Max Schmeling

Maximilian Adolph Otto Siegfried Schmeling 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 Schmeling is the only boxer to win the world heavyweight championship on a foul Starting his professional career in 1924 Schmeling went to the United States in 1928 and after a ninthround 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 Schmeling 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 fifteenround split decision In 1933 Schmeling lost to Max Baer by a tenthround 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 although he never joined the NSDAP came to be viewed as a Nazi puppet The same year he married Czech film actress Anny Ondra In 1936 in their first fight Schmeling knocked out American rising star Joe Louis placing him as the number one contender for Jim Braddocks 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 in the rematch but Louis won by technical knockout in the first 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 After retiring from boxing Schmeling worked for The CocaCola Company Schmeling became friends with Louis and their friendship lasted until the latters death in 1981 Schmeling died in 2005 aged 99 a sporting hero in his native Germany Long after the Second World War it was revealed that Schmeling had risked his life to save the lives of two Jewish children in 1938 At the age of 99 Schmeling was the longest living heavyweight boxing champion in history In 2003 Schmeling was ranked 55 on The Ring magazines list of 100 greatest punchers of all time Description above from the Wikipedia article Anny Ondra licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia