Max Schmeling
| Max Schmeling | |
|---|---|
Max Schmeling in 1938
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling |
| Nickname(s) | Black Uhlan of the Rhine |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Reach | 193 cm (76 in) |
| Nationality | German |
| Born |
28 September 1905 Klein Luckow, Province of Pomerania, German Empire |
| Died | 2 February 2005 (aged 99) Wenzendorf, Germany |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 70 |
| Wins | 56 |
| Wins by KO | 40 |
| Losses | 10 |
| Draws | 4 |
| No contests | 0 |
Maximillian Adolph Otto Siegfried "Max" Schmeling (German: [ˈʃmeːlɪŋ]; 28 September 1905 – 2 February 2005) was a German boxer who was heavyweight champion of the world between 1930 and 1932. His two fights with Joe Louis in 1936 and 1938 were worldwide cultural events because of their national associations.
Starting his professional career in 1924, Schmeling went to the United States in 1928 and, after a ninth-round technical knockout of Johnny Risko, became a sensation. He became the first to win the heavyweight championship (at that time vacant) by disqualification in 1930, after opponent Jack Sharkey knocked him down with a low blow in the fourth round. Max retained his crown successfully in 1931 by a technical knockout victory over Young Stribling. A rematch in 1932 with Sharkey saw the American gaining the title from Schmeling by a controversial fifteen-round split decision. In 1933, Schmeling lost to Max Baer by a tenth-round technical knockout. The loss left people believing that Schmeling was past his prime. Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party took over control in Germany, and Schmeling came to be viewed as a 'Nazi puppet.'
In 1936, Schmeling knocked out American rising star Joe Louis, placing him as the number one contender for Jim Braddock's title, but Louis got the fight and knocked Braddock out to win the championship in 1937. Schmeling finally got a chance to regain his title in 1938, but Louis knocked him out in one round. During World War II, Schmeling served with the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) as an elite paratrooper (Fallschirmjäger). After the war, Schmeling mounted a comeback, but retired permanently in 1948.
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