BoxRec

Historians and fans alike have greatly over-looked this one-time Heavyweight champion. In his day he was considered the most deadly and fearsome man in the world, much like George Foreman in the 70's and Mike Tyson in the 80's.

At 6'3" and 220 pounds with a 71-13 (53) record, he was arguably one of the hardest hitting Heavyweights of all time period---and without doubt was the owner of the hardest over-hand right up until the arrival of Joe Louis.

How can anyone forget a man who defeated 24 men in a row in a 4 month span, when now a days fighters seldom fight over 5 times a year?

How can you forget a man who hit so hard and was so quick that he bombed 6'5" 270 pound Primo Carnera to the canvas 11 times?!

How can you forget the way he butchered contender Frankie Cambell in 5 rounds, hitting the man so hard his brain was dislodged from the connecting tissue? Or how he beat Ernie Schaaf so bad that the next time Schaaf fought a simple jab killed him?

This man, when he was serious, defeated such competitors as King Levinsky, Primo Carnera, Tuffy Griffith, Max Schmeling, Tommy Farr, Tony Galento, Ed Bearcat Wright, Pat Cominsky---among several others!

When his fists landed, let's face it, 200 pound men dropped like a stone.

After the Frankie Cambell fight, Baer, despite the what the movie CINDERELLA MAN portrays, began to clown around more with his opponents.

As evident in his fight with Jim Braddock, he would throw a few combinations and laugh and pose for the crowd---Baer's attitude was that Braddock was old and that he could knock out the Irishman whenever he wanted.

If you watch the fight, Baer comes out strong in the final round with Braddock barely hanging on---hadn't there been just one more round, Braddock would have been squished.

That was Baer's major problem, having the attitude that "life is too serious to be taken seriously". If he was completely focused always on his fights---I truly believe Max Baer would have been champion for a long time, irregardless if Joe Louis was around or not---Baer would have been the Jack Dempsey, Marciano, Foreman, Tyson of his era.

Argue all that you like that the fighters in Baer's time were bums, but that never stopped anybody from saying Tyson was an all-time great despite Tony Tubbs and other dead beats were contenders.

I ain't saying Baer was the all-time best puncher, cus his style was very sloppy and he fouled alot, but his power was almost uncanny and if he was around today---with all his charisma, handsome looks and punching power Baer would be the biggest name...without question.

Anyone else's thoughts and opinions on Baer?

He could bang, no question. I don't agree with your asessment vs. Braddock. If Max could have taken him out earlier, he would have.
Reguarding his being the best of a bad lot to-day. If he could land on you, yes he could win, but I don't think he could catch up to Chris Byrd.
Max, had trouble with good movers. He wasn't the most dedicated of guys, & quite simply waisted some decent talent. Since he didn't care much , why do you?

..for maxie's chin, check out my post on the "best heavyweight chins ever" or however it's worded on the thread on the current scene.

i love maxie ...but i have to agree that throwing his talent ..and he had a hell of alot of it....away was his own decision and his place in boxing history has to be based on what he did...not what he could have done.

Max was a great actor. At one point Max pulls one of the greatest "psyche" moves I've ever seen in the Braddock fight. But how much was acting and how much was real? He couldnt pull off the win so my guess was it was bravado was on display when the "goods" were running low.

Baer was good and he thought he was even better than he was, lot's of confidence and personality. He wasn't just the "dark" personality portrayed in the Braddock movie, but that was certainly a part of who he was. He never had that lazer focus a lot of champions had but he sure liked being the champ.

I hope dempseyfire chimes in here, I'd be interested in getting his take on Baer.

I actually re-watched Baer-Schmeling today. Without a doubt Max's best fight . . .in that fight he showed a top flight chin (Max landed his vaunted right cross several times and Max either just took it like it was nothing or laughed in Schmeling's face after he threw it) excellent stamina (he got stronger as the fight went on) of course excellent power, and good combination punching ability as he mixes his attack to the head and body. He also showed that he could fire a very good hard long left jab when he wanted to, but in most other fights I've seen him in he almost always just paws with the left.

Max's main problem was tempermental . . he just clowned around way too much. He seemed to be bi-polar in the ring . . .watch him eat right hands from Schmeling but then fight extreamly gun-shy vs Louis . . . see him clown away the title vs Braddock but then go after Carnera like he was a man possessed . . he lacked focus and consistency, He also could have brushed up on his technical boxing skills, as he showed time and time again that a smooth boxer with a chin could outpoint him. In the Schmeling fight he showed he could be a fair boxer if inclined (he shows a much tighter defense in that fight that I haven't seen in other Baer fights) . . .he usually just preferred to bore in like vs Carnera, which although won him the championship was a much more sloppy Baer showing in my opinion.

Max had one of the best physiques in his prime as a HW. In the Baer and Carnera fights you see a guy 6'2 3/4, 208 lbs of pure muscle, with the widest back and shoulder muscles I've ever seen . . almost freakishly large in proportion to his body. As he got older he started coming into fights at 220, not fat at all but with none of the definition he had earlier. I would like to see film of his fights with Nova, which I've heard were pretty brutal affairs.