Evening star., 1959-11-23
WIN, LOSE OR
NN+V By FRANCIS sTANN
Some of the Boer Facts

1T WAS DIFFICULT AT TIMES to tell when Max Baer
was fighting well badly although when he was good he
was tremendous Does this sound silly? Baer puz-
ze Even during the of single fight his mood would
change and it hard to judge he was potentially
great heavyweight handsome ham who happened to
be in the ring with bad boxer
Take the night of June A. 1884 in the old Long Island
Bowl, white elephant Baer who had knocked out Max
Schmeng in 10 rounds the before in the ring
with Primo Carnera for the heavyweight title Baer who
weighed in at 20912, was dwarfed by Carnera, who
scaled 263H.
Yet It no contest Carnera was freak an ersatz
champion who couldn't punch Baer who not only had
magnificent build but rght-hand punch as we'll may as
well have been betting away at heavy bag in the gym
Max wasn't any great shucks boxer Tommy Loughran
the ight-heavy him lesson in 1881 but Max was
more agile than Carnera.
BAER WOULD HIT CARNERA and the Amblng Alp
as the late Bill Mcclellan labeled him. would 90 down.
But he kept getting up-and he did nearly II rounds
Between knockdownS Max would strut little adjust his
trunks, and look at the crowd Baer was likeable ham,
and his posturing seemed in order until an ld-tme
reporter at ringsde said:
You know, if Baer doesn't stop this bum for keeps
he's liable to collapse and Camera still will be the cham
pon Max is dead beat from knocking down this bum.
He's not only poSurng in front of the crowd He needs
those rest periods, when Primo is down."
Camera finally counted out and Max was acclaimed
But as 1t turned out the who brought up Baer's
conditioner lack of twas right year later almost
the day. New Champion Baer was dethroned by Jim
Braddock, 10-to-1 shot.
Braddock considered waShed-up guy an
ex-hght-heavy with stiff enough right punch but
still and ALL fellow who wasn't going anywhere He was
working on the docks of New Jersey when got this shot
at Baer who by movie star the glded knight
Who squired such glamorouS Knights as June if you
remember the lady from screen and stage days.
BRADDOCK WORKED OVER BAER for the full IS
rounds in New York in 1885 became champion and as the
king but sitting duck for the upcoming Louis 10
per cent owner of Louis.
Baer was a strange one, all right. He was gay and
when he was young-handsome He posed well with the
movie beauties. He big-hearted guy and if Ancn
Holman hadn't saShed his dough in annuities might
nave died broke. AS it was Baer married Mary Ellen
Sullivan, coffee shop cashier at the Willard Hotel here
and raised nice family.
Nobody could tell what Baer would do in the ring
There were times when he the threshold of great
ness He boxed well for big mamie boxed better than
1ngemar JohannSon who closely resembles him in style
and punchand he could hit with his right fist The other
hand he could forget, which he frequently did
MAX WAS DESCRIBED as vicious" probably because
he knocked out frankie Campbell in the fifth round of
hight in San Francisco back in 1880 frankie died after
the fight Campbell" wasn't the fighters real monicker
he was the brother of Dof Cami later was to play
See WIN, LOSE OR DRAW, Page D-4