The match that would've dwarfed the $'s of Pac-Mayweather

I wonder how the US public could believe this when Schmeling was fighting in the US since 1929, 4 years before the nazis where in charge. The Americans already knew Schmeling and still believed he was a nazi? I always thought this was strange.

 

I can understand the feeling of that time. Everyone had to choose sides.
True also that it would have been a promoter's wet dream. Nation vs Nation in a fight fought by 2 of its heroes. If that happened now....

 

Yeah, I got this. But my question is how the Amrican public could by him beeing a nazi despite they already knew him before the rise to power of the nazis. I mean he was the champ three years before the nazis seized power. Just because the head of state of his home country congratulated him for a big win?
The question is, how could the mind of the American public change so quickly?

 

It's not wise for an any American to go against the official concensus & be percieved to be un-patriotic, you only have to look at the McCarthy witchhunts in the 50's which railed against so called un-american activities such as labour unions who were all classed as communist subversives to see what fate beholds any brave individual who dares raise his opinion in the name of free speech/personel opinion, he'll be crushed flat. If the promoter screams NAZI then you all better scream NAZI or suffer the consequence as it ai'nt wise to go against whats percieved to be or told what is popular opinion.

 

Hm, but Hitler wasn´t an inhuman monster then. There was no holocaust yet. There was no war yet. He was a dictator. True. And the writing on the wall said he would wage war sometime in the future but nobody then thought that something like the holocaust would be possible. Up to then the only thing he had done was to seize power in Germany, make some anti-jew laws - not too unsimilar to the racist laws towards blacks in the US - and having success with a very aggressive foreign policy. How could he be seen as an inhuman monster? As a warmonger perhaps.

I didn´t live back then and for me it´s hard to imagine how this mindchange could happen so fast.

 

Interesting thoughts. :good

 

Yeah, he wrote it all down. But nobody believed he would actually do it. At least in Germany. Until it was too late. What´s so different with not gratulating Owens than the day to day racism of the time in the US? The Kristallnacht was bad and a fist sign, true. But then there were no killings. Unlike racist lynch mobs in the southern states of the US.

Guess, you are right about this beeing hyped by the promoters to promote the fight. Wonder how much this influenced the picture Americans had of Nazi Germany.

 

I know that you know this for sure. You were there. I want to know/understand why Schmeling was seen as a nazi despite beeing well respected and known before the nazis even seized power. And I want to knwo/understand why Nazi Germany was seen as bad as you describe it despite having nothing done, yet, what would justify this view - I would understand that kind of view from 1939 onwards but not really before. I could understand a highly critical view but not the damnation and hate. Know what I mean?

 

it had patriotic significance, so yeah it would of done very well. another fight would of been ali and frazier.

 

i dont think that the fights today make as much as the fights did then , relative to economy.

the numbers may seem big due to ppv, but boxing stars in leonard and alis day were worldwide icons. in leonards day, usa today and good morning america camped out at leonards camp for the entire week of the fight with daily reports from training. their 24/7 really was 24/7. even with all of inflation, leonard still managed to reap 300 million in his career, floyd is only touching 200 million now, and pacquiao has somehwere near 150. endorsements then were more major on the guys too, not just sporting brands and photocopier brands, but cars like ford and toyota sponsored these guys. im not sure them money now is greater relative to time.