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81-528: Madcap Maxie Maximilian Adelbert Baer Sr. (February 11, 1909 – November 21, 1959) was an American professional boxer and the world heavyweight champion from June 14, 1934, to June 13, 1935. He was known in his time as the Livermore Larupper and Madcap Maxie . Two of his fights (a 1933 win over Max Schmeling and a 1935 loss to James J. Braddock ) were rated Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine. Baer

162-408: A disc jockey for a Sacramento radio station , and for a while he was a wrestler . He served as public relations director for a Sacramento automobile dealership and referee for boxing and wrestling matches. Baer was married twice, first to actress Dorothy Dunbar (married July 8, 1931 – divorced October 3, 1933) and then to Mary Ellen Sullivan (1903–1978) (married June 29, 1935 – his death 1959),

243-564: A "golden age" of popularity for professional boxing in the 1920s. They were also responsible for the first live radio broadcast of a title fight (Dempsey v. Georges Carpentier , in 1921). In the United Kingdom, Jack Solomons ' success as a fight promoter helped re-establish professional boxing after the Second World War and made the UK a popular place for title fights in the 1950s and 1960s. In

324-507: A Hollywood version of Primo Carnera , whom Baer defeated for his heavyweight title. Budd Schulberg , who wrote the book on which the movie was based, portrayed the Baer character, "Buddy Brannen", as bloodthirsty, and the unfounded characterization was reprised in the movie Cinderella Man . In 1950, Baer teamed up with another titleholder, friend and Light Heavyweight champion (1929–34) and boxer-turned actor/comedian, Maxie Rosenbloom . Together,

405-502: A clear advantage over the other, regardless of how minute the advantage. Modern boxing rules were initially derived from the Marquess of Queensberry rules which mainly outlined core aspects of the sport, such as the establishment of rounds and their duration, as well as the determination of proper attire in the ring such as gloves and wraps . These rules did not, however, provide unified guidelines for scoring fights and instead left this in

486-473: A fight against Ray Mancini . Studies following the fight have concluded that his brain had become more susceptible to damage after the 12th round. Exactly three months after the fatal fight, the WBC reduced the number of their championship fights to 12 three-minute rounds with 1 minute in between, making the total bout 47 minutes long. If the bout "goes the distance", meaning that the scheduled time has fully elapsed,

567-435: A fight and a fight all the way. When you've been through what I've had to face in the last two years, a Max Baer or a Bengal tiger looks like a house pet. He might come at me with a cannon and a blackjack and he would still be a picnic compared to what I've had to face." Baer, ever the showman, "brought gales of laughter from the crowd with his antics" the night he stepped between the ropes to meet Braddock. As Braddock "slipped

648-662: A gravel pit for the development of his powerful shoulders (an article in the January 1939 edition of Family Circle reported that Baer also took the Charles Atlas exercise course.) Baer turned professional in 1929, progressing steadily through the Pacific Coast ranks. A ring tragedy little more than a year later almost caused Baer to drop out of boxing for good. Baer fought Frankie Campbell on August 25, 1930, in San Francisco in

729-572: A nationally televised 10-round boxing match in Phoenix . At the end of the match, to the applause of the crowd, Baer grasped the ropes and vaulted out of the ring and joined fight fans in a cocktail bar. The next day, he was scheduled to appear in several television commercials in Hollywood, California . On his way, he stopped in Garden Grove, California , to keep a promise he had made thirteen years earlier to

810-481: A religious retreat near Boston to recuperate from an attack of influenza" which produced the meningitis. The death of Campbell and accusations over Schaaf's demise profoundly affected Baer, even though he was ostensibly indestructible and remained a devastating force in the ring. According to his son, actor/director Max Baer Jr. (who was born seven years after the incident): My father cried about what happened to Frankie Campbell. He had nightmares. In reality, my father

891-417: A ring built over home plate at San Francisco's Recreation Park for the unofficial title of Pacific Coast champion. In the second round, Campbell clipped Baer and Baer slipped to the canvas. Campbell went toward his corner and waved to the crowd, thinking that Baer was getting the count. In response, Baer got up and flew at Campbell, landing a right to Campbell's turned head which sent him to the canvas. After

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972-742: A rival body, the World Boxing Council (WBC) was formed. In 1983, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) was formed. In 1988, another world sanctioning body, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) was formed. In the 2010s a boxer had to be recognised by these four bodies to be the undisputed world champion; minor bodies like the International Boxing Organization (IBO) and World Boxing Union (WBU) are disregarded. Regional sanctioning bodies such as

1053-468: A romance, which lasted until he returned to New York to train for his next match against Primo Carnera . On June 14, 1934, at the outdoor Madison Square Garden Bowl at Long Island City, New York , Baer defeated the huge reigning world champion Primo Carnera of Italy, who weighed in at 267 pounds. Baer knocked down the champion 11 times before the fight was stopped in the eleventh round by referee Arthur Donovan to save Carnera from further punishment. All

1134-439: A second fight with Baer, on 31 August 1932, Schaaf suffered a severe beating and knockout in the final round, hitting the mat two seconds before the final bell, which saved him from an official knockout – Baer won on points. It took several minutes for Schaaf to be revived. Schaaf complained of headaches thereafter, and some observers believe that he suffered brain damage. Six months later, on 10 February 1933, Schaaf fought

1215-506: A succession of blows on the jaw and by any struck on the rear of the head" and that Campbell's brain had been "knocked completely loose from his skull" by Baer's blows. The Campbell incident earned Baer the reputation as a "killer" in the ring. This publicity was further sensationalized by Baer's return bout with Ernie Schaaf , on August 31, 1932. Schaaf had bested Baer in a decision during Max's Eastern debut bout at Madison Square Garden on September 19, 1930. An Associated Press article in

1296-421: Is declared if at least two judges score the bout in favour of the same boxer. The result is either a (win by) “unanimous decision”, by “majority decision” (if the third judge scores a draw), or by “split decision” (if the third judge scores the bout in favour of the other boxer). Otherwise, the result is a draw: a “unanimous draw” (if all three judges scored the bout a draw), a “majority draw” (if two judges scored

1377-518: Is not permitted, and boxers are generally allowed to take substantial punishment before a fight is halted. Professional boxing has enjoyed a much higher profile than amateur boxing throughout the 20th century and beyond. In 1891, the National Sporting Club (N.S.C), a private club in London, began to promote professional glove fights at its own premises, and created nine of its own rules to augment

1458-426: Is only 24 years old, he's the biggest, strongest man fighting today, and he hits with terrible power. On June 8, 1933, Baer fought and defeated German heavyweight and former world champion Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium , by technical knockout. Schmeling was favored to win and was Adolf Hitler 's favorite boxer. The Nazi tabloid Der Stürmer publicly attacked Schmeling for fighting a non-Aryan, as Baer's father

1539-675: Is ranked number 22. Baer's motion picture debut was in The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) opposite Myrna Loy and Walter Huston . In this MGM movie he played Steven "Steve" Morgan, a bartender that the Professor, played by Huston, begins training for the ring. Steve wins a fight, then marries Belle Mercer, played by Loy. He starts seriously training, but it turns out he has a huge ego and an eye for women. Featured were Baer's upcoming opponent, Primo Carnera , as himself, whom Steve challenges for

1620-637: The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1988. Baer was an active member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles . When Max died of a heart attack in 1959, the Eagles created a charity fund as a tribute to his memory and as a means of combating the disease that killed him. The Max Baer Heart Fund is primarily to aid in heart research and education. Since the fund started in 1959, millions of dollars have been donated to universities, medical centers and hospitals across

1701-527: The Nazis . Film star Greta Garbo considered Baer's defeat of Schmeling to be a "mini victory" over Nazism, and she invited Baer to visit her while she was filming Queen Christina in Hollywood. However, Baer's presence on the set was considered a "sacrilege" in Hollywood, as even MGM studio's head, Louis B. Mayer , wasn't allowed on Garbo's set, since she demanded total privacy while acting. Their friendship led to

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1782-620: The North American Boxing Federation (NABF), the North American Boxing Council (NABC) and the United States Boxing Association (USBA) also awarded championships. The Ring magazine also continued listing the world champion of each weight division, and its rankings continue to be appreciated by fans. Ernie Schaaf Frederick Ernest Schaaf (September 27, 1908 – February 14, 1933)

1863-726: The Northern Californian towns of Hayward , San Leandro and Galt before moving to Livermore in 1926. Livermore was ranch and cowboy country, surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of open land on which large cattle herds grazed and provided fresh meat to the local area. In 1928, Jacob leased the Twin Oaks Ranch in Murray Township, where he raised more than 2,000 hogs and worked with daughter Frances' husband, Louis Santucci. Baer often credited his work carrying heavy carcasses of meat, stunning cattle with one blow, and working at

1944-487: The Queensberry Rules . These rules specified more accurately, the role of the officials, and produced a system of scoring that enabled the referee to decide the result of a fight. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) was first formed in 1919 with close links to the N.S.C., and was re-formed in 1929 after the N.S.C. closed. In 1909, the first of twenty-two belts were presented by the fifth Earl of Lonsdale to

2025-497: The Baer fight, on February 11, 1933, Schaaf died in the ring after taking a left jab from the Italian fighter Primo Carnera . The majority of sports editors noted, however, that an autopsy later revealed Schaaf had meningitis , a swelling of the brain, and was still recovering from a severe case of influenza when he touched gloves with Carnera. Schaaf's obituary stated that "just before his bout with Carnera, Schaaf went into reclusion in

2106-488: The Bantamweight title in 1892, Canada's George Dixon became the first ever black athlete to win a World Championship in any sport; he was also the first Canadian-born boxing champion. On May 12, 1902, lightweight Joe Gans became the first black American to be boxing champion. Despite the public's enthusiasm, this was an era of far-reaching regulation of the sport, often with the stated goal of outright prohibition. In 1900,

2187-531: The Polo Grounds in New York. Baer boxed in 84 professional fights from 1929 to 1941. In all, his record was 71–13. Fifty-three of those wins were knockouts, making him a member of the exclusive group of boxers to have won 50 or more bouts by knockout. Baer defeated the likes of Ernie Schaaf , Walter Cobb, Kingfish Levinsky , Max Schmeling , Tony Galento , Ben Foord and Tommy Farr . He was Heavyweight Champion of

2268-510: The September 9, 1932, sports section of the New York Times describes the end of the return bout as follows: Two seconds before the fight ended Schaaf was knocked flat on his face, completely knocked out. He was dragged to his corner and his seconds worked on him for three minutes before restoring him to his senses... Baer smashed a heavy right to the jaw that shook Schaaf to his heels, to start

2349-580: The State of New York enacted the Lewis Law, banned prizefights except for those held in private athletic clubs between members. Thus, when introducing the fighters, the announcer frequently added the phrase "Both members of this club", as George Wesley Bellows titled one of his paintings. The western region of the United States tended to be more tolerant of prizefights in this era, although the private club arrangement

2430-598: The United States and Canada for heart research and education. Portrayed in: All information in this section is derived from BoxRec , unless otherwise stated. All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as "no decision" bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column. Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column. Professional boxer In contrast with amateur boxing , professional bouts are typically much longer and can last up to twelve rounds, though less significant fights can be as short as four rounds. Protective headgear

2511-635: The United States became the centre for professional boxing. It was generally accepted that the "world champions" were those listed by the Police Gazette . After 1920, the National Boxing Association (NBA) began to sanction "title fights". Also during that time, The Ring was founded, and it listed champions and awarded championship belts. The NBA was renamed in 1962 and became the World Boxing Association (WBA). The following year,

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2592-645: The World from June 14, 1934, to June 13, 1935. Baer was a 1968 inductee into The Ring magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame (disbanded in 1987) and was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995. He was inducted to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. The 1998 Holiday Issue of Ring ranked Baer #20 in "The 50 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time" . In Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers (published in 2003), Baer

2673-456: The blue bathrobe from his pink back, he was the sentimental favorite of a Bowl crowd of 30,000, most of whom had bet their money 8-to-1 against him." Baer "undoubtedly paid the penalty for underestimating his challenger beforehand and wasting too much time clowning." At the end of 15 rounds Braddock emerged the victor in a unanimous decision, outpointing Baer 8 rounds to 6 in the "most astounding upset since John L. Sullivan went down before

2754-494: The bout a draw, regardless of the result reached by the third judge), or a “split draw” (if each boxer was the winner on one scorecard, and the third judge scored a draw). The 10-point system was first introduced in 1968 by the World Boxing Council (WBC) as a rational way of scoring fights. It was viewed as such because it allowed judges to reward knockdowns and distinguish between close rounds, as well as rounds where one fighter clearly dominated their opponent. Furthermore,

2835-557: The championship, and Jack Dempsey , as himself, former heavyweight champion, acting as the referee. On March 29, 1934, The Prizefighter and the Lady was officially banned in Germany at the behest of Joseph Goebbels , Adolf Hitler 's Minister of Propaganda and Public Entertainment, even though it received favorable reviews in local newspapers as well as in Nazi publications. When contacted for comment at Lake Tahoe , Baer said, "They didn't ban

2916-564: The early twentieth century, most professional bouts took place in the United States and Britain, and champions were recognised by popular consensus as expressed in the newspapers of the day. Among the great champions of the era were the peerless heavyweight Jim Jeffries and Bob Fitzsimmons , who weighed more than 190 pounds (86 kilograms), but won world titles at middleweight (1892), light heavyweight (1903), and heavyweight (1897). Other famous champions included light heavyweight Philadelphia Jack O'Brien and middleweight Tommy Ryan . After winning

2997-436: The end of each round, judges must hand in their scores to the referee who then hands them to the clerk who records and totals the final scores. Judges are to award 10 points (less any point deductions) to the victor of the round and a lesser score (less any point deductions) to the loser. The losing contestant's score can vary depending on different factors. The "10-point must" system is the most widely used scoring system since

3078-407: The event the winner of a bout cannot be determined by a knockout , technical knockout , or disqualification , the final decision rests in the hands of three ringside judges approved by the commission. The three judges are usually seated along the edge of the boxing ring , separated from each other. The judges are forbidden from sharing their scores with each other or consulting with one another. At

3159-409: The ex-world heavyweight champion a rematch with current champ Joe Louis . Jacobs did not give Baer another bout with Louis. Baer retired after his next fight, on April 4, 1941, when he lost to Lou Nova on a TKO in the eighth round of a scheduled 10-rounder at Madison Square Garden. Nova did get a shot at Joe Louis, losing to the champion by TKO in the sixth round of a scheduled fifteen-round bout held at

3240-401: The fighter knocked down, resulting in a 10–8 score if there is one knockdown or a 10–7 score if there are two knockdowns. If the referee instructs the judges to deduct a point for a foul, this deduction is applied after the preliminary computation. So, if a fighter wins a round, but is penalised for a foul, the score changes from 10–9 to 9–9. If that same fighter scored a knockdown in the round,

3321-559: The first time he had ever been knocked to the canvas in his career. A sizzling left hook in the fourth round brought Max to his knee again, and the referee called the bout soon after. It was learned weeks later that Baer fought Louis with a broken right hand that never healed from his fight with James J. Braddock. Max was virtually helpless without his big right hand in the Louis fight. In the first televised heavyweight prizefight, Baer lost to Lou Nova on June 1, 1939, on WNBT -TV in New York. Baer

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3402-400: The front desk and asked for a doctor. The desk clerk said that "a house doctor would be right up." "A house doctor?" he replied jokingly, "No, dummy, I need a people doctor". A doctor gave Baer medicine, and a fire department rescue squad administered oxygen. His chest pains subsided and he was showing signs of recovery when he was stricken with a second heart attack . Just a moment before, he

3483-474: The greatest upsets in boxing history occurred in Long Island City, New York , as Baer fought down-and-out boxer James J. Braddock in the so-called Cinderella Man bout. Baer hardly trained for the bout. Braddock, on the other hand, was training hard. "I'm training for a fight, not a boxing contest or a clownin' contest or a dance," he said. "Whether it goes one round or three rounds or ten rounds, it will be

3564-524: The hand that hit her husband. She took that hand and the two stood speechless for a moment. "It was unfortunate, I'm awfully sorry", said Baer. "It could have been you," she replied. She forgave him. At noon the next day, with a lit candle laced between his crossed fingers, and his wife and mother beside him, Frankie Campbell was pronounced dead. Upon the surgeon's announcement of Campbell's death, Baer broke down and sobbed inconsolably. Brain specialist Dr. Tilton E. Tillman "declared death had been caused by

3645-403: The hands of individual sanctioning organizations. This meant that fights would be scored differently depending on the rules established by the governing body overseeing the fight. It is from this environment that the 10-point system evolved. The adoption of this system, both nationally and internationally, established the foundation for greater judging consistency in professional boxing. In

3726-486: The huge (more than 250 pounds or 110 kilograms) Primo Carnera , and suffered a knockout loss in the 13th round of 15. He fell into a coma, and was rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery. He died on Valentine's Day . An autopsy revealed that Schaaf had meningitis , a swelling of the brain, and he was still recovering from a severe case of influenza when he entered the ring with Carnera. Schaaf has an official record of 55–13–2 with 1 no contest and 4 no decisions, but

3807-430: The knockdowns occurred in rounds one, two, ten and eleven, which Baer thoroughly dominated. The intervening rounds were competitive. There is some dispute about the number of knockdowns scored, as Carnera slipped to the canvas on several occasions and was wrestled to the canvas other times. Despite this dominant performance over Carnera, Baer would hold the world heavyweight title for just 364 days. On June 13, 1935, one of

3888-489: The last round, then walked into the Boston fighter, throwing both hands to the head and body. Baer drove three hard rights to the jaw that staggered Schaaf. Baer beat Schaaf around the ring and into the ropes with a savage attack to the head and body. Just before the round ended Baer dropped Schaaf to the canvas, but the bell sounded as Schaaf hit the floor. Schaaf complained frequently of headaches after that bout. Five months after

3969-439: The late teens into the early twenties. Championship level prizefighters in this period were the premier sports celebrities, TO IF WE, and a title bout generated intense public interest. Long before bars became popular venues in which to watch sporting events on television, enterprising saloon keepers were known to set up ticker machines and announce the progress of an important bout, blow by blow. Local kids often hung about outside

4050-464: The match, he dominated the rugged Schmeling into the tenth round, when Baer knocked Schmeling down and the referee stopped the match. Columnist Westbrook Pegler wrote about Schmeling's loss, "That wasn't a defeat, that was a disaster", while journalist David Margolick claimed that Baer's victory would come to "symbolize Jewry's struggle against the Nazis." Baer became a hero among Jews and those who despised

4131-430: The mid-20th century. It is so named because a judge "must" award 10 points to at least one fighter each round (before deductions for fouls). A scoring of 10–9 is commonly seen, with 10 points for the fighter who won the round, and 9 points for the fighter the judge believes lost the round. If a round is judged to be even, it is scored 10–10. For each knockdown in a round, the judge typically deducts an additional point from

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4212-514: The mother of his three children: actor Max Baer Jr. (b. 1937), best known for playing Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies , James Manny Baer (1941–2009), and Maudie Marian Baer (b. 1944). At the time of his death on November 21, 1959, Baer was scheduled to appear in some TV commercials in Los Angeles before returning to his home in Sacramento. On Wednesday, November 18, 1959, Baer refereed

4293-400: The no-decision bouts are due to the scoring practices of the era. Newspaper reports indicate that he won 3 of those, and lost one. All information in this section is derived from BoxRec , unless otherwise stated. All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column. Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in

4374-419: The other participant is awarded a technical knockout win. For this reason, fighters often employ cutmen , whose job is to treat cuts between rounds so that the boxer is able to continue despite the cut. Other scoring systems have also been used in various locations, including the five-point must system (in which the winning fighter is awarded five points, the loser four or fewer), the one-point system (in which

4455-451: The outcome is determined by decision. In the early days of boxing, the referee decided the outcome by raising the winner's arm at the end of the bout, a practice that is still used for some professional bouts in the United Kingdom. In the early twentieth century, it became the practice for the referee or judge to score bouts by the number of rounds won by each boxer. To improve the reliability of scoring, two ringside judges were added besides

4536-559: The pallbearers. The cemetery service was concluded by an American Legion honor guard recognizing Baer's service in World War II. Baer's obituary made the front page of The New York Times . He was laid to rest in a garden crypt in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Sacramento. There is a park named for Baer in Livermore, California . There is also a park named for him in Sacramento. He was honored by

4617-625: The picture because I have Jewish blood. They banned it because I knocked out Max Schmeling." Baer, along with his brother Buddy , enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force when World War II began. Baer acted in almost 20 movies, including Africa Screams (1949) with Abbott and Costello , and made several television guest appearances. A clown in and out of the ring, Baer also appeared in a vaudeville act and on his own TV variety show . Baer appeared in Humphrey Bogart 's final movie, The Harder They Fall (1956), opposite Mike Lane as Toro Moreno,

4698-409: The referee, and the winner was decided by majority decision. Since the late twentieth century, it has become common practice for the judges to be three ringside observers who award a score to each boxer for each round, with the referee having the authority to deduct points for certain violations. At the conclusion of the bout, each of the three judges tallies the points awarded to each boxer. A winner

4779-404: The result of an unintentional foul, the fight goes to the scorecards only if a specified number of rounds (usually three, sometimes four) have been completed. Whoever is ahead on the scorecards wins by a technical decision. If the required number of rounds has not been completed, the fight is declared a technical draw or a no contest. If a fight is stopped due to a cut resulting from a legal punch,

4860-400: The ropes. As he hammered him with punch after punch, the ropes were the only thing holding Campbell up. By the time referee Toby Irwin stopped the fight, Campbell collapsed to the canvas. Baer's own seconds reportedly ministered to Campbell, and Baer stayed by his side until an ambulance arrived 30 minutes later. Baer "visited the stricken fighter's bedside", where he offered Frankie's wife Ellie

4941-459: The round, Campbell said to his trainer "Something feels like it snapped in my head", but he went on to handily win rounds 3 and 4. As Baer rose for the 5th round, Tillie "Kid" Herman, Baer's former friend and trainer, who had switched camps overnight and was now in Campbell's corner, savagely taunted and jeered Baer. In a rage and determined to end the bout with a knockout, Baer soon had Campbell against

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5022-420: The saloon doors, hoping for news of the fight. Harpo Marx , then fifteen, recounted vicariously experiencing the 1904 Jeffries-Munroe championship fight in this way. Professional bouts are limited to a maximum of twelve rounds, where each round last 3 minutes for men, 2 minutes for women. Most are fought over four to ten rounds depending upon the experience of the boxers. Through the early twentieth century, it

5103-425: The score would change from 10–8 in his favour to 9–8. While uncommon, if a fighter completely dominates a round but does not score a knockdown, a judge can still score that round 10–8. Judges do not have the ability to disregard an official knockdown; if the referee declares a fighter going down to be a knockdown, the judges must score it as such. If a fight is stopped due to an injury that the referee has ruled to be

5184-455: The sport, as did boxers' managers. The best promoters and managers have been instrumental in bringing boxing to new audiences and provoking media and public interest. The most famous of all three-way partnership (fighter-manager-promoter) was that of Jack Dempsey (heavyweight champion 1919–1926), his manager Jack Kearns , and the promoter Tex Rickard . Together they grossed US$ 8.4 million in only five fights between 1921 and 1927 and ushered in

5265-466: The state for the next year. Baer gave purses from succeeding bouts to Campbell's family, but lost four of his next six fights. He fared better when Jack Dempsey took him under his wing. Boxing has found in Max Baer the kind of fighter who can bring the game back to the old days—the days when big men fought to knock each other out...So I believe that boxing's comeback now rests right on Baer's shoulders. He

5346-408: The subsequent adoption of this system, both nationally and internationally, allowed for greater judging consistency, which was something that was sorely needed at the time. There are many factors that inform the judge's decision but the most important of these are: clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense. Judges use these metrics as a means of discerning which fighter has

5427-472: The then five-year-old son of his ex- sparring partner, Curly Owens. Baer presented the now 18-year-old with a foreign sports car on his birthday, as he had said he would. Baer checked into the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel upon his arrival on November 19. Hotel employees said he looked fit but complained of a cold. As he was shaving on the morning of November 21, he experienced chest pains. He called

5508-433: The thrusts of Gentleman Jim Corbett back in the nineties." Braddock took heavy hits from Baer but kept coming at him until he wore Max down. The fight was featured in the 2005 film Cinderella Man . Baer was portrayed by Craig Bierko and Braddock was portrayed by Russell Crowe . Baer and his brother Buddy both lost fights to Joe Louis . In the third round of Max's September 1935 match, Louis knocked Baer down twice,

5589-573: The two starred in four slapstick comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures (produced by the makers of the Three Stooges comedies) and one feature film, Skipalong Rosenbloom (written by Rosenbloom, uncredited). The team embarked on a comedy tour, billed as "The Two Maxie's" . Baer would also take the stage at Rosenbloom's comedy club on Wilshire Blvd, Slapsy Maxie's , which was featured in the film Gangster Squad . Baer and Rosenbloom remained friends until Baer's death in 1959. Baer additionally worked as

5670-469: The winner of a British title fight held at the N.S.C. In 1929, the BBBofC continued to award Lonsdale Belts to any British boxer who won three title fights in the same weight division. The "title fight" has always been the focal point in professional boxing. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, there were title fights at each weight. Promoters who could stage profitable title fights became influential in

5751-407: The winning fighter is awarded one or more points, and the losing fighter is awarded zero), and the rounds system which simply awards the round to the winning fighter. In the rounds system, the bout is won by the fighter determined to have won more rounds. This system often used a supplemental points system (generally the 10-point must) in the case of even rounds. In the first part of the 20th century,

5832-722: The winters that aggravated Frances' rheumatic fever and Jacob's high blood pressure , the Baers drove to the milder climate on the West Coast, where Dora's sister lived in Alameda, California . Jacob's expertise in the meat business led to numerous job offers in the San Francisco Bay Area . While living in Hayward , Max took his first job as a delivery boy for John Lee Wilbur, who ran a grocery store and bought meat from Jacob. The Baers lived in

5913-504: Was Jewish, calling it a "racial and cultural disgrace." Although the Great Depression , then in full force, had lowered the income of most citizens, sixty thousand people attended the boxing match. NBC radio updated millions nationwide as the match progressed. Baer, who was of half Jewish descent, wore trunks which displayed the Star of David , a symbol he wore in all his future bouts. During

5994-529: Was a professional boxer who was a heavyweight contender in the 1930s but died after a bout. Schaaf weighed 200–210 pounds (91–95 kg) in his prime which was average in that era. In the 1930s he went 2 wins, 1 loss with Tommy Loughran , easily outpointed two future heavyweight world champions in Max Baer in their first fight in 1930 and James J. Braddock in 1931. He also outpointed future title challengers Young Stribling and Tony Galento in 1932. During

6075-505: Was also a boxing referee, and had occasional roles in film and television. He was the brother of heavyweight boxing contender Buddy Baer and father of actor Max Baer Jr. Baer is rated #22 on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time. Baer was born on February 11, 1909, in Omaha, Nebraska , to Jacob Baer (1875–1938) and Dora Bales (1877–1938). His father was the son of Jewish immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine and his mother

6156-563: Was awarded a belt declaring him the " White Heavyweight Champion of the World " after he scored a first-round TKO over Pat Cominsky in a bout at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey , on September 26, 1940, but it was a publicity stunt. The fight was not promoted as being for the white heavyweight championship, and Cominsky would not have won the belt had he beaten Baer. The belt was a publicity stunt dreamed up by boxing promoters who were trying to pressure promoter Mike Jacobs into giving

6237-399: Was common for fights to have unlimited rounds, ending only when one fighter quit or the fight was stopped by police. In the 1910s and 1920s, a fifteen-round limit gradually became the norm, benefiting high-energy fighters like Jack Dempsey . For decades, boxing matches went on for 15 rounds, but that was all changed on November 13, 1982, following the death of Korean boxer Kim Duk-koo in

6318-477: Was joking with the doctor, declaring he had come through two similar but lighter attacks earlier in Sacramento, California. Then he slumped on his left side, turned blue and died within a matter of minutes. His last words reportedly were, "Oh God, here I go." Baer's funeral in Sacramento was attended by more than 1,500 mourners. Four former world boxing champions appeared and Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey were among

6399-560: Was of Scottish descent. His elder sister was Frances May Baer (1905–1991), his younger sister was Bernice Jeanette Baer (1911–1987), his younger brother was boxer-turned-actor Jacob Henry Baer, better known as Buddy Baer (1915–1986), and his adopted brother was August "Augie" Baer. For a while Jacob Baer worked for the Graden Mercantile Company as the manager of their meat-packing plant in Durango , Colorado . In May 1922, tired of

6480-483: Was one of the kindest, gentlest men you would ever hope to meet. He treated boxing the way today's professional wrestlers do wrestling: part sport, mostly showmanship. He never deliberately hurt anyone. In the case of Campbell, Baer was charged with manslaughter . Baer was eventually acquitted of all charges, but the California State Boxing Commission still banned him from any in-ring activity within

6561-560: Was standard practice here as well, the San Francisco Athletic Club being a prominent example. On December 26, 1908, heavyweight Jack Johnson became the first black heavyweight champion and a highly controversial figure in that racially charged era. Prizefights often had unlimited rounds, and could easily become endurance tests, favouring patient tacticians like Johnson. At lighter weights, ten round fights were common, and lightweight Benny Leonard dominated his division from

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