Max Baer (boxer)

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox boxer Maximilian Adelbert Baer Sr. (February 11, 1909 – November 21, 1959) was an American professional boxer and the world heavyweight champion from June 14, 1934, to June 13, 1935. He was known in his time as the Livermore Larupper and Madcap Maxie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two of his fights (a 1933 win over Max Schmeling and a 1935 loss to James J. Braddock) were rated Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine. Baer was also a boxing referee, and had occasional roles in film and television. He was the brother of heavyweight boxing contender Buddy Baer and father of actor Max Baer Jr. Baer is rated #22 on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Early life

Baer was born on February 11, 1909, in Omaha, Nebraska,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to Jacob Baer (1875–1938) and Dora Bales (1877–1938). His father was the son of Jewish immigrants from Alsace-Lorraine and his mother was of Scottish descent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His elder sister was Frances May Baer (1905–1991), his younger sister was Bernice Jeanette Baer (1911–1987), his younger brother was boxer-turned-actor Jacob Henry Baer, better known as Buddy Baer (1915–1986), and his adopted brother was August "Augie" Baer. For a while Jacob Baer worked for the Graden Mercantile Company as the manager of their meat-packing plant <ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Durango, Colorado.

Move to California

In May 1922, tired of the winters that aggravated Frances' rheumatic fever and Jacob's high blood pressure,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Baers drove to the milder climate on the West Coast, where Dora's sister lived in Alameda, California.<ref name="ReferenceA">Brumbelow, Joseph, S. (2003) Buddy Baer – Autobiography</ref> Jacob's expertise in the meat business led to numerous job offers in the San Francisco Bay Area. While living in Hayward, Max took his first job as a delivery boy for John Lee Wilbur, who ran a grocery store and bought meat from Jacob.

The Baers lived in the Northern Californian towns of Hayward, San Leandro and Galt<ref name="ReferenceA" /> before moving to Livermore in 1926. Livermore was ranch and cowboy country, surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of open land on which large cattle herds grazed and provided fresh meat to the local area. In 1928, Jacob leased the Twin Oaks Ranch in Murray Township, where he raised more than 2,000 hogs and worked with daughter Frances' husband, Louis Santucci.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> Baer often credited his work carrying heavy carcasses of meat, stunning cattle with one blow, and working at a gravel pit for the development of his powerful shoulders (an article in the January 1939 edition of Family Circle reported that Baer also took the Charles Atlas exercise course.)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Professional boxing career

Baer turned professional in 1929, progressing steadily through the Pacific Coast ranks. A ring tragedy little more than a year later almost caused Baer to drop out of boxing for good.

Frankie Campbell

Baer fought Frankie Campbell on August 25, 1930, in San Francisco in a ring built over home plate at San Francisco's Recreation Park for the unofficial title of Pacific Coast champion. In the second round, Campbell clipped Baer and Baer slipped to the canvas. Campbell went toward his corner and waved to the crowd, thinking that Baer was getting the count. In response, Baer got up and flew at Campbell, landing a right to Campbell's turned head which sent him to the canvas.

After the round, Campbell said to his trainer "Something feels like it snapped in my head", but he went on to handily win rounds 3 and 4. As Baer rose for the 5th round, Tillie "Kid" Herman, Baer's former friend and trainer, who had switched camps overnight and was now in Campbell's corner, savagely taunted and jeered Baer. In a rage and determined to end the bout with a knockout, Baer soon had Campbell against the ropes. As he hammered him with punch after punch, the ropes were the only thing holding Campbell up. By the time referee Toby Irwin stopped the fight, Campbell collapsed to the canvas. Baer's own seconds reportedly ministered to Campbell, and Baer stayed by his side until an ambulance arrived 30 minutes later. Baer "visited the stricken fighter's bedside", where he offered Frankie's wife Ellie the hand that hit her husband. She took that hand and the two stood speechless for a moment. "It was unfortunate, I'm awfully sorry", said Baer. "It could have been you," she replied. She forgave him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At noon the next day, with a lit candle laced between his crossed fingers, and his wife and mother beside him, Frankie Campbell was pronounced dead. Upon the surgeon's announcement of Campbell's death, Baer broke down and sobbed inconsolably. Brain specialist Dr. Tilton E. Tillman "declared death had been caused by a succession of blows on the jaw and by any struck on the rear of the head" and that Campbell's brain had been "knocked completely loose from his skull" by Baer's blows.<ref>Oakland Tribune, September 26, 1930</ref>

Ernie Schaaf

The Campbell incident earned Baer the reputation as a "killer" in the ring. This publicity was further sensationalized by Baer's return bout with Ernie Schaaf, on August 31, 1932. Schaaf had bested Baer in a decision during Max's Eastern debut bout at Madison Square Garden on September 19, 1930.

An Associated Press article in the September 9, 1932, sports section of the New York Times describes the end of the return bout as follows:

Two seconds before the fight ended Schaaf was knocked flat on his face, completely knocked out. He was dragged to his corner and his seconds worked on him for three minutes before restoring him to his senses... Baer smashed a heavy right to the jaw that shook Schaaf to his heels, to start the last round, then walked into the Boston fighter, throwing both hands to the head and body. Baer drove three hard rights to the jaw that staggered Schaaf. Baer beat Schaaf around the ring and into the ropes with a savage attack to the head and body. Just before the round ended Baer dropped Schaaf to the canvas, but the bell sounded as Schaaf hit the floor.<ref>Associated Press, September 9, 1932</ref>

Schaaf complained frequently of headaches after that bout. Five months after the Baer fight, on February 11, 1933, Schaaf died in the ring after taking a left jab from the Italian fighter Primo Carnera. The majority of sports editors noted,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> however, that an autopsy later revealed Schaaf had meningitis, a swelling of the brain, and was still recovering from a severe case of influenza when he touched gloves with Carnera. Schaaf's obituary stated that "just before his bout with Carnera, Schaaf went into reclusion in a religious retreat near Boston to recuperate from an attack of influenza" which produced the meningitis.<ref name=faqs>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The death of Campbell and accusations over Schaaf's demise profoundly affected Baer, even though he was ostensibly indestructible and remained a devastating force in the ring. According to his son, actor/director Max Baer Jr. (who was born seven years after the incident):

My father cried about what happened to Frankie Campbell. He had nightmares. In reality, my father was one of the kindest, gentlest men you would ever hope to meet. He treated boxing the way today's professional wrestlers do wrestling: part sport, mostly showmanship. He never deliberately hurt anyone.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In the case of Campbell, Baer was charged with manslaughter. Baer was eventually acquitted of all charges, but the California State Boxing Commission still banned him from any in-ring activity within the state for the next year. Baer gave purses from succeeding bouts to Campbell's family, but lost four of his next six fights. He fared better when Jack Dempsey took him under his wing. Template:Citation needed

Max Schmeling

Template:Quote box On June 8, 1933, Baer fought and defeated German heavyweight and former world champion Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium, by technical knockout. Schmeling was favored to win and was Adolf Hitler's favorite boxer. The Nazi tabloid Der Stürmer publicly attacked Schmeling for fighting a non-Aryan, as Baer's father was Jewish, calling it a "racial and cultural disgrace."<ref name=Margolick>Margolick, David (2005) . Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink, Knopf Doubleday Publishing. pp. 39–40. Template:ISBN</ref>

Although the Great Depression, then in full force, had lowered the income of most citizens, sixty thousand people attended the boxing match.<ref name=Margolick /> NBC radio updated millions nationwide as the match progressed. Baer, who was of half Jewish descent, wore trunks which displayed the Star of David,<ref name="Baer">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0" /> a symbol he wore in all his future bouts. During the match, he dominated the rugged Schmeling into the tenth round, when Baer knocked Schmeling down and the referee stopped the match.<ref name=":0">video: "Max Baer vs Max Schmeling (short)"</ref> Columnist Westbrook Pegler wrote about Schmeling's loss, "That wasn't a defeat, that was a disaster", while journalist David Margolick claimed that Baer's victory would come to "symbolize Jewry's struggle against the Nazis."<ref name=Margolick /> Baer became a hero among Jews and those who despised the Nazis.<ref>Cavanaugh, Jack. Tunney: Boxing's Brainiest Champ and His Upset of the Great Jack Dempsey, Ballantine Books (2009) e-book</ref>

Film star Greta Garbo considered Baer's defeat of Schmeling to be a "mini victory" over Nazism, and she invited Baer to visit her while she was filming Queen Christina in Hollywood.<ref name=Bret>Bret, David. Greta Garbo: A Divine Star, Robson Press, U.K. (2012) e-book</ref> However, Baer's presence on the set was considered a "sacrilege" in Hollywood, as even MGM studio's head, Louis B. Mayer, wasn't allowed on Garbo's set, since she demanded total privacy while acting.<ref>Oakland Tribune, June 21, 1934 p. 13</ref> Their friendship led to a romance, which lasted until he returned to New York to train for his next match against Primo Carnera.<ref name=Bret />

World Heavyweight Champion

On June 14, 1934, at the outdoor Madison Square Garden Bowl at Long Island City, New York, Baer defeated the huge reigning world champion Primo Carnera of Italy, who weighed in at 267 pounds. Baer knocked down the champion 11 times before the fight was stopped in the eleventh round by referee Arthur Donovan to save Carnera from further punishment. All the knockdowns occurred in rounds one, two, ten and eleven, which Baer thoroughly dominated. The intervening rounds were competitive. There is some dispute about the number of knockdowns scored, as Carnera slipped to the canvas on several occasions and was wrestled to the canvas other times. Despite this dominant performance over Carnera, Baer would hold the world heavyweight title for just 364 days.

James J. Braddock

On June 13, 1935, one of the greatest upsets in boxing history occurred in Long Island City, New York, as Baer fought down-and-out boxer James J. Braddock in the so-called Cinderella Man bout. Baer hardly trained for the bout. Braddock, on the other hand, trained hard. "I'm training for a fight, not a boxing contest or a clownin' contest or a dance," he said. "Whether it goes one round or three rounds or ten rounds, it will be a fight and a fight all the way. When you've been through what I've had to face in the last two years, a Max Baer or a Bengal tiger looks like a house pet. He might come at me with a cannon and a blackjack and he would still be a picnic compared to what I've had to face."<ref name=NJBHoF>Template:Cite web</ref> Baer, ever the showman, "brought gales of laughter from the crowd with his antics" the night he stepped between the ropes to meet Braddock. As Braddock "slipped the blue bathrobe from his pink back, he was the sentimental favorite of a Bowl crowd of 30,000, most of whom had bet their money 8-to-1 against him."<ref name=NJBHoF />

Baer "undoubtedly paid the penalty for underestimating his challenger beforehand and wasting too much time clowning."<ref name=13thRound>Template:Cite web</ref> Braddock took heavy hits from Baer but kept coming at him until he wore Max down. At the end of 15 rounds Braddock emerged the victor in a unanimous decision, outpointing Baer 8 rounds to 6 in the "most astounding upset since John L. Sullivan went down before the thrusts of Gentleman Jim Corbett back in the nineties."<ref name=13thRound />

The fight was featured in the 2005 film Cinderella Man. Baer was portrayed by Craig Bierko and Braddock was portrayed by Russell Crowe.

Decline and retirement

Baer and his brother Buddy both lost fights to Joe Louis. In the third round of Max's September 1935 match, Louis knocked Baer down twice, the first time he had ever been knocked to the canvas in his career. A sizzling left hook in the fourth round brought Max to his knee again, and the referee called the bout soon after.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=latimes>Template:Cite news</ref> It was learned weeks later that Baer fought Louis with a broken right hand that never healed from his fight with James J. Braddock. Max was virtually helpless without his big right hand in the Louis fight. In the first televised heavyweight prizefight, Baer lost to Lou Nova on June 1, 1939, on WNBT-TV in New York.

White Heavyweight Champ

Baer was awarded a belt declaring him the "White Heavyweight Champion of the World" after he scored a first-round TKO over Pat Cominsky in a bout at Roosevelt Stadium in Jersey City, New Jersey, on September 26, 1940, but it was a publicity stunt. The fight was not promoted as being for the white heavyweight championship, and Cominsky would not have won the belt had he beaten Baer.

The belt was a publicity stunt dreamed up by boxing promoters who were trying to pressure promoter Mike Jacobs into giving the ex-world heavyweight champion a rematch with current champ Joe Louis. Jacobs did not give Baer another bout with Louis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Baer retired after his next fight, on April 4, 1941, when he lost to Lou Nova on a TKO in the eighth round of a scheduled 10-rounder at Madison Square Garden. Nova did get a shot at Joe Louis, losing to the champion by TKO in the sixth round of a scheduled fifteen-round bout held at the Polo Grounds in New York.

Career statistics

Baer boxed in 84 professional fights from 1929 to 1941. In all, his record was 71–13. Fifty-three of those wins were knockouts, making him a member of the exclusive group of boxers to have won 50 or more bouts by knockout. Baer defeated the likes of Ernie Schaaf, Walter Cobb, Kingfish Levinsky, Max Schmeling, Tony Galento, Ben Foord and Tommy Farr. He was Heavyweight Champion of the World from June 14, 1934, to June 13, 1935.

Baer was a 1968 inductee into The Ring magazine's Boxing Hall of Fame (disbanded in 1987) and was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995. He was inducted to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. The 1998 Holiday Issue of Ring ranked Baer #20 in "The 50 Greatest Heavyweights of All Time". In Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers (published in 2003), Baer is ranked number 22.

Boxing Style

Baer was known as for his aggressive, charismatic and clowning style.<ref name="baer">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="fame">Template:Cite web</ref> However, it is widely considered that he became less aggressive after he was charged with manslaughter when Frankie Campbell died in a bout with Baer.<ref name="city">Template:Cite web</ref>

He was a slugger with significant knockout power.<ref name="baer"/> His right hand is often considered one of the hardest hitting in heavyweight history.<ref name="fame"/> Baer is also known for his use of the cross-armed guard,<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> also used by future heavyweight sluggers such as George Foreman.<ref name=X>Template:Cite web</ref>

Acting

File:Baer Loy in The Prizefighter and the Lady.jpg

Baer and Jean Howard in The Prizefighter and the Lady

Baer's motion picture debut was in The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) opposite Myrna Loy and Walter Huston. In this MGM movie he played Steven "Steve" Morgan, a bartender that the Professor, played by Huston, begins training for the ring. Steve wins a fight, then marries Belle Mercer, played by Loy. He starts seriously training, but it turns out he has a huge ego and an eye for women. Featured were Baer's upcoming opponent, Primo Carnera, as himself, whom Steve challenges for the championship, and Jack Dempsey, as himself, former heavyweight champion, acting as the referee.<ref name=imdb>Template:IMDb name</ref>

On March 29, 1934, The Prizefighter and the Lady was officially banned in Germany at the behest of Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's Minister of Propaganda and Public Entertainment, even though it received favorable reviews in local newspapers as well as in Nazi publications. When contacted for comment at Lake Tahoe, Baer said, "They didn't ban the picture because I have Jewish blood. They banned it because I knocked out Max Schmeling." Baer, along with his brother Buddy, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force when World War II began.<ref name="airuniversity">Max Baer: Biography Air University, USAF. Retrieved May 11, 2023.</ref>

Baer acted in almost 20 movies, including Africa Screams (1949) with Abbott and Costello, and made several television guest appearances. A clown in and out of the ring, Baer also appeared in a vaudeville act and on his own TV variety show. Baer appeared in Humphrey Bogart's final movie, The Harder They Fall (1956), opposite Mike Lane as Toro Moreno, a Hollywood version of Primo Carnera, whom Baer defeated for his heavyweight title. Budd Schulberg, who wrote the book on which the movie was based, portrayed the Baer character, "Buddy Brannen", as bloodthirsty, and the unfounded characterization was reprised in the movie Cinderella Man.

In 1950, Baer teamed up with another titleholder, friend and Light Heavyweight champion (1929–34) and boxer-turned actor/comedian, Maxie Rosenbloom. Together, the two starred in four slapstick comedy shorts for Columbia Pictures (produced by the makers of the Three Stooges comedies)<ref>Ted Okuda with Edward Watz. The Columbia Comedy Shorts, Template:ISBN</ref> and one feature film, Skipalong Rosenbloom (written by Rosenbloom, uncredited). The team embarked on a comedy tour, billed as "The Two Maxie's". Baer would also take the stage at Rosenbloom's comedy club on Wilshire Blvd, Slapsy Maxie's, which was featured in the film Gangster Squad. Baer and Rosenbloom remained friends until Baer's death in 1959.<ref name=imdb/>

Baer additionally worked as a disc jockey for a Sacramento radio station, and for a while he was a wrestler. He served as public relations director for a Sacramento automobile dealership and referee for boxing and wrestling matches.

Family

Baer was married twice, first to actress Dorothy Dunbar (married July 8, 1931 – divorced October 3, 1933) and then to Mary Ellen Sullivan (1903–1978) (married June 29, 1935 – his death 1959), the mother of his three children: actor Max Baer Jr. (b. 1937), best known for playing Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies, James Manny Baer (1941–2009), and Maudie Marian Baer (b. 1944).

At the time of his death on November 21, 1959, Baer was scheduled to appear in some TV commercials in Los Angeles before returning to his home in Sacramento.

Death

File:Max Baer referees a boxing match 1937.jpg

Baer refereeing a match between George Godfrey (left) and Hank Hankinson, 1937

On Wednesday, November 18, 1959, Baer refereed a nationally televised 10-round boxing match in Phoenix. At the end of the match, to the applause of the crowd, Baer grasped the ropes and vaulted out of the ring and joined fight fans in a cocktail bar. The next day, he was scheduled to appear in several television commercials in Hollywood, California. On his way, he stopped in Garden Grove, California, to keep a promise he had made thirteen years earlier to the then five-year-old son of his ex-sparring partner, Curly Owens. Baer presented the now 18-year-old with a foreign sports car on his birthday, as he had said he would.<ref name=theman>Template:Cite web</ref>

Baer checked into the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel upon his arrival on November 19. Hotel employees said he looked fit but complained of a cold. As he was shaving on the morning of November 21, he experienced chest pains. He called the front desk and asked for a doctor. The desk clerk said that "a house doctor would be right up." "A house doctor?" he replied jokingly, "No, dummy, I need a people doctor".

A doctor gave Baer medicine, and a fire department rescue squad administered oxygen. His chest pains subsided and he was showing signs of recovery when he was stricken with a second heart attack. Just a moment before, he was joking with the doctor, declaring he had come through two similar but lighter attacks earlier in Sacramento, California. Then he slumped on his left side, turned blue and died within a matter of minutes. His last words reportedly were, "Oh God, here I go."<ref name=theman />

Funeral

Baer's funeral in Sacramento was attended by more than 1,500 mourners. Four former world boxing champions appeared and Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey were among the pallbearers. The cemetery service was concluded by an American Legion honor guard recognizing Baer's service in World War II. Baer's obituary made the front page of The New York Times. He was laid to rest in a garden crypt in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Sacramento.

Legacy

There is a park named for Baer in Livermore, California. There is also a park named for him in Sacramento. He was honored by the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

Baer was an active member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. When Max died of a heart attack in 1959, the Eagles created a charity fund as a tribute to his memory and as a means of combating the disease that killed him. The Max Baer Heart Fund is primarily to aid in heart research and education. Since the fund started in 1959, millions of dollars have been donated to universities, medical centers and hospitals across the United States and Canada for heart research and education.

Selected filmography

File:Max Baer, Myrna Loy, Primo Carnera 1932.jpg

Carnera, Loy and Baer in The Prizefighter and the Lady

• The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933, co-starring Myrna Loy) as Morgan
• Max Baer vs. Max Schmeling (1933) as Himself
• World's Heavyweight Championship: Primo Carnera and Max Baer (1934) as Himself
• Kids on the Cuff (1935)
• Joe Louis vs. Jack Sharkey (1936) as Himself
• Over She Goes (1938, a musical comedy) as Silas Morner
• Fisticuffs (1938, Short, a Pete Smith specialty short for MGM Studios) as Himself
• The Navy Comes Through (1942, starring Pat O'Brien) as Coxswain G. Berringer
• The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942) as Professor Samson
• Ladies' Day (1943, a baseball comedy starring Lupe Vélez) as Hippo Jones
• Buckskin Frontier (1943, a 19th-century western saga with Richard Dix) as Tiny
• Africa Screams (1949, with his brother, Buddy, a comedy with Abbott and Costello) as Grappler McCoy
• Bride for Sale (1949) as Litka
• Riding High (1950) as Bertie (uncredited)
• Skipalong Rosenbloom (1951) as Butcher Baer
• Rocky Marciano vs. Archie Moore (1955) as Himself - Guest
• The Harder They Fall (1956, starring Humphrey Bogart) as Buddy Brannen
• Utah Blaine (1957, with Rory Calhoun in the title role) as Gus Ortmann
• Once Upon a Horse... (1958) as Ben (final film role)

Portrayed in:

• Cinderella Man (2005) – portrayed by Craig Bierko
• Carnera: The Walking Mountain (2008) by Antonio Cupo

TV guest appearances

• Playhouse 90 (10/11/1956) (Screen Gems TV, CBS) ... Mike ... episode: Requiem for a Heavyweight
• Abbott and Costello Show (12/12/953) ... Killer ... episode: Killer's Wife
• Make Room For Daddy (2/3/1958) ... Himself ... episode: Rusty The Bully

Professional boxing record

All information in this section is derived from BoxRec,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> unless otherwise stated.

Official record

Template:BoxingRecordSummary All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as "no decision" bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
81	Template:No2Loss	Template:Nowrap	Lou Nova	TKO	8 (10), Template:Small	April 4, 1941	Template:Small
80	Template:Yes2Win	66–12 Template:Small	Pat Comiskey	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	September 26, 1940	Template:Small
79	Template:Yes2Win	65–12 Template:Small	Tony Galento	Template:Abbr	7 (15)	July 2, 1940	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	64–12 Template:Small	Babe Ritchie	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	September 18, 1939	Template:Small
77	Template:Yes2Win	63–12 Template:Small	Big Ed Murphy	KO	1 (4), Template:Small	September 4, 1939	Template:Small
76	Template:No2Loss	62–12 Template:Small	Lou Nova	TKO	11 (12), Template:Small	June 1, 1939	Template:Small
75	Template:Yes2Win	62–11 Template:Small	Hank Hankinson	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	October 26, 1938	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	61–11 Template:Small	Tommy Farr	UD	15	March 11, 1938	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	60–11 Template:Small	Ben Foord	TKO	9 (10)	May 27, 1937	Template:Small
72	Template:No2Loss	59–11 Template:Small	Tommy Farr	PTS	12	April 15, 1937	Template:Small
71	Template:Yes2Win	59–10 Template:Small	Dutch Weimer	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	October 19, 1936	Template:Small
70	Template:No2Loss	58–10 Template:Small	Willie Davies	PTS	6	October 8, 1936	Template:Small
69	Template:Yes2Win	58–9 Template:Small	Tim Charles	KO	4 (6)	October 6, 1936	Template:Small
68	Win	57–9 Template:Small	Andy Miller	NWS	6	September 21, 1936	Template:Small
67	Win	57–9 Template:Small	Bearcat Wright	Template:Abbr	6	September 14, 1936	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	57–9	Cowboy Sammy Evans	KO	3 (6)	September 7, 1936	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	56–9	Cyclone Lynch	KO	3 (6)	September 4, 1936	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	55–9	Al Gaynor	KO	1 (6)	September 2, 1936	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	54–9	Don Baxter	KO	1 (6)	August 31, 1936	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	53–9	Al Frankco	KO	2 (6)	August 29, 1936	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	52–9	Cecil Myart	PTS	6	August 25, 1936	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	51–9	Nails Gorman	TKO	3 (6)	August 24, 1936	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	50–9	Bob Williams	KO	1 (6), Template:Small	July 24, 1936	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	49–9	Cecil Smith	PTS	4	July 17, 1936	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	48–9	Junior Munsell	KO	5 (6), Template:Small	July 16, 1936	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	47–9	James Merriott	KO	2 (6)	July 13, 1936	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	46–9	Buck Rogers	KO	3 (6)	July 2, 1936	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	45–9	Wilson Dunn	TKO	3 (6)	June 24, 1936	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	44–9	George Brown	TKO	4 (6)	June 23, 1936	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	43–9	Harold Murphy	PTS	6	June 19, 1936	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	42–9	Bob Fraser	TKO	2 (6)	June 17, 1936	Template:Small
50	Template:Yes2Win	41–9	Tony Souza	PTS	6	June 15, 1936	Template:Small
49	Template:No2Loss	40–9	Joe Louis	KO	4 (15), Template:Small	September 24, 1935	Template:Small
48	Template:No2Loss	40–8	James J. Braddock	UD	15	June 13, 1935	Template:Small	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	40–7	Primo Carnera	TKO	11 (15), Template:Small	June 14, 1934	Template:Small	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	39–7	Max Schmeling	TKO	10 (15), Template:Small	June 8, 1933	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	38–7	Tuffy Griffiths	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	September 26, 1932	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	37–7	Ernie Schaaf	Template:Abbr	10	August 31, 1932	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	36–7	King Levinsky	PTS	20	July 4, 1932	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	35–7	Walter Cobb	TKO	4 (10)	May 11, 1932	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	34–7	Paul Swiderski	TKO	6 (10)	April 26, 1932	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	33–7	Tom Heeney	PTS	10	February 22, 1932	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	32–7	King Levinsky	UD	10	January 29, 1932	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	31–7	Arthur De Kuh	PTS	10	December 30, 1931	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	30–7	Les Kennedy	KO	3 (10)	November 23, 1931	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	29–7	Johnny Risko	PTS	10	November 9, 1931	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	28–7	Santa Camarão	KO	10 (10)	October 21, 1931	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	27–7	Jack Van Noy	TKO	8 (10)	September 23, 1931	Template:Small
33	Template:No2Loss	26–7	Paulino Uzcudun	PTS	20	July 4, 1931	Template:Small
32	Template:No2Loss	26–6	Johnny Risko	UD	10	May 5, 1931	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	26–5	Ernie Owens	KO	2 (10)	April 7, 1931	Template:Small
30	Template:No2Loss	25–5	Tommy Loughran	UD	10	February 6, 1931	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	25–4	Tom Heeney	KO	3 (10)	January 16, 1931	Template:Small
28	Template:No2Loss	24–4	Ernie Schaaf	Template:Abbr	10	December 19, 1930	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	24–3	Frankie Campbell	TKO	5 (10)	August 25, 1930	Template:Small	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	23–3	KO Christner	KO	2 (10)	August 11, 1930	Template:Small
25	Template:No2Loss	22–3	Les Kennedy	PTS	10	July 15, 1930	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	22–2	Ernie Owens	KO	5 (10)	June 25, 1930	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	21–2	Buck Weaver	KO	1 (10)	June 11, 1930	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	20–2	Jack Linkhorn	KO	1 (10)	May 28, 1930	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	19–2	Tom Toner	TKO	6 (10)	May 7, 1930	Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	18–2	Ernie Owens	PTS	10	April 22, 1930	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	17–2	Jack Stewart	KO	2 (10)	April 9, 1930	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	16–2	Tiny Abbott	KO	6 (10)	January 29, 1930	Template:Small
17	Template:No2Loss	15–2	Tiny Abbott	DQ	3 (10)	January 15, 1930	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	15–1	Tony Fuente	KO	1 (10)	December 30, 1929	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	14–1	Chet Shandel	KO	2 (10)	December 4, 1929	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	13–1	Tillie Taverna	KO	2 (10)	November 20, 1929	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	12–1	Natie Brown	PTS	6	November 6, 1929	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Alex Rowe	KO	1 (6)	October 30, 1929	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Chief Caribou	TKO	1 (6)	October 16, 1929	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	9–1	George Carroll	TKO	1 (6)	October 2, 1929	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	8–1	Frank Rudzenski	KO	3 (6)	September 25, 1929	Template:Small
8	Template:No2Loss	7–1	Jack McCarthy	Template:Abbr	3 (6)	September 4, 1929	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	7–0	Al Red Ledford	KO	2 (6)	August 8, 1929	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	Benny Hill	PTS	4	July 31, 1929	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	Benny Hill	Template:Abbr	4	July 24, 1929	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Al Red Ledford	KO	1 (4), Template:Small	July 18, 1929	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Tillie Taverna	Template:Abbr	1 (4), Template:Small	July 4, 1929	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Sailor Leeds	Template:Abbr	1 (4), Template:Small	June 6, 1929	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Chief Caribou	Template:Abbr	2 (4)	May 16, 1929	Template:Small

Unofficial record

Template:BoxingRecordSummary Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
81	Template:No2Loss	68–13	Lou Nova	TKO	8 (10), Template:Small	Apr 4, 1941	Template:Small
80	Template:Yes2Win	68–12	Pat Comiskey	TKO	1 (10), Template:Small	Sep 26, 1940	Template:Small
79	Template:Yes2Win	67–12	Tony Galento	Template:Abbr	7 (15)	Jul 2, 1940	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	66–12	Babe Ritchie	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Sep 18, 1939	Template:Small
77	Template:Yes2Win	65–12	Big Ed Murphy	KO	1 (4), Template:Small	Sep 4, 1939	Template:Small
76	Template:No2Loss	64–12	Lou Nova	TKO	11 (12), Template:Small	Jun 1, 1939	Template:Small
75	Template:Yes2Win	64–11	Hank Hankinson	KO	1 (10), Template:Small	Oct 26, 1938	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	63–11	Tommy Farr	UD	15	Mar 11, 1938	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	62–11	Ben Foord	TKO	9 (10)	May 27, 1937	Template:Small
72	Template:No2Loss	61–11	Tommy Farr	PTS	12	Apr 15, 1937	Template:Small
71	Template:Yes2Win	61–10	Dutch Weimer	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	Oct 19, 1936	Template:Small
70	Template:No2Loss	60–10	Willie Davies	PTS	6	Oct 8, 1936	Template:Small
69	Template:Yes2Win	60–9	Tim Charles	KO	4 (6)	Oct 6, 1936	Template:Small
68	Template:Yes2Win	59–9	Andy Miller	NWS	6	Sep 21, 1936	Template:Small
67	Template:Yes2Win	58–9	Bearcat Wright	Template:Abbr	6	Sep 14, 1936	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	57–9	Cowboy Sammy Evans	KO	3 (6)	Sep 7, 1936	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	56–9	Cyclone Lynch	KO	3 (6)	Sep 4, 1936	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	55–9	Al Gaynor	KO	1 (6)	Sep 2, 1936	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	54–9	Don Baxter	KO	1 (6)	Aug 31, 1936	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	53–9	Al Frankco	KO	2 (6)	Aug 29, 1936	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	52–9	Cecil Myart	PTS	6	Aug 25, 1936	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	51–9	Nails Gorman	TKO	3 (6)	Aug 24, 1936	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	50–9	Bob Williams	KO	1 (6), Template:Small	Jul 24, 1936	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	49–9	Cecil Smith	PTS	4	Jul 17, 1936	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	48–9	Junior Munsell	KO	5 (6), Template:Small	Jul 16, 1936	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	47–9	James Merriott	KO	2 (6)	Jul 13, 1936	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	46–9	Buck Rogers	KO	3 (6)	Jul 2, 1936	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	45–9	Wilson Dunn	TKO	3 (6)	Jun 24, 1936	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	44–9	George Brown	TKO	4 (6)	Jun 23, 1936	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	43–9	Harold Murphy	PTS	6	Jun 19, 1936	Template:Small
51	Template:Yes2Win	42–9	Bob Fraser	TKO	2 (6)	Jun 17, 1936	Template:Small
50	Template:Yes2Win	41–9	Tony Souza	PTS	6	Jun 15, 1936	Template:Small
49	Template:No2Loss	40–9	Joe Louis	KO	4 (15), Template:Small	Sep 24, 1935	Template:Small
48	Template:No2Loss	40–8	James J. Braddock	UD	15	Jun 13, 1935	Template:Small	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	40–7	Primo Carnera	TKO	11 (15), Template:Small	Jun 14, 1934	Template:Small	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	39–7	Max Schmeling	TKO	10 (15), Template:Small	Jun 8, 1933	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	38–7	Tuffy Griffiths	TKO	7 (10), Template:Small	Sep 26, 1932	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	37–7	Ernie Schaaf	Template:Abbr	10	Aug 31, 1932	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	36–7	King Levinsky	PTS	20	Jul 4, 1932	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	35–7	Walter Cobb	TKO	4 (10)	May 11, 1932	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	34–7	Paul Swiderski	TKO	6 (10)	Apr 26, 1932	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	33–7	Tom Heeney	PTS	10	Feb 22, 1932	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	32–7	King Levinsky	UD	10	Jan 29, 1932	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	31–7	Arthur De Kuh	PTS	10	Dec 30, 1931	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	30–7	Les Kennedy	KO	3 (10)	Nov 23, 1931	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	29–7	Johnny Risko	PTS	10	Nov 9, 1931	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	28–7	Santa Camarão	KO	10 (10)	Oct 21, 1931	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	27–7	Jack Van Noy	TKO	8 (10)	Sep 23, 1931	Template:Small
33	Template:No2Loss	26–7	Paulino Uzcudun	PTS	20	Jul 4, 1931	Template:Small
32	Template:No2Loss	26–6	Johnny Risko	UD	10	May 5, 1931	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	26–5	Ernie Owens	KO	2 (10)	Apr 7, 1931	Template:Small
30	Template:No2Loss	25–5	Tommy Loughran	UD	10	Feb 6, 1931	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	25–4	Tom Heeney	KO	3 (10)	Jan 16, 1931	Template:Small
28	Template:No2Loss	24–4	Ernie Schaaf	Template:Abbr	10	Dec 19, 1930	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	24–3	Frankie Campbell	TKO	5 (10)	Aug 25, 1930	Template:Small	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	23–3	KO Christner	KO	2 (10)	Aug 11, 1930	Template:Small
25	Template:No2Loss	22–3	Les Kennedy	PTS	10	Jul 15, 1930	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	22–2	Ernie Owens	KO	5 (10)	Jun 25, 1930	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	21–2	Buck Weaver	KO	1 (10)	Jun 11, 1930	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	20–2	Jack Linkhorn	KO	1 (10)	May 28, 1930	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	19–2	Tom Toner	TKO	6 (10)	May 7, 1930	Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	18–2	Ernie Owens	PTS	10	Apr 22, 1930	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	17–2	Jack Stewart	KO	2 (10)	Apr 9, 1930	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	16–2	Tiny Abbott	KO	6 (10)	Jan 29, 1930	Template:Small
17	Template:No2Loss	15–2	Tiny Abbott	DQ	3 (10)	Jan 15, 1930	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	15–1	Tony Fuente	KO	1 (10)	Dec 30, 1929	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	14–1	Chet Shandel	KO	2 (10)	Dec 4, 1929	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	13–1	Tillie Taverna	KO	2 (10)	Nov 20, 1929	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	12–1	Natie Brown	PTS	6	Nov 6, 1929	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	11–1	Alex Rowe	KO	1 (6)	Oct 30, 1929	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	10–1	Chief Caribou	TKO	1 (6)	Oct 16, 1929	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	9–1	George Carroll	TKO	1 (6)	Oct 2, 1929	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	8–1	Frank Rudzenski	KO	3 (6)	Sep 25, 1929	Template:Small
8	Template:No2Loss	7–1	Jack McCarthy	Template:Abbr	3 (6)	Sep 4, 1929	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	7–0	Al Red Ledford	KO	2 (6)	Aug 8, 1929	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	6–0	Benny Hill	PTS	4	Jul 31, 1929	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	5–0	Benny Hill	Template:Abbr	4	Jul 24, 1929	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Al Red Ledford	KO	1 (4), Template:Small	Jul 18, 1929	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Tillie Taverna	Template:Abbr	1 (4), Template:Small	Jul 4, 1929	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Sailor Leeds	Template:Abbr	1 (4), Template:Small	Jun 6, 1929	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Chief Caribou	Template:Abbr	2 (4)	May 16, 1929	Template:Small

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

• NYSAC heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)
• NBA (WBA) heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

• The Ring heavyweight champion (200+ lbs)

Undisputed titles

• Undisputed heavyweight champion

See also

• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of select Jewish boxers

Other sources

• Los Angeles Times, March 30, 1934, pg. 12, Germany Bans Film of Baer
• Los Angeles Times Magazine, Mad Max, J.R. Moehringer (Times Staff Writer), January 7, 2007
• Sussman, Jeffrey. 2016. Max Baer and Barney Ross: Jewish Heroes of Boxing. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

External links

• Max Baer - CBZ Profile
• Boxing Hall of Fame
• 'The Forgotten Champion' by Aaron Richardson

• Max Baer Radio Show Programs on California Revealed

• Template:BoxRec
• Template:IMDb name
• Template:Find a Grave