BoxRec

Max Schmeling is still alive at 97! Incredible!

He's the oldest living ex champ in boxing history....and Jimmy McLarnin is in second place

According to "Fighting ALI" by Stephen Brunt, the author's interview with Karl Mildenburger quotes him as 98........what's another year (with apologies to Johny Logan!)

Phil

i wonder if schmelling will come back when lennox retires? the scene is wide open for him.

there is a relatively new biography of Max currently in the book stores. Haven't had a chance to read it, but I've read positive comments about him. Saw him on an interview show along with Tony Galento about thirty years ago. Galento kept talking about what could have and should have happened in his career and Max kept saying, "Tony, that was years and years ago.Get on with your life. " Charming fellow. I'm looking forward to reading the book to see if it puts a new perspective on the whole nazi connection, for which he had been so severely attacked at the time of his era.

For people who read German, there's a good contribution by Prof. Teichler in Sport Zeit issue 1 of 2001, published by Werkstatt Verlag.

Jaclem wrote: I'm looking forward to reading the book to see if it puts a new perspective on the whole nazi connection, for which he had been so severely attacked at the time of his era.

Max was an enemy of the nazi's......
go to:

http://auschwitz.dk/schmeling.htm

Friedie..thanks for the information. checked it out and it's well worth reading. I've heard and read stories over the years about Max's refusal to aid the nazis, but never had it so neatly in print in one source. I assume the bio, which I still haven't read, will go into much more detail. Schmelling was a young athlete and something of a victim of hnis time. Columnist Bob Considine said it was a "sneaky dirty trick" when he quoted Schmelling as saying Louis fouled him their second fight. It was actuallyh his manager who made that claim. I saw Schmelling on an interview a few years back and he said he turned his back when he was on the ropes so when Louis hit him in the kidneys (and broke vertabrae in the process) that they were fair shots beause he (Schmelling) was the one who turned his back. In a post fight interview after their first battle, a writer asked about a couple of low blows Louis landed in a late round, and Max said (paraphrased) "No...no...the poor fellow was in a fog and didn't know what he was doing. He couldn't even get his hands up by that time. A very clean fighter and a gentleman" Not word for word, but close.

In 1936 while Schmeling was training for the first Louis bout, my late friend, Henry Cooper, who was Jewish was one of his sparring partners.

muray wrote:In 1936 while Schmeling was training for the first Louis bout, my late friend, Henry Cooper, who was Jewish was one of his sparring partners.

Schmeling's Manager, Joe Jacobs, was jewish too.....and Max didn't fire him (what was hitlers wish of course)......