![]() ![]() ”I said, `If this is a Nazi, he’s a good Nazi, but I want you to know one thing: I wouldn’t be sitting here today if it wasn’t for this Nazi.»’Īfter a huge buildup for Schmeling’s rematch against Louis, the bout lasted only 124 seconds. ”He risked his life for us our lives weren’t worth a penny,» Lewin said in a 2002 interview with the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California. Schmeling’s role in hiding the boys wasn’t known until Henri Lewin revealed it at a dinner honoring the former champion in 1989. The boys, Henri and Werner Lewin, made their way to the U.S., where Henri became a hotel owner. 9, 1938, when Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues were attacked and destroyed by Nazis. Schmeling, who served as a German paratrooper in World War II, later received an award from the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation for risking his life to hide two Jewish brothers during Kristallnacht on Nov. Louis angered Nazi officials by associating with German Jews and having an American Jewish manager. ![]() Several Jewish groups tried to get the rematch canceled, and Louis said he was ”backing up America against Germany.»Īlthough Hitler had praised Schmeling after the first fight, Schmeling was not an admirer of the German leader and refused to join the Nazi party. The battles between Louis, a black man, and Schmeling came to symbolize for some the coming struggle between Hitler’s Third Reich and the Allies in World War II. It set the stage for a rematch two years later at Yankee Stadium, where Louis, the ”Brown Bomber,» gained revenge with a first-round knockout. Schmeling’s most notable rivalry was with Louis, who was a rising 22-year-old American contender when Schmeling knocked him out in the 12th round of a non-title bout. Above all, Max Schmeling was much appreciated inside and outside Germany as a human being and private person.» ![]() ”He didn’t only become a legend because of his unique boxing successes, as heavyweight world champion and all-class world champion. ”Max Schmeling was an idol for generations of people,» German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said in a faxed statement. After one successful title defense, the German lost the belt to Sharkey in a rematch in 1932. Nicknamed ”The Black Uhlan of the Rhine,» Schmeling won the world heavyweight crown in 1930 when Jack Sharkey was disqualified for a low blow at Yankee Stadium in New York. Schmeling, who became the first fighter to beat Louis in their 1936 meeting, died on Wednesday in the German town of Hollenstedt and was buried today in Lower Saxony, German Boxing Association President Bodo Eckmann said in a phone interview. 4 (Bloomberg) - Max Schmeling, the German heavyweight boxing champion who was miscast as a symbol of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime in his 1938 bout with Joe Louis, died in his native Germany. At the Madison Square Garden Bowl, before a throng of 50,000, Baer knocked the giant Carnera down eleven times in eleven rounds.Feb. Now in line for the world heavyweight title, Baer fought Primo Carnera in 1934. Baer hammered Schmeling so thoroughly, referee Arthur Donovan stopped the fight in the tenth round. In 1933, in the best fight of his career, Baer beat Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium before 60,000 fans. The death was attributed in part to the beating administered by Baer. Not long after, Schaaf died following a bout with Primo Carnera. ![]() In 1932, Baer knocked Ernie Schaaf unconscious in the tenth round of what had been a fairly even fight. Jack Dempsey helped Baer shorten his punches and took an interest in him for the rest of his career. One victor, Hall of Famer Tommy Loughran, told Baer that he was looping and telegraphing his punches. Ultimately cleared of criminal charges, Baer was suspended from fighting in California for a year.īaer quit boxing for several months after Campbell's death, then lost four of his next six fights, partly because of his reluctance to go on the attack. In 1930, he was charged with manslaughter when Frankie Campbell, brother of baseball player Dolph Camilli, died as a result of a Baer knockout. Baer was in supreme condition and dangerous in the ring. He turned pro in 1929 and won 22 of his first 24 fights, nine with first-round knockouts. Early in his career, Baer trained with a zeal he did not demonstrate later. ![]()
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