If Max Baer Had Been In The Division Today..?

A trainer's nightmare.

Imagine him having a few good paydays. Good luck getting him out of bed at 5am for some jogging. Actually, good luck getting to bother training for a big fight.

This guy would be a jetsetter of the highest order. And be in the news for everything but boxing. And then retire broke & an even worse case of being an "if only" fighter.

 

This clown would fit right in with today’s celebrity fighters. Make a ton cash fighting Jake Paul an tommy Fury. Maybe join the wwe wrestling scene afterwards

 

Baer certainly had the frame to put on a lot more bulk, by whatever means or combination of means - if he was so inclined.

On paper, as is/was - 6’ 2 1/2”, 82” reach, a raw boned 210 lbs and a naturally powerful right hand all provide for a decent start for building a that much bigger and stronger fighter.

I don’t know what uplift in skill, if any, he might be capable of if fighting today. Even allowing better technique for him, Max didn’t appear particularly fast and there’s no real cure for that.

His personality would def. see him as a popular celebrity - and he’d be very much prone to getting on to the party circuit and gunning for conquests of well known female celebrities.

As it was in his actual career, boxing would still be far from his # 1 priority and again, in mod. times, Baer would likely be the beneficiary of the musing “If only Max had taken boxing more seriously……”

 

I agree with much of this. I think he's faster than given credit for though. Looking past his back handed shots and infighting, you can see some quick jabs and crosses in the Schmelling fight. Also, his overhand right KO of Comisky was very fast (and this is when he wasn't really at his best anymore). But, I will concede that when he was playing the role of slugger and throwing wide, he didn't always look very fast.

If we are looking at him versus the modern heavyweight division, I don't think he'd look slow at all. Imagine Max versus Joe Joyce...

 

The problem with this scenario is that even though he would've had access to better training, nutrition, etc., today, Max Baer now just like then would've been flakier than a giant-size box of Kellogg's.

 

Very fair points Joe.

Also, I guess that some increase in sheer speed (absolute) is possible when a fighter trains harder, more consistently and more purposefully (plenty of scope there for Max, lol).

I like the Joyce comparison and there are several HWs today whose speed is nothing to write home about - and they get that much slower when they gas - and gassing is something you see that much more often with the super sized HWs of today.

In part, that’s why Usyk has had somewhat of a field day against considerably larger opposition.

 

He would be a social media star. Like others have said we would be saying the same things about him now "if only Max dedicated himself". Still, he would probably have better childhood nutrition and be loaded up on PEDs from a young age like a lot of guys. I think he's a top ten guy but the elite of the division beat him, even some of the lesser guys probably beat him when Baer isn't focused. Still he probably has a surprise KO or two over decent guys that will raise everyone's eyebrows

 

If Max had been around today….

I can see protracted and tedious negotiations between Baer’s people and Fury’s people as they try and hammer out a deal to fight. The talks would last for years while in the meantime, Fury would fight Derek Chisora two more times, Baer would make a movie, KO Demsey McKean, make another movie, then abandon the Fury talks altogether and arrange a Catchweight contest with Canelo, as Alvarez is still on his “Daring to be great” mission.

After Max KOs Alvarez and ends Canelo’s career once and for all, he calls out Fury once again, but Fury describes Baer as a joke fighter after the Alvarez debacle, before he ( Fury) promptly signs a contract to fight 73 year old Larry Holmes in the Summer of 2024.

Yes…boxing would never be dull if Max Baer was around today!

 

Max Baer certainly would have added SOMETHING to today's boxing scene. He would probably shock some people with at least a few good and unexpected wins! He might also shock with a few unexpected losses. For better or worse, he would be fun to have around today!

 

Then he would have brought his son Jethro Boudine with him.