Max Schmeling
Max Schmeling 1938
Statistics
Real name	Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling
Nickname	Black Uhlan of the Rhine
Rated at	Heavyweight
Nationality	German
Birth date	September 28, 1905
Birth place	Uckermark, Germany
Death date	February 2, 2005
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	70
Wins	56
Wins by KO	40
Losses	10
Draws	4
No contests	0

Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling (September 28, 1905 – February 2, 2005) was a German boxer whose two fights with Joe Louis transcended boxing and became worldwide social events because of their racial and national associations. Despite his supposed associations with nazism, used for propaganda to smear him as a Nazi villain, it became known long after the Second World War that Schmeling had risked his own life to save the lives of two Jewish[1]children in 1938. He remains a sporting legend in Germany today, and he also helped his friend Joe Louis later in life. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2215x2748, 490 KB) No copyright restriction known. ... Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... Uckermark is a Kreis (district) in the northeastern part of Brandenburg, Germany. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), the noble art , prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight... Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 13, 1981), better known in the boxing world as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, was a native of LaFayette, Alabama and is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Propaganda is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people. ... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 13, 1981), better known in the boxing world as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, was a native of LaFayette, Alabama and is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions. ...

Biography

Early years and Jack Sharkey

Schmeling debuted as a professional boxer in 1924, and he built a record of 42 wins, 4 losses and 3 draws, before fighting Jack Sharkey for the vacant world Heavyweight championship, in 1930. In between his debut and the championship fight, he fought a two-round exhibition with world Heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey (who he strongly resembled), in 1925, at Cologne. See also: 1923 in sports, other events of 1924, 1925 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Baseball (Major Leage) Washington Senators def. ... Jack Sharkey, born October 6, 1902 in Binghamton, New York, United States – died August 17, 1994 in Beverly, Massachusetts, was a heavyweight boxing champion. ... Antarctica Oceania Africa Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Caribbean Central Asia East Asia North Asia South Asia Southeast Asia SW. Asia Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Central America Latin America Northern America Americas C. Africa E. Africa N. Africa Southern Africa W. Africa C. Europe E. Europe N... // The St. ... William Harrison Jack Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983) was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title between 1919 and 1926. ... See also: 1924 in sports, other events of 1925, 1926 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Baseball (Major League) Pittsburgh Pirates def. ... For other uses, see Cologne (disambiguation). ...

In round 4, Sharkey hit Schmeling with a low blow so severe that Schmeling could not continue. Thus, Schmeling won the world title on a disqualification. He became the first Heavyweight world champion to win the title on a disqualification, and to this day remains the only one to have won it that way.

In 1931, he made a defense, knocking out Young Stribling in 15 rounds at Cleveland, and in 1932, he and Sharkey had a rematch. After 15 rounds, Sharkey was declared the winner on points (a very controversial split decision), and Schmeling lost his title. This decision led to Joe Jacobs, his manager (see below), shouting in protest a line that since has become famous: "We was robbed!" 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ...

Despite efforts to make a third fight happen, the rubber match between Schmeling and Sharkey never took place.

Two Months after he lost the title Max Schmeling knocked out Mickey Walker, showing that he was still the Worlds best Heavyweight. That changed in June 1933 wen he lost by t.K.o. against later Champion Max Baer.

Joe Louis

In 1936, the situation in Germany had changed. Schmeling came over to New York to face the up-and-coming African American boxer Joe Louis, who was undefeated and considered unbeatable. Upon his arrival, Schmeling claimed that he had found a flaw in Louis' style, observing the way in which he dropped his guard after throwing a punch. He surprised the boxing world by handing Louis his first defeat, dropping him in round four and knocking him out in the 12th. Schmeling returned to Germany on the Hindenburg as a hero. NY redirects here. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 13, 1981), better known in the boxing world as Joe Louis and nicknamed The Brown Bomber, was a native of LaFayette, Alabama and is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions. ... LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German zeppelin. ...

Louis and his mainly black supporters were devastated by the defeat. Schmeling himself was also affected; when Louis finally won the world Heavyweight crown in 1937, he said he would not consider himself a champion until he beat Schmeling in a rematch.

The rematch came, at Yankee Stadium, on June 22, 1938, with Louis defending his crown. By then, a second world war was clearly looming on the horizon, and the fight was viewed worldwide as symbolic battle for superiority between two likely adversaries. In American pre-fight publicity, Schmeling was cast as the Nazi warrior, while Louis was portrayed as a defender of American ideals. Yankee Stadium is the home stadium of the New York Yankees, a major league baseball team. ... June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... National Socialism redirects here. ...

The fight was broadcast by radio all over the United States and Europe (in 2005 it was selected for permanent preservation in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress). Some accounts claim that after Louis dropped Schmeling for the first time in the first round Joseph Goebbels ordered that the broadcast of the fight to Germany be cut off, so Germans wouldn't find out what happened until later on. However, German sports writer with the Associated Press, Roy Kammerer , based in Berlin wrote in 2005: "The fight was a huge event worldwide and left a lasting impression on his era of Germans, who followed blow-by-blow on radio."^{[citation needed]} Kammerers account is supported by a 1988 letter to the Sport Editor of the New York Times^[1]. World map showing the location of Europe. ... The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings which are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States. ... Paul Joseph Goebbels (29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German politician and Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda during the National Socialist regime from 1933 to 1945. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...

Louis retained the title by a technical knockout later in the first, and Hitler took this defeat as an embarrassment to his country.

Schmeling was branded as a "Nazi" by many boxing fans, but this is debatable. In reality, Schmeling became quite unpopular among the Nazis after the embarrassing loss to the black man, and was not used anymore in Nazi propaganda, which was a relief to him. In 1928, he hired Joe Jacobs, a Jew, to be his manager. He would point to this fact for the rest of his life in defending himself against charges of Nazi sympathy. Propaganda is a type of message aimed at influencing the opinions or behavior of people. ...

In 1938, during the Kristallnacht, Schmeling hid two teenage sons of a Jewish friend in his Berlin hotel room, protecting them from the SS and Gestapo at great risk to himself. The two boys, Henry and Werner Lewin, were eventually smuggled out of Germany with Schmeling's help. Kristallnacht, also known as Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, Crystal Night and the Night of Broken Glass, was a pogrom[1] against Jews throughout Germany and parts of Austria on November 9–10, 1938. ... SS or ss or Ss may be: The Schutzstaffel, a Nazi paramilitary force Steamship (SS) (ship prefix) The United States Secret Service A submarine not powered by nuclear energy (SS) (United States Navy designator), see SSN A Soviet/Russian surface-to-surface missile, as listed by NATO reporting name Shortstop... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...

One year after that defeat against Louis, Max Schmeling came back winning the European Heavyweight Title by a first round K.O. against Adolf Heuser.

When World War II broke out in 1939, Schmeling was drafted into the German Wehrmacht and served as a paratrooper. Following its end he was interned briefly, still recovering from injuries sustained in the war. Afterwards, he frequently visited American troops, giving away signed photos and taking pictures with the American soldiers. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Wehrmacht   (armed forces, literally defence force(s)) was the name of the armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. ...

Business and retirement

The early postwar years were financially difficult for Schmeling. A former New York boxing commissioner who had become a Coca-Cola executive offered him the postwar soft drink franchise in Germany, and he became a successful businessman and one of Germany's most respected philanthropists. At his death, he was still one of the owners of Coca-Cola's German branch. NY redirects here. ... The wave shape (known as the dynamic ribbon device) present on all Coca-Cola cans throughout the world derives from the contour of the original Coca-Cola bottles. ... A soft drink is a drink that contains no alcohol. ...

After 1948, Schmeling had retired from boxing. He and Louis became friends following a 1954 meeting on the U.S. television program This Is Your Life. Schmeling and Louis met 12 times afterward as friends, and he helped to pay the latterly impoverished Louis' medical bills. He was one of the pallbearers at Louis's funeral in 1981, which he paid for.^{[citation needed]} Until shortly before his death, he made several trips a year around the world to attend activities related to his boxing career. He has been the object of several books, including a biography, and in 2001, STARZ! produced a movie about him and Louis named Joe and Max. See also: 1947 in sports, 1949 in sports and the list of years in sports. Baseball January 29: Commissioner Happy Chandler fines the Yankees, Cubs, and Phillies $500 each for signing high school players. ... 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This Is Your Life was a television documentary series hosted by Ralph Edwards, which originally aired in the United States from 1952 to 1961, and again from 1972 on NBC. It originated as a radio show airing from 1948 to 1952 on NBC Radio. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Starz is a US pay TV network which features mainly first-run motion pictures. ...

He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame, and he compiled a record of 56 wins, 10 losses and 4 draws with 40 wins by knockout. Among his other wins, he had a knockout in eight rounds over former world Welterweight champion, Middleweight champion and fellow Hall Of Famer Mickey Walker. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. ... Edward Patrick Mickey Walker (July 13, 1903 - April 28, 1981) was a multi-faceted boxer from New Jersey. ...

After celebrating his 99th birthday in 2004, Schmeling vowed to live on to celebrate his 100th birthday. However, that Christmas, he came down with a bad cold, and his health never recovered. He later slipped into a coma on January 31, 2005 and died two days later at 3:55 pm. He was buried next to his wife, the Austro-Hungarian-born Czech film actress Anny Ondra (Anna Sophie Ondráková), to whom he was married for 54 years. They had no children. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... Anna Sophie Ondráková, known as Anny Ondra (May 15, 1903, Tarnów - February 28, 1987, Hollenstedt near Hamburg) was a Czech/German actress. ...

Record

• Amateur boxing: Fights Wins KOs RSC Loses Draw
• Professional boxing: 70 Fights 56 Wins 40 KOs 10 Loses 4 Draw

Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), the noble art , prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), the noble art , prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight...

Career

• German Lightheavyweight Champion 1926 - 1928
• European Lightheavyweight Champion 1927 - 1928
• German Heavyweight Champion 1928
• World Heavyweight Champion 1930 - 1932
• European Heavyweight Champion 1939 - 1943

Culture

As Max lived in Stettin, Germany (now Szczecin, Poland), a band from this city, The Analogs recorded a tribute song to him. Motto: none Voivodship West Pomeranian Municipal government Rada miasta Szczecina Mayor Marian Jurczyk Area 301,3 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 413 600 1372/km² Founded City rights 8th century 1243 Latitude Longitude 14°34E 53°26N Area code +48 91 Car plates ZS Twin towns Berlin-Kreuzberg... The Analogs is a popular Polish street punk band. ...

In the book "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," Joe Kavalier is beaten up by someone who may or may not have been Max Schmeling. The author hints that it probably wasn't, as Max should have been fighting in Poland at the time. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a 2000 novel by Michael Chabon. ...

The Basketball Arena in Berlin that the basketball team Alba Berlin uses (Max-Schmeling Hall) is named in honor of this legendary fighter.

Honorary citizenships

• Honorary Citizen of the City of Los Angeles
• Honorary Citizen of Las Vegas
• Honorary Citizen of Klein-Luckow (his hometown)
• Honorary Member of the Austrian Boxing Federation

Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This article is about the city of Las Vegas in Nevada. ...

References

1. ^ July 3, 1988 - No Knockout Of Broadcast LEAD: To the Sports Editor: The Title Fight That Was Bigger Than Boxing (The Times, June 19) was of great interest to me. You write, Part of the postfight lore . . . is that the German broadcast of the bout was cut off before the fight ended. It was not. As 13-year-old students at the Jewish boarding school Internat Hirsch at Coburg, Germany, and interested in heavyweight boxing, we asked to be awakened at 1 A.M. that day to hear the fight. Some of the kids missed it because it was over before they got to the radio. I have never forgotten the German announcer's plea: Get up, get up Maxie, please get up - oh no, oh no - stay down - it's over! Weeks before, the German newspapers showed pictures of Louis's right thumb as being overly long as well as other statistics to imply unfair advantage over Schmeling. We applauded Louis's victory as a ray of hope for us. We had grown up among Nazi pomp and muscle flexing, witnessing repeated accommodations of the West to Hitler and almost believing that they were unbeatable and that all others - including ourselves -were as inferior and weak as they wanted us to believe. LUDWIG (LARRY) STEIN Chappaqua, N.Y.

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of male boxers

This is a chronological list of world heavyweight boxing champions, as recognized by the following organizations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), founded in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), The World Boxing Council (WBC), founded in 1963, The International Boxing Federation (IBF), founded in 1983, and The World Boxing... This is a list of notable male boxers. ...

External links

• 'The Mirror and Max Schmeling,' obituary (American Spectator)
• Max Schmeling's career boxing record
• PBS biography of Max Schmeling
• BBC obituary for Max Schmeling
• NPR memorial (with audio)
• The Fight of the Century NPR special on the selection of the radio broadcast to the 2005 National Recording Registry