These two fought in an exhibition in Canada once. ANy one by chance know of any details? WHo got the better of it?
Buddy was no joke. Sure Max won the title, but I think BUddy could have won it from Primo too, instead he had the dumb luck of fighting Joe Louis for the title.
Max Baer vs. Buddy Baer
I don't know anything about the exhibition, but this thread is about such two interesting fighters I'm surprised nobody's clicked on to it.
Buddy was by far the best coordinated of the giants of his time, and would have flattened Carnera if he had come along a little sooner. He began fighting before he was 20 and couldn't fight in main events in some states. Has a flashy kayo record from the beginning, and even though a lot of victims were just warm bodies, he also knocked out some good fighters, including the equally huge but less coordinated Abe Simon, who gave Joe Louis one of his toughest fights. Banged around in the first,Buddy came back to stop him in the third. Also kayoed Tony Galento.
I have the film ..complete... of his first fight with Joe Louis and it is one of the few times you will see the Bomber backing up. Buddy came right after him from the first bell, rushed him to the ropes and knocked him out of the ring with a left hook. Louis, always most dangerous when he was hurt got back and and started firing and they had a real slugfest. Buddy stayed competitive and it was a brawl until Louis started connecting in the sixth round and a left hook turned Baer completely around clockwise before he fell and when he got up Louis hit him with a right that turned him counter clockwise. Baer's corner said it came after the bell, and it's called a dq beause they refused to leave the ring. My film is silent so I can't hear a bell, but Buddy might have been severely damaged if he had been given a five minute rest and sent back out again.
In his unpublished autobio, he says, "I didn't like to hurt people, and I didn't like getting hurt" ...not assets in the boxing trade.
Compared to Max? Well, Max had the longer career and against better fighters, and had a better chin (than almost everybody) but Buddy did better than him against Louis in the first fight. Was fearless and got back up after terrific punches, and of course sent Louis through the ropes.
He claimed he should have been given the title in the first fight, because of the "foul" and said "I would have been champion longer than Max, because he didn't train and loved the high life, and I was more dedicated and lived a healthy life and was always in good condition."
The condition part is no doubt true...but he wouldn't have held the title longer, as in their rematch about six months later Louis flattened him in the first, and that was Buddy's last fight.
He was a good fighter, very good puncher and moved well. i think he was pushed into boxing because of his size, his innate talent and his brother being Max. He was better suited for the business world and some occassional acting jobs....the most recent as a guest spot detective on Murder She Wrote. Also did a lot of charity work...died in his early 70s in 1986 or 1987.
Buddy was by far the best coordinated of the giants of his time, and would have flattened Carnera if he had come along a little sooner. He began fighting before he was 20 and couldn't fight in main events in some states. Has a flashy kayo record from the beginning, and even though a lot of victims were just warm bodies, he also knocked out some good fighters, including the equally huge but less coordinated Abe Simon, who gave Joe Louis one of his toughest fights. Banged around in the first,Buddy came back to stop him in the third. Also kayoed Tony Galento.
I have the film ..complete... of his first fight with Joe Louis and it is one of the few times you will see the Bomber backing up. Buddy came right after him from the first bell, rushed him to the ropes and knocked him out of the ring with a left hook. Louis, always most dangerous when he was hurt got back and and started firing and they had a real slugfest. Buddy stayed competitive and it was a brawl until Louis started connecting in the sixth round and a left hook turned Baer completely around clockwise before he fell and when he got up Louis hit him with a right that turned him counter clockwise. Baer's corner said it came after the bell, and it's called a dq beause they refused to leave the ring. My film is silent so I can't hear a bell, but Buddy might have been severely damaged if he had been given a five minute rest and sent back out again.
In his unpublished autobio, he says, "I didn't like to hurt people, and I didn't like getting hurt" ...not assets in the boxing trade.
Compared to Max? Well, Max had the longer career and against better fighters, and had a better chin (than almost everybody) but Buddy did better than him against Louis in the first fight. Was fearless and got back up after terrific punches, and of course sent Louis through the ropes.
He claimed he should have been given the title in the first fight, because of the "foul" and said "I would have been champion longer than Max, because he didn't train and loved the high life, and I was more dedicated and lived a healthy life and was always in good condition."
The condition part is no doubt true...but he wouldn't have held the title longer, as in their rematch about six months later Louis flattened him in the first, and that was Buddy's last fight.
He was a good fighter, very good puncher and moved well. i think he was pushed into boxing because of his size, his innate talent and his brother being Max. He was better suited for the business world and some occassional acting jobs....the most recent as a guest spot detective on Murder She Wrote. Also did a lot of charity work...died in his early 70s in 1986 or 1987.