What caused Schmeling to get beaten by Louis so thoroughly in the rematch?

you got it one. The old saying:

“A match well made is a match half won.”

Could have been penned for this rematch.

 

Plausible.

 

Returning to Joe’s autobiography … and again consider the source, but he stuck his hand up and copped to it … he said in the first fight he didn’t take Schmeling seriously so he really didn’t bust his derrière in training, spent a lot of time on the golf course; plus he was sneaking out of camp to go see Marva at a rendezvous spot, while also indulging in other assorted pieces of tail. He was 23 years old and probably a little full of himself, and he paid for it. Because Max Schmeling while not a Mount Rushmore ATG was a pretty fair prize fighter who all things being equal could give anyone problems on a given day.

 

All of that is true but to give credit where it's due Schmeling did see a flaw that a combination of Joe's youth, overconfidence and Max''s own physical skills and steel nerve allowed him to exploit ... it is also noted at the weigh in for the first fight that Louis openly noted to Blackburn that Schmeling was very confident ..

 

Louis dogged it in training first fight, probably for the only time ever.
Louis still had a couple of technical flaws which Max exploited brilliantly.
Max fought a sensational fight.

By the time of the second Louis was a perfectly honed fighting machine.
By comparison Schmeling had lost a little due to age.
Schmeling could well have been affected by the political drama's of the time.

 

I guess Louis just jumped on him

 

As clever as Max’s strategy was in the first fight he still took a lot of punishment himself - Max’s performance was also anchored in tremendous courage and desire to win - sort of similar to that of Ali in Zaire.

In complement, Louis was likely too complacent and undertrained - a not uncommon pitfall for punchers like himself - they hit a point when it becomes all too easy to knock their opponents over.

Two years later, an already past prime Max was that much older again. Louis also learnt by his mistakes (or more accurately, Blackburn did and remapped Joe accordingly).

As to the injuries suffered, not every fighter will received numerous shots to the area in question - not Joe’s fault as Max, while hanging on the ropes, was turning away from him.

Point being, not so unusual for punches to that area doing the damage reported - particularly when they’re being landed by a puncher such as Joe Louis.

I always reserve Louis that bit more in fantasy matches. He was mainly economical to a fault - but he really splurged in some matches such as those vs Baer and Schmeling II.

Against other elite ATGs, I feel this is the true version of Louis that we would see - extending and maxing the budget for all he was/is worth.

 

Not to detract from Louis' win, but your third point is an excellent one.

 

I think Louis jump on him early, did not give Schmeling room and got him out of there. Louis in the first fight gave Schmeling a lot of room to do his counter punching work.

 

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A right hand shorter then Barbados Joe Walcott.

 

Louis was simply not going to lose. He said he felt like he wasn't really the champion until he avenged his defeat. Schmeling could have hit Louis with a 2x4 that day and Louis would simply get angrier. He knew shouldn't have lost in the first place and fell prey to a game plan exposing his own weaknesses and that enraged him. The normally calm and collected Louis probably felt more pressure than he did when he won the title. Imagine being praised as one of the best technicians ever and then losing to the same guy twice, you'd never get over it.

 

Yeah wasn't one of Max's eyes basically closed?

 

lack of movement, agility, too stiff, possibly frightened before the match

 

Hadn’t watched this in ages:
1) Loved the way Joe straightened him with the left!,
2) The kidney/back punches were devastating(and illegal)
3)Max was unreal brave.

 

Joe wanted, no, needed to win this fight with max, more than any other fight.
He went out, knowing max was ageing and he wasn't taking chances.
Anyone fighting Joe that night was gonna get hammered.