I just picked up a second hand book "Braddock" by Jim Hague. Try this story on Max Baer: The first death had come on september 25th 1929. In just his ninth professional fight, Baer plummeled a non-descript club fighter named Frank Rutzensky in the third round, knocking him through the ropes with a vicius left hook. The referee didn´t stop Baer, who continued to hit Rudzenski while he was hanging onto the ropes, finally knocking him clear out on the ring. The head injuries suffered by Rudzensky would prove to be fatal. He died three weeks later. According to Boxrec Rudzenski had at least 12 more fights. Can anyone explain the reason for this story??
I said that Baer killed 3 man but no one belive me back then! Baer killed Campbell,Schaff and I heard some sparing partner? Baer didn't kill Frank Rutzensky in the actual bout but later in sparing as I was told. Frank recors proves that story with his dissapearing after 1931.
Baer probably killed one man in the ring, and Chinese whispers built it up to three. It was a dangerous time to box!
The 1700's were even worse, every other fight someone died, and then they'd be boxing a couple years later.
Did a quick search on Frank Rudzenski. Apparently at the end of 1931 he was suspended indefinitely by the California State Athletic Commission for having "no ability". Harsh.
I could find very little about Frank Rudzenski on Ancestry.com, but he was living in Oregon ca. 1940. - Chuck Johnston
Well Tim Charles fought some good fighters including Max Baer. Interestingly though, when he fought Art Lasky, he was KOd without being struck by a punch, apparently. He often weighed over 220lbs, although it looks like he was around the 180s for this fight. Steve Hayden, who drew with Rudzenski also beat Farmer John Lockaby, who was the first Ruzenski victim by first round KO. Hayden was around 190 - 200lbs in the fights he has a listed weight. Farmer Lockerby had a couple of wins, including 2 wins directly after the Rudzenski loss. Their boxrec records show them at 1 -14 and Vic McNeal 1 -20 respectively. McNeal followed this loss with 6 more losses in a row, all by knockout, so i guess it is safe to say it doesnt say too much about him. Still, on a brighter note, he sure was an exciting undercard fighter. Every win he ever had came inside 4 rounds, by KO. Just 7 of his 38 losses went the 4 round distance, although against Joe Pegrina and Jimmy Peterson, he did manage to get to the 6th round before being KOd. Of those who McNeil defeated, 2 of them were debuting and didnt have another listed fight while 2 more had already beaten him, so probably got careless. The last fighter that McNeil defeated, Max Hernandez, was interesting he had never won a single fight, and as soon as he lost to McNeil he retired, which seems to have been a good move. All in all, i would say it says little about the ability of those Rudzenski beat and in the case of Max Hernandez, it may give him a reasonable case to argue for the title of worst heavyweight record in history?
thank you, theres no proof he killed a sparring partner beyond the braddock movie and he didnt kill schaaf even if he caused the brain damage that weakened schaaf enough to be killed Now Sugar Ramos, that man killed some people.....
I think Max put enough serious hurt on Schaff that he set him up for the end,,sort of like when Gene Fulmer pounded the living he#! out of Bennie Paret who then died in his next fight with Emile Griffth.
