People on here say he was a crude slugger with limited boxing skills. People say he would lose to Cooney or Tua. Was Cooney or Tua ever undisputed heavyweight world champions? No and no. Max Baer was. So who was more limited?
I’ve always respected Max Baer for both his power and durability. But I’ll also be blunt in saying that I don’t find his style pretty to watch. His constant tendency to swing widely and openly is a flaw that a lot of trainers both modern and classical would frown upon ( and probably have. ) his defense was somewhat pedestrian with many of his shots telegraphed leaving him open for counter attack. Still he DID go far with what tools he had and we can’t take that away from him. But he’s not a particular favorite of mine in fantasy fights. I did very recently however pick him to beat Gerry Cooney and Cleveland Williams. But those picks had nothing to do with the fact that Baer was a champion and they weren’t. Being a champion in one era does not guarantee victory over a non-champion from another. Hell, it doesn’t even ensure victory in one’s OWN era against a lesser fighter as Baer lost his crown to Jim Braddock