Schemling - Does He Live Off His Win...

Stribling was only a few pounds lighter than Schmeling, and the same height, don't think he was a "smaller fighter", at least not significantly, so good win there. Not to mention that was Stribling's only stoppage loss in 290 fights.

Schmeling also beat Paulino Uzcudun, and I've heard someone here mention he did it with an injured right hand. Impressive.

Walker may have been outsized, but he proved he could be competative with some of the best at heavyweight, beating Bearcat Wright, Paulino Uzcudun, and drawing with Jack Sharkey, so I think that Schmeling being able to dominate and beat him up so badly is pretty impressive also.

Throw in a win over a top 30 heavyweight in Jack Sharkey, and I think his record is pretty solid, Louis win aside.

 

Schmeling was knocked out in the first round by Gipsy Daniels and in the second by Larry Gaines. If you call any of those two "Pretty poor fighters", I think you have a problem with your boxing knowledge.

Woller

 

His point was that Daniels and Gains shouldn't be considered poor fighters. Not even close to it. Anyway, I think Schmeling was still pretty green when he was KO'd by Gains, and I've read that Daniels caught Schmeling cold when he was bouncing off the ropes. Same thing happened to Lennox Lewis, he's still in the top 10.

 

I don't have a concrete placement for him, but he's definitely somewhere between 20-25 and 30.

 

He also held wins over the capable Walter Neusel and the (then) hot prospect Ben Foord.
Clearly Schmeling was a quality fighter.

But I do see what Russell is saying, in that without the Louis win, Schmeling's legacy would be considerably diminished. Most boxing fans know of Schmeling because he beat Louis.
That's just fact.

 

Not to mention the intensely Anti-Schmeling...whole ****ing country. That must have had a detrimental effect on his peace of mind. I think they were both in just the right places in their lives and careers for that result to occur.

Cruising through his record you come across of lot of +200 pound fighters, while Schmeling usually weighs in the high 180's.

 

Steve Hamas was also a very good fighter, with a KO over Tommy Laughran.

Without the Louis win he'd probably be somewhere in the top 30. But the fact is, the Louis win is one of the best, most impressive wins in boxing history. All things considered, he makes my top 13.

 

This is something that is almost never brought up when people look at Louis v Schmeling 2...Max must have been completely intimidated in front of the staunch anti-nazi crowd, not to mention how his wife was basically being held captive back home as insurance against him returning to Germany.
How can you possibly be at your best in these circumstances?

I do believe Louis would have won regardless; it was his finest hour. But Max may have made a much better fight of it if they had fought at a neutral venue.

 

Certainly not. Schmeling would be a top contender (at the very least) in any era. He's a top 20 all-time shoe-in, great fighter. :good

 

Obviously the Louis fight is his career best win but it proved what his suporters had always argued but never been able to prove.

That he was the best heavyweight of the period between Tunney and Louis.

I must contest your central claim that he was not consistent. He was clearly by far the most consistent of the champions between Tunney and Louis. While they split series with the likes of Risko, Uzcdun, Stribling etc, Schmeling dominated them with his only losses anywhere close to his prime coming against top 30 all time heavyweights like Sharkey, Baer and Louis. The Hamas loss is the only real blot on his record in the period between him landing in America and the outbreak of world war II.

Schmeling dose have some bad early losses but they have to be taken in context. He only had a dozen amateur fights before turning profesional and was 19 when he lost to Larry Gains, basicaly a Kid.

Schmelings early career in the United States is one of the great untold stories of heavyweight history incidentaly. He just came from nowhere to dominate the competition.

 

Max also managed to make a great living from several business ventures