Max Schmeling, 1905-2005: German boxer fought Louis twice
Boxing legend Schmeling dies at 99
I don’t want anyone to say I was a good athlete, but worth nothing as a human being √≥ I couldn’t bear that.
- Max Schmeling
Max Schmeling could have been like any other German, one who ignored the reality of Nazi rule because it didn’t impact them directly. Millions did, and though most Germans professed to be largely unaware of the horror show that was the hallmark of WWII Germany, many wanted no part of National Socialism. Max Schmeling was, by all accounts, a thoroughly decent human being who, though he loved his country, refused to be used to score political points for Hitler’s regime.
Lost in the intervening years is the knowledge of the strength of the tide that Schmeling bucked. Few of us, thankfully, will ever face the political and social pressures forced upon Max Schmeling during the years of Nazi tyranny.
I have always despised boxing. It is difficult for me to be able to accept the pummelling of another human being disguised as “sport”. Any activity where the object is to literally render your opponent unconscious is something I find reprehensible and brutal. It is an inherently criminal, classless activity that in my estimation should be outlawed. Every now and then, though, the ugliness that is professional boxing produces an individual of surpassing grace, dignity, and yes, class. Max Schmeling was such an individual.
BERLIN ó Max Schmeling wanted to be a heavyweight champion, not a symbol of Nazi supremacy.
Though he thrilled Germany by knocking out Joe Louis, there was another side to the fighter that Hitler tried to portray as an Aryan Superman.
Mr. Schmeling, who fought Louis in two of the most politically charged sporting events ever on the eve of World War II, once hid two Jewish boys in his apartment from marauding Nazis and later reportedly helped some Jewish friends escape death camps.
He said he feared only one thing in a long life that ended Wednesday at the age of 99.
The only thing he feared was being thought of as a great athlete but a poor human being. Clearly, Schmeling had nothing to worry about.
Born Sept. 28, 1905, of humble origins in a small town in the state of Brandenburg, Mr. Schmeling became interested in boxing after seeing a film about the sport.
He became the first German ó and European ó 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. Mr. Schmeling was the only German to be world heavyweight champion.
He 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.”
Mr. Schmeling was 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 out Mr. Schmeling in the first round.
At first, Mr. Schmeling was popular in the United States. But by the time the rematch with Louis took place, he was viewed as a symbol of the Nazis.
The fight was portrayed in both countries as good vs. evil. President Franklin D. Roosevelt invited Louis to the White House to exhort the black boxer to beat Mr. Schmeling.
Louis, then the champion, sent the German challenger to the canvas four times and knocked him out in 2 minutes, 4 seconds of the first round.
“Looking back, I’m almost happy I lost that fight,” Mr. 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.”
Schmeling was drafted in the German army as a paratrooper. After being severely injured and hospitalized for several months, he ended up almost destitute. Using the income from his last five bouts, he was able to purchase the license to the Coca Cola franchise in post-war Germany. Schmeling became a wealthy man, and to those who knew him, a good and generous man who would help to pay a gravely ill Joe Louis’ medical bills. When Louis died, Schmeling quietly paid for his funeral and burial.
Schmeling resisted all efforts of the Nazi regime to link itself to him. During the later stages of the war, Schmeling even assisted Jewish friends in escaping the death camps. After the war, he became a symbol of the new Germany, one determined not to be defined by it’s Nazi past. Nonetheless, Schmeling was not one to try to forget the past, either. He understood his legacy as a heavyweight champion, and while he was more than willing to share his knowledge and experience with later generations of boxers, he refused to be defined by his past. To his credit, Schmeling will be remembered as much for the quality and depth of his life as for his boxing career. Germany, and the world, is a poorer place for his passing on.
