Why was Max Baer able to destroy Max Schmeling?

I never said it was a lost technique, just a description not brought up anymore.

 

Schmeling did pretty well early on until Baer erupted,bigger man with more reach ,better chin and power, hardly an upset..

 

In his memories Schmeling writes that "It was simply not there on the night. I could do nothing"

 

Has he ever made a contribution to a thread?

 

Holy ****, let me guess he mistook Greb's isometric drills for actual shadow boxing...

 

Comedy value?

 

Well, I wasn’t going to chime in....but since you asked yes! I think Pat is a solid poster especially in regards to scoring and discussing fights in a variety of threads. He is definitely in the modern is superior to the past school, but so what so are several other quality posters (and the same is true of the reverse side). Oh well I will let Pat defend himself from here on out, but I personally think he brings a lot to this forum. Just my $0.02

 

Maybe I shouldn't be hard on the guy, but I've yet to see him make an incisive comment that I can recall, as opposed to say, Seamus, who I disagree with just as often but is pretty consistently perceptive and informative.

 

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Here is a much more complete video of the fight. You will find it was more competitive than people believe, Schmeling actually boxes well and counters Baer good several times throughout the bout.
You will also see Baer fought Dirty. He should of been disqualified- I lost count in the first round alone how many times Baer held Schmeling behind the neck and punched him, he also threw him into the turnbuckle several times and punched him before he could turn around and defend himself. Their are numerous back hands in their for good measure. To put it mildly Schmeling got no help from the ref and Schmeling himself clearly doesn’t complain enough in the available footage. Stoic to a fault.
Baer’s Chin is also on display here as he is nailed several times by Schmeling who could really punch. Baer mauls Max throughout and finally nails him in the 10th. A minor upset in the history of the sport considering their careers. Baer was clearly motivated in the film and was very active for him compared to some of his other taped fights.

 

I don't think it is that much of an upset in hindsight.

I would probably pick Schmeling if it hadn't happened, but I would know that Baer was a very dangerous finisher, and I would also know that Schmeling was going to have to do a lot of work inside the danger zone.

 

Well said! I seem to remember reading that Schmeling was a 4-1 favorite for the fight. Whether that number is correct or not, Schmeling was the seasoned fighter, a former champion, and definitely had the edge in experience at world level. Baer, on the other hand, was a rising star, charismatic, and already a favorite with the boxing fans and media. He was clearly motivated for this fight and used his physical advantages. Both took powerhouse punches from the other and they had to be plenty tough to do that. Schmeling got a number of raw deals, such as his controversial loss of the title to Sharkey, and llater being denied the Braddock fight. Baer used a lot of roughhouse tactics in this fight which should have at least resulted in warnings from the referee. Seems nobody had any problem with that. Had those breaks gone in Schmeling's favor, his legacy would doubtless be much greater than it is, and he most likely would have been remembered as the dominant heavyweight champion of the 1930s. That said, I believe Baer's size, power, and durability would always be problematic for Schmeling but it would have been interesting had they had a rematch.

 

I don't have any problem with Jim Braddock, the reigning world heavyweight champion, giving Joe Louis a title shot instead of Max Schmeling. Yes, Schmeling stopped Louis in a bout. But before fighting Braddock, Louis had piled up a terrific record, including knockout or stoppage wins over Max Baer, Primo Carnera, Jack Sharkey and Paulino Uzcudun. Up to that time, Louis's sole loss as a pro was to Schmeling, a fighter who had a draw in a bout with Uzcudun, lost by a knockout to Baer and lost by a decision (admittedly a highly disputed one) to Sharkey during the 1930s before fighting Louis. After winning the title from Braddock, Louis went on to have twenty-five successful title defenses in a row, including a TKO win in the first round over Schmeling in a rematch.

- Chuck Johnston

 

Max Baer was a force. You probably don't want to write a textbook based on his technique but he out-physicals opponents and had adopted his style to his assets, as do all great heavies. Partly due to the open-ended nature of the division, you get more fighters who can achieve the top level based on physical talent. See: Wilder.

 

Some trivia:

The fight was almost postponed after Baer was knocked out by his own heavy bag, and suffered a hemorrhage! This incident forced him to take a week out of his training camp to recover.

Adolph Hitler met with Max Schmeling before the fight, and asked him to convey a message to the American press, that things were not as bad in Germany as they thought. At the time laws were being passed to prevent Jews from working in universities or the Civil Service, and boxing was being made compulsory in schools.

Many in the press questioned why Schmeling was fighting the young and dangerous Baer instead of Sharkey.

"We have with us today Adolph Otto Seigfreid Max Schmeling, who was once the heavyweigth champion, still ought to be, and now seems to be making pretty elaborate arrangements never to get the chance again."

"This cunning ruse is to be carried out on the 8th of June, when he is to meet Max Baer, a very rugged and unpleasant man, in a bout that will bring the champion no nearer, and enrich the Schmeling exchequer all too little."

"It wont greatly help him if he beats Baer, it will ruin him if he doesn't"

Chester Times

Schmeling was installed as the 2-1 favorite.

Baers first word's after the fight were "get me a bottle of beer."

 

Max definitely utilized that back hand b*** s*** that he so often did.