Joe Louis vs. Buddy Baer (2nd meeting)

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Challenger rankings
Org. Pos. As of Published
1+ Mth. Old
NBA 3 09.09.1941 09.09.1941
Ring N/A N/A N/A
2+ Mth. Old
NBA 3 09.09.1941 09.09.1941
Ring N/A N/A N/A
3+ Mth. Old
NBA 3 27.06.1941 27.06.1941
Ring N/A N/A N/A
Louis-Buddy Baer II U633632ACME.jpg

Joe Louis 207 lbs beat Buddy Baer 250 lbs by KO at 2:56 in round 1 of 15

Notes

Timeline

  • Baer had not fought since their first encounter 8 months prior.
  • On June 28, Baer was signed to face Abe Simon on August 14 at Madison Square Garden in a fight staged by Mike Jacobs.[1][2] It was later moved to September 5.[3]
  • On August 13, Jacobs revealed that after Louis defeated Lou Nova in September, he would take a break until January and then defend his title against the winner of Baer-Simon.[4]
  • On August 23, Jacobs announced that the fight had been postponed indefinitely due to infection in Baer's right arm.[5][6]
  • On September 26, columnist and manager of Lem Franklin Jack Hurley announced that he had signed his fighter to face Baer, Abe Simon or Bob Pastor on October 20 in Cleveland, Ohio.[7][8] Ultimately, Franklin faced Simon.
  • On September 30, Mike Jacobs revealed that Louis had a contract which stipulated he would face either Baer or Simon in December, however "whether Louis engages in a December bout depends largely upon what arrangements he can make with the army. It's up to Uncle Sam."[9] It was revealed on October 8 that the fight would take place at Madison Square Garden.[10] On October 16, columnist France Laux disclosed that the contract had been signed before Louis faced Lou Nova on September 29.[11]
  • In an interview on October 10, Baer's manager Ancil Hoffman said Baer would probably rematch Louis in February, with Los Angeles being the most likely location.[12]
  • On October 14, Selective Service Board officals said that Louis had been tentatively classified as fit to serve in the Army, with the final report expected October 20.[13][14]
  • On October 21 Louis was officially declared fit to serve in the US Army.[15] That same day, Ancil Hoffman told the media that Baer was looking to fight Louis in Los Angeles in the summer of next year.[16]
  • On October 31, Baer's manager Ancil Hoffman told the press that he had signed his fighter to meet Louis and that the bout was a benefit for the Navy Relief Fund. In response, Jacobs confirmed these plans but denied that the fight had been signed and said that negotiations were still ongoing.[17][18] Later that day Hoffman claimed that he had been misinterpreted and while he had found the terms proposed to him agreeable, nothing had been definitively closed.[19]
  • Bout officially announced by the US Navy Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews on November 12.[20][21] Deal signed by November 14.[22][23][24]

The Fight

  • Louis was a 6-1 betting favorite. [25]
  • This bout was a benefit for the Navy Relief Fund, which received a total of $89,092.01. Louis donated his entire net cut of $47,100.94, promoter Mike Jacobs contributed his entire net profit of $37,229.96, and Baer gave one-sixth of his purse, $4,081.11.
  • The gross gate was 189,700. [26]
  • There was a crowd of 16,689.
  • In the dressing room before the fight, Louis' trainer, Jack Blackburn, who was suffering from arthritis and a weak heart, told Louis that he didn't think he was strong enough to make it up and down the steps to the ring for fifteen rounds. Louis replied, "If you get up those stairs with me, I'll have Baer out before you can relax."
  • The 250-pound Baer was knocked down three times and counted out at 2:56 of the first round. [27]
  • Jack Guenther of the United Press wrote: "Buddy Baer came in at 250 and went out at 2:56." [28]
  • This was Baer's last fight.

Buddy Baer Car Accident

On Christmas Eve 1941, Baer was involved in a car accident. Baer and his trainer, Issy Kline, were riding in a car driven by Jerry Casale, a training camp assistant, when it collided with another car, which was driven by a Wilma H. Wilkins. The following day, United Press reported: "Heavyweight challenger Buddy Baer of California suffered face scratches and bruises. . . . Physicians said his injuries were so slight they would not interfere with the Louis bout." [29]

On January 3, 1942, Baer was named as a defendant in a $36,000 damage suit filed by Wilkins and her husband, Wellington H. Wilkins, Jr. Casale and Anna Griefenhein, owner of the car Casale was driving, were also named in the suit. [30]

After Baer was knocked out by Louis in their rematch, he sued Wilkins and her husband for $150,000 in damages. Kline, Casale and Griefenhein also filed suit against the couple. Baer's attorney, Howard A. Lawn, said the suit was delayed until after the fight rather than jeopardize attendance. The Associated Press reported on January 23, 1942: "The bill of complaint . . . said the heavyweight had suffered torn muscles and tendons in the right shoulder area. These made normal use of the right arm impossible and caused its numbness whenever Baer received an ordinary punch on the head." [31]

The case went to trial in 1949, and neither side received any compensation nor had to pay any damages. [32]


Preceded by:
Louis vs. Nova 		NBA Heavyweight Title Fight
# 33 		Succeeded by:
Louis vs. Simon II
Preceded by:
Louis vs. Nova 		NYSAC Heavyweight Title Fight
# 31 		Succeeded by:
Louis vs. Simon II


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