock, the contest could be held late in May, with the winner meeting Baer late in June. This would provide time for the Carnera-Louis fight between the two dates. This match was sanctioned by the commission yesterday.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Braddock, with his customary shyness, had little to say after the meeting.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The commissioners asked me if I thought I had a good chance with Baer," he declared, "and I told them I thought I had. I not only have a good right put I have developed a good left and I never felt so well before in my life."[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]While Joe Jacobs did not attend the meeting. It is expected that he will confer with Johnston today. From a source close to Jacobs it was learned that he was insistent that Schmeling fight only Baer.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Chairman John Phelan read the score cards of last Friday's bout. They showed that Referee Arthur Donovan had given Braddock eleven rounds, Lasky three, and called one even; George LaCron, one of the judges, had given Braddock eight rounds, Lasky four, and called three even; Marty Monroe, the other judge, had awarded eleven rounds to Braddock and four to Lasky.[/FONT]

 

Jeremy Schaap's book "Cinderella Man" is excellent...and I make it a point to compare it to the lousy movie made by Opie for it's fidelity to the facts, especially concerning the character of Max Baer, which was researched and revealed truthfully, instead of the bull**** slander job done by Opie Howard.

 

After Braddock took the title from Baer he was supposed to fight Schmeling, had he done so I think Max would have won , and become the first man to regain the title

 

Schmeling, if granted a shot against Braddock in '36, or '37, would have been riding the crest of the wave of his triumph over Louis. He had to have been shot down, as Liston was after the hernia caused postponement of his rematch with Ali, when Braddock avoided giving him the crack at the title that he so richly deserved after ko'ing Louis. If rightfully granted his shot at the crown, I believe he would have been, with the considerable "motivation" behind him of pleasing the 3rd Reich's leadership (tho' I'm not calling Max a Nazi) I believe he would have put together another tactical, strategic masterpiece against Braddock..who would find Schmeling to be an altogether different kettle of fish as opposed to the unprepared, half hearted effort of the other Max who he upset in '35. What would Braddock be to Schmeling, after Louis? Regardless of how Louis avenged himself in '38, it was the same Brown Bomber that Schmeling stepped up to the plate to figure out and upset that had all other fighters..all the one Louis made victims of..to quiver with fear in their dressing rooms, and practically **** themselves prior to, in most cases, the 1st bell. Schmeling was cool and confident, and would have prepared for Jim Braddock in the same carefully measured, thorough and methodical way he did for Louis..against a man of great courage, but not the menacing punch of either Max Baer or Joe Louis. I believe Schmeling woulf have found a home for the steady, cruel and debilitating right hand counter that laid waste to Louis, and would have eventually worn down, and quite possibly knocked down Braddock en route to either a late round tko (11 thu 14 rnd.) or a decision. And of course, would have taken the title home to Hitler, unfortunately.

 

brilliant thread Janitor

i dont know enough about the scene of boxing then so i cant comment but im reading intently

 

Perhaps a bit earlier around the time of the first Hamas fight when everything Schmeling did seemed to misfire. That was by far Schmelings worst performence including the Baer fight and he won about three rounds.

In the aftermath of the second Hamas fight Schmeling had got his groove back and was verry dangerous and hungry.