Jim Braddock vs Max Schmeling, September 1936

Schemling had a knack for stopping durable fighters, though. Louis, Hamas, Neusel, Stribling, Risko- Schmeling would've found a way to crush diamonds in his hands.

 

The war hadn’t started yet, but it would have been a propaganda feast for Cpl. Schikelgruber.

I agree that the sport should be decided on merit, but again sports is not the real world. I absolutely love sports, but I also have the ability to put them aside into a secondary place for more important things in the grand scheme of the planet. YMMV of course …

 

Good points

 

Do you see the title as that important? Would it change the outcome of the war?

 

It would not have changed the outcome of the war but it would've given arguably the worst, most evil human being ever born of a woman a feather in his regime's cap at what would've been a very fortuitous time for him. I don't think whether it would have changed the outcome of the war or not is relevant. And I didn't say that I would have denied Schmeling the shot that he deserved, it's more that IMO the way it worked out, as unfair as it was to Schmeling in a sports sense, may not necessarily have been a bad thing for other reasons that transcend sports. And it's obvious we're not going to agree on this, so ....

 

Not even the most evil man of his own time, much less all time.

But that is besides the point. I don’t agree Schmeling should’ve been denied a shot on the grounds you suggest, but I appreciate where you’re coming from.

 

Many considered him the champ or would consider him the champ before the Louis rematch in 1938 it really wouldn't have made a difference. Also I think Braddock at this time beats Schmeling. How much additional propaganda value would Schmeling beating Braddock have that the Nazis wouldn't have already gotten from beating Louis?

The real nightmare scenario here is if Schmeling remains champ until WW2. At which point the title would have remained in Nazi occupied Europe until the end of the war. But thats a little over 2 years and someone should be beating Schmeling by then you think. This could have also had drastic butterfly effect ramifications because the IBU congress in 38 saw the alphabelt bodies mostly agree to recognize 1 champion which mostly held up until the 60s. In the event the HW champ was from a a hostile nation and couldn't fight any of their champions these newly signed accords might have went in the trash can.

 

Not the place to discuss who was the most evil person, but we're of a like mind in that I would not have supported denying Schmeling ... who I think very highly of, my past posts should confirm that ... the shot. Just am ambivalent over whether it actually was that awful an injustice in the grand scheme of things.