The fight was held in Yankee Stadium before a crowd of 70,043. Prior to this fateful match, Joe Louis had enjoyed the stature of champion-in-waiting, which was no small development given that Louis was black and just two decades removed from the only other “colored” heavyweight champion up to that point, Jack Johnson. It was now mere target practice for the ex-champion as he chased “The Brown Bomber” about the ring and landed 14 unanswered blows, the final one a flush right that put a stunned and defenseless Louis on his knees before he tumbled to the canvas. No doubt this was due to politics, as Schmeling returned to Germany after his great victory to be hailed by Hitler and the odious Nazi regime as a national hero. But that’s another story. To his credit, the young contender got to his feet immediately and fought back, but his bravery sealed his fate. If you can picture that happening and contemplate the shock-waves which would have emanated from such an upset, then you have some idea of how huge a happening the first Louis vs Schmeling bout was, when the wily veteran dismantled the young, undefeated contender, battering him about the ring for eleven one-sided rounds before finally scoring a clean knockout in the twelfth. Or how about a 19-year-old Mike Tyson, already on the cover of Sports Illustrated, flattening one hapless opponent after another as he blazed a path of non-stop destruction towards championship glory? “I want Schmeling,” said Joe after his title-winning effort. Which one comes to mind? Louis attempted to counterattack, but the German smothered the assault before throwing a series of left hands, one of which he left dangling briefly in Louis’ face to blind Joe to what was coming next: yet another vicious right hand, followed this time by an equally vicious one-two and another right that had Louis staggering into the ropes. Lee Ramage, King Levinsky, Primo Carnera and Max Baer were all reduced to so much rice pudding within a few short rounds, such was “The Brown Bomber’s” punching prowess and awesome accuracy. Louis vs Schmeling: Former world champ Max Schmeling proves he's still a force in the heavyweight division when he knocks out rising star Joe Louis in 1936. The rematch, held the following year and again in New York’s Yankee Stadium, was destined to be one of the most significant contests not just in boxing, but in sports history. A frustrated and desperate Louis resorted to rough-house tactics, throwing shots below the belt and elbows and forearms above it. . It is a city of fights and fighters, of hockey and heroes, of broken dreams and immortal glory, a city unlike any other. “I ain’t no champion ’till I beat Schmeling.”. “Louis beat me so hard, I saw seven of him,” said Baer afterwards. . The round began with the two men battling on the inside and eventually Schmeling got home a stinging uppercut. Schmeling followed up with a flurry of shots punctuated by a perfect right cross that dumped Louis on his backside. Think back, if you will boxing fans, and recollect those breathless days of yesteryear, when the young, can’t-miss prospect, the next great star of the ring, thrilled you as he bounded over the obstacles to fistic success like so many playthings in a child’s sandbox, talented contenders as threatening to this boxing immortal-to-be as a moth to a mountain lion. Now just imagine for a moment if, right before “Kid Dynamite” had blasted Trevor Berbick into next week or demolished Michael Spinks in a mere 91 seconds, a veteran heavyweight who everyone thought long finished, say a Ken Norton or a Mike Weaver, had managed to not just defeat Tyson, but humble him, handing him a one-sided drubbing that called into question his status as the next great heavyweight. — Michael Carbert. Max needed Joe to feel comfortable and willing to let his hands go while he worked to maintain the right distance to both avoid Louis’ power shots and also connect with his own right. Sugar Ray Leonard charming the American public while charting a course to success in the late 70s? Montreal is The Fight City.

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