| February 4th, 2005 07:40 AM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
German Boxing Legend Max Schmeling Dies
By ROY KAMMERER, Associated Press Writer
BERLIN - German boxing legend Max Schmeling, one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time, has died at age 99.
The former world champion, one of Germany's biggest sports idols, died Wednesday at his home in Hollenstedt, according to his foundation in Hamburg. No cause of death was given.
Schmeling's extraordinary career will be remembered for his two legendary fights with American great Joe Louis, which produced a lasting bond between the two boxers despite the politically charged atmosphere surrounding the bouts.
Born Sept. 28, 1905, of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Schmeling first got interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.
He became the first German — and European — heavyweight world champion when he beat Jack Sharkey in New York on June 12, 1930, after the American was disqualified for a fourth-round low blow.
But it was his fights against Louis that set off a propaganda war between the Nazi regime and the United States on the eve of World War II.
Schmeling lost his title to Sharkey two years later on a disputed decision, but came back to knock out the previously unbeaten Louis in the 12th round on June 19, 1936, which the Nazi regime trumpeted as a sign of "Aryan supremacy."
Schmeling came into the fight as a 10-1 underdog, and his victory is considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
But, in a rematch at Yankee Stadium on June 22, 1938, Louis knocked Schmeling out in the first round to retain the world title.
Schmeling, originally popular in the United States, was viewed as a symbol of the Nazis and the growing antipathy between the countries when the rematch took place.
The fight was portrayed as the battle of evil against good, with the Nazis looking to project Schmeling as an Aryan Superman.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Louis to the White House to exhort the black boxer to beat Schmeling.
Louis, then the champion, sent the German challenger to the canvas four times and knocked him out in 2 minutes, 4 seconds.
"Looking back, I'm almost happy I lost that fight," Schmeling said in 1975. "Just imagine if I would have come back to Germany with a victory. I had nothing to do with the Nazis, but they would have given me a medal. After the war I might have been considered a war criminal."
After the loss, the Nazis distanced themselves from Schmeling. In 1940, he was drafted into the military as a parachutist. A year later, he was severely injured and hospitalized for months.
Despite the portrayal of him in the United States as a tool of the Nazis, Schmeling had run-ins with the regime even before the first fight with Louis.
Although he had lunched with Hitler and had long discussions with his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, Schmeling angered the Nazi bosses in 1935 by refusing to join the Nazi party, fire his Jewish American manager, Joe Jacobs, and divorce his Czech-born wife, Anny Ondra, a film star.
During the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Schmeling extracted a promise from Hitler that all U.S. athletes would be protected.
He hid two Jewish boys in his Berlin apartment during Pogrom Night in 1938, when the Nazis burned books in a central square and rampaged through the city, setting synagogues on fire.
Reportedly, Schmeling also used his influence to save Jewish friends from concentration camps.
After the war, Schmeling was nearly destitute and fought five more times for the money. He retired after a 10-round loss to Walter Neusel in 1948 at age 43 with a record of 56-10-4 with 39 knockouts.
Schmeling used the money from the bouts to buy the license to the Coca-Cola franchise in Germany and grew wealthy in the postwar era. He also marketed his name, retaining his huge popularity with his countrymen despite his problems with the Nazis.
Schmeling remained married to Anny Ondra for 54 years until she died in 1987. The two, who met on the set of a film Schmeling appeared in, married in 1932.
"I had a happy marriage and a nice wife. I accomplished everything you can. What more can you want?" Schmeling said in 1985.
Over the years, Schmeling treasured his friendship with Louis and quietly gave the down-and-out American gifts of money. He also paid for Louis' funeral in 1981.
In his final years, Schmeling spent three or four hours a day watching television in his home. He attributed his long life to his happy marriage. The couple had no children.
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| February 4th, 2005 07:54 AM |
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| Gazza |
wow..not often you see a boxer living to that age. A great and very courageous human being too.
(cue "great friend of Israel" posts)
[Edited by Gazza] |
| February 4th, 2005 08:13 AM |
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| Fiji Joe |
"He attributed his long life to his happy marriage. The couple had no children."
That about says it all... |
| February 4th, 2005 08:32 AM |
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| Gazza |
LOL |
| February 5th, 2005 01:50 PM |
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| lotsajizz |
He was also a decorated veteran of der Fallschirmjager, fighting at Crete and on das Ostfront. |
| February 5th, 2005 05:02 PM |
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| gypsy |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
wow..not often you see a boxer living to that age. A great and very courageous human being too.
Agreed, Gazza...that is rare - 99. Wow. I just finished watching "Unforgivable Blackness" - the Jack Johnson documentary...four hours long, but worth it. It reminded me of how many great fighters died so young and penniless. Good to hear that Schmeling beat the odds. The documentary also showed some old footage of Louis being knocked out by Schmeling in their first bout.
[Edited by gypsy] |
| February 5th, 2005 11:09 PM |
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| Mr Hess |
I saw a PBS docu last year about the Loois. Schmeling fights, but i forget the name of it. Good stuff!
Plus the Jack Johnson one was excellent! |
| February 6th, 2005 04:57 AM |
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| IanBillen |
Indeed he was a heck of a man. I am also glad to see they myth that Schmeling was a NAZI put to rest. I read articles about how indeed it was good vs. the Nazi party but half the reading I did said it was over=blown by politics and Schmeling was actually friends with Joe Lewis and wanted nothing to do with Nazi involvement. As I gre older I never knew really what to beleieve. Now knowing Schmeling actually paid for Joe Lewis's funeral is something. I am glad this was brought out.
A boxer lving till the age of 99. Wow. I can see Roberto Duran living into his upper years like this.
Ian
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| February 6th, 2005 10:43 AM |
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| Gazza |
Duran's probably likely to be still FIGHTING at 99, Ian! |
| February 6th, 2005 07:41 PM |
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| IanBillen |
quote:
Gazza wrote:
Duran's probably likely to be still FIGHTING at 99, Ian!
Yes. Duran, Larry Holmes, and Evander Holyfield.
Ian |
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