Sport: Jew v. German

Three years ago lanky Max Adelbert Baer of Livermore, Calif., starting his career as a professional fisticuffer, killed an opponent named Frankie Campbell with his punches. That for a long time remained his most notable achievement. But a string of eleven victories over competent fighters in the last two years and the fact that Promoter Jack Dempsey thought Baer’s Jewish ancestry (on his father’s side) might make him popular in New York, qualified him last week as an opponent for Max Schmeling of Germany—intent on earning another chance at the world’s heavyweight championship which Jack Sharkey took away from him a year ago.

In the first round Schmeling, a 2-to-1 favorite, although he was outweighed 189 to 203 lb., was surprised when Baer, instead of sparring cautiously, planted a thumping left hook to the head, followed it with looping dangerous rights. Confused, Schmeling backed up against the ropes, managed to get in one crashing right to the chin before the round ended. In the second round, grinning whenever Schmeling reached his face with short jolting punches, Baer was still forcing the fight, but in the third he was less aggressive. Referee Arthur Donovan warned him for hitting low, awarded the round to Schmeling. Then followed round after round of the kind of boxing which Schmeling—who usually plans to wear his opponents down slowly—likes best. But Baer’s demeanor —his confident grins whenever Schmeling hit him, his backhand punches that made Schmeling frown and look at the referee— caused the crowd of 60,000 to wonder whether Baer was waiting rather than wearing down. In the tenth round, the crowd found out.

Baer ran out of his corner and sent three of his powerful, clublike right hand punches to Schmeling’s head. Schmeling backed away to the ropes, dizzy. Baer, who talks constantly while fighting, said to the referee between pants, “This looks like the end,” and followed Schmeling with a rain of blows which made Schmeling’s knees buckle. It took one more solid punch, this one a carefully measured right while Schmeling stood forlornly near the ropes, trying to hold up his hands, to send the German down. Schmeling went over backwards, sat on the canvas till the referee’s count reached eight, then began dragging himself slowly to his feet. At nine, he was standing again. Baer rushed at him, pounded his head with both hands. Schmeling, dazed and utterly beaten, turned his back and held onto the ropes. Baer stopped punching. Referee Donovan motioned to Schmeling’s seconds, patted Baer’s back, awarded him the fight on a technical knockout.

By knocking out Max Schmeling for the first time since he came to the U. S. in 1928 and made himself heavyweight champion after six fights, Max Baer made certain of opposing the winner of the Sharkey v. Camera fight June 29 for the world’s championship. Baer’s performance last week certainly showed him to be something prizefighting has needed for a long time—a fisticuffer as reckless and daring in the ring as he is eccentric and amiable elsewhere. Now 24, he left Livermore High School after one year to herd cattle on his father’s ranch. Timid and bashful, he had the first fight of his life one evening when a girl resented a remark by another cowhand, insisted that Baer do something about it. Exuberant when he knocked the cowhand down, Baer ordered himself a punching bag from Sears, Roebuck, practiced for four months, won his first professional bout against an Indian named Chief Caribou by a knockout in the second round.

Since then his arrogance has increased even more rapidly than his earnings and prestige. He now has a secretary, a chauffeur, two 6-cylinder cars which he uses as long as his money holds out after each fight. Like Schmeling, for whose marriage to Film Actress Anny Ondra banns were this week posted in Charlottenburg, Germany, Max Baer is interested in an actress —June Knight, who last week left the cast of Take a Chance to go to Hollywood. Unlike Schmeling, Baer is financially imprudent. Since losing his last fight, to Paulino Uzcudun in 1931, he has made about $100,000 of which before last week’s fight he had none left. Said he: “I have more suits than the Prince of Wales. My wife is suing me for divorce, a waitress is suing me for $250,000 for breach of promise, my first manager is trying to cut in for a percentage and I owe about $30,000. . . . Let ’em sue. Getting money out of me is like giving the ocean a drink of water. . . .”

Adequate as a boxer, Baer’s principal weapon in the ring is a long roundabout right hand punch, effective because of its speed. Prizefighter Ernie Schaaf, who died last winter after a fight with Primo Carnera, was unconscious for three hours after his second fight with Baer. Said Max Schmeling last week: “Things might have resulted seriously if Donovan hadn’t intervened.”

The first really ambitious victory of Fisticuffer Baer was additionally notable last week because it was also the first important promotion of onetime Champion Dempsey. To build up interest in the fight, Promoter Dempsey visited both fighters in their training camps, sparred with each, warily refused to pick the winner. His share of the $240,000 gate receipts was about 10%. Unless Camera, under contract to Madison Square Garden Corp., beats Sharkey, Promoter Dempsey is likely to have a hand in organizing the next championship fight.