The fights that took place between Max Schmeling and Joe Louis were two of the most exciting in American history. Not only did their fights represent great boxing, it also was a reflection of some of the social conflicts of that time era. Joe Louis was a prominent African American athlete and was one of the focal points of that movement. They also were a reflection of socialism vs. democracy because it was essentially the U.S. against Germany. The first fight was held on June 19, 1936 and held the World Heavyweight Championship on the line. The fight went twelve rounds where Schmeling ended up winning the match with a knockout.
To give some background on the fighters, Joe Louis (the Brown Bomber) was from Detroit but born in Alabama. When he entered into the ring with Schmeling he was considered invincible because he had a record of 23-0. He was also a symbol of the liberated black man because of his success as a professional. Max (black Uhlan of the Rhine) Schmeling, on the other hand, was born in Germany and had become the Heavyweight Champion in 1930 against Jack Sharkey who lost because of a disqualification. Coming into 1936, Schmeling was still considered the No. 2 boxer in the world behind James Braddock.
When the fight came about, it was held at the Yankee Stadium in New York, New York. The match referee was none other than Arthur Donovan and it was a sold out event. The fight would go up to 15 rounds if it needed to and it was held on June 19, 1936. Schmeling had done a lot of research on the fighting style of Joe Louis and had proclaimed he had the key to beating Louis before the match even began.
During the first 3 rounds Schmeling resorted to his jab and the occasional right cross. This style was different than anything Joe was used to and he took a hard right in the fourth round. this post knocked him to the floor for the first time in his professional career. Schmeling stuck with this technique and Louis didn’t have an answer for it. Joe got an eye injury and was having trouble landing any knockout punches.
In the twelfth round, Max was the obvious winner as far as the judge’s scorecards were concerned. Schmeling decided to get more aggressive and he landed a right punch to the body of Luis and then followed that with a right cross to Joe’s jaw. Joe Louis fell to the mat again and laid there until he was counted out by the referee. It was first time Louis had ever been knocked out and would be one of only two times in his career.
The aftermath of the fight left many Americans broken hearted while Germany celebrated the victory. Hitler himself even sent flowers to the wife of Schmeling and thanked him for his courageous victory in the ring. Schmeling later said he was thinking of all of his countrymen and their memory helped him to win the fight.
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