NEA, “Max Baer Labels Charles as a Good Sparring Partner, Journal Times, June 1, 1951 “Max Baer has no interest in what passes for the current fight game. […] Asked if he followed boxing any more, Baer replied: “Naw, and neither does anybody else. I haven’t sat through a fight since 1937, when Joe Louis fought Tommy Farr, and from what I read, hear, and see on television, I haven’t missed a thing.” “I can’t even name the so-called heavyweight contenders. Twenty Years Ago “Ezzard Charles? Twenty years ago he would have been pretty good—a pretty good sparring partner for sped that is. He would have been lost in the shuffle. We had guys like Loughran, Schaaf, Risko, Heeney, Sharkey and Schmeling, and you had to fight ‘em all. I tell you how good a heavyweight champion Charles is. We’ve got a middleweight now who could lick him, fellow named Ray Robinson. “Here’s another slant on this crop of heavyweights. Way back in 1933, when I was training in Atlantic City for the Max Schmeling fight, Ancil Hoffman and Jack Dempsey threw a sparring partner out of my camp because he couldn’t take a punch. His name was Joe Walcott. Since then, Walcott must have made six comebacks, and actually fought for the title four times.”
I heard that he once bragged to Marciano that he could beat Marciano when they met, i think from "Undefeated" by Mike Stanton
Well joes chin was def his weakest point. But I must say he did far better and would always do far better against Louis then he did. That being said he was a great personality and def want to read a book on him
In 1933 Walcott was a 19 year old light heavyweight a few fights into his pro career. I wouldn't put too much into a top contender bringing a small, green kid into camp as a sparring partner and spanking him and then using it as an example years later. Jersey Joe learned a thing or two in the ensuing years and if I was picking Max against Joe prime for prime, I think Joe would have counter-punched Maxie into knots.
I think he's wrong about Ezzard Charles (ie. he's wrong to say Robinson couldn't beat him) but he was probably telling the truth about Walcott. And, yes, Baer's era was a bit stronger than the era he was speaking in. Walcott's record speaks for itself. In his prime he was a second-rater who promoters didn't need. He couldn't get past Al Ettore and Abe Simon. Only when WW2 depleted the heavyweight ranks was Walcott able to rise to contendership. And it took him 5 attempts to win the crown (although, to be fair, he probably deserved to nick the title on his 1st attempt).
It seems to be par for the course that past champs denigrate present ones Dempsey did it to Marciano prior to the Moore fight.
I think Walcott would have posed greater stylistic difficulties for even a young Louis than a crude slugger like Baer did.
Jersey Joe at his best was a much more compete fighter than Max. Don't even get me started on how good Charles was.
