THE BOXING NEWS
HISTORIC BOXING NEWSPAPERS AND HISTORY
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Some of the greatest boxing events from the 1800's thru modern history.
EVENING STANDARD
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1938
JOE LOUIS vs MAX SCHMELING
JOE LOUIS SMASHES SCHMELING
Full Story of Amazing Two-Minutes Fight
Crash of the Challenger
Max Schmeling, German boxing idol, sent smashing to the boards
by one of Joe Louis's vicious punches. (Picture by radio.)
JOE LOUIS is still heavy-weight champion of the world. He Beat
his challenger, Max Schmeling, in one murderous round, after
one of the most amazing title fights in history, at the Yankee
Stadium, New York, last night.
Louis won on a technical knock-out. The fight only lasted two
minutes four seconds, during which time Schmeling was down four times.
The German was swept aside by the fury of Louis's opening rush.
He had time for only one punch. it missed.
So Louis took revenge for his knock-out by Schmeling two years ago and
put himself in super-class; Schmeling joins Corbett, Jeffries, Fitzsimmons and
Dempsey as a champion who tried to "come back," but failed.
More than 80,000 people paid some
£200,000 to see this shortest heavy-
weight title fight on record. Of this
Schmeling gets about £80,000.
The fight might have been even
shorter, for Max Machon, Schmeling's
trainer, flung the towel into the ring as the
German, badly battered, floundered on
the ropes. This throwing in of the towel
is not recognized in New York State, and
the referee threw it out again. Almost
at once however, he stopped the fight.
Schmeling afterwards claimed to have
been paralyzed by a foul blow to the
kidneys. The kidney punch, however, is
not recognized as a foul under New York
State rules.
'It's Impossible,' Said Germany
BERLIN, Thursday.
There was hardly a German who
expected to hear of Schmeling's
defeat. As they listened-in to the fight in
their homes, or in cafes or restaurants
which were permitted to remain open until
6 a.m. instead of the usual 3 a.m., their
faces fell as the description of the fight
showed the battering their champion
received.
People were at first confused at the
result, believing that the announcer had
made a mistake in his excitement. Many
exclaimed, "It's impossible."
Others were inclined to blame Machon
the trainer, and Donovan, the referee. They
thought that Schmeling could have got up
and fought on.
While the hundreds of thousands of
Germans were stunned at the defeat,
Schmeling's actress wife, Anny Ondra, slept
while her husband fought.
Long after the fight had finished she was
still asleep, unaware of Louis's victory.
The maid at the Schmeling's home said:
"After the news of the defeat came in I
didn't dare to wake her." - British United
Press
Louis Was Truly Great
By DAMON RUNYON
YANKEE STADIUM, NEW YORK.
"AH'LL knock Schmelin' out in two
rounds," solemnly announced
sleepy-eyed brown-skinned Joe Louis
the other day. And tonight he crosses
himself up and performs the trick in two
minutes and four seconds of the first
round, before 80,000 astounded specta-
tors, to retain his title of heavyweight
champion of the world.
Max Schmeling, of Germany, himself
an ex-champion and conqueror of Louis
by a knock-out in 12 rounds two years
ago, throws just one punch, a whizzing
right-hander at Louis, which misses
round the brown chin. Then a storm of
left hooks and right hands breaks
around Max's black poll.
He is knocked up against the ropes on
one side of the ring by a left hook to the
chin. The German stands in a peculiar
posture, his body drawn far back of his
firmly set feet, both hands well extended
to protect himself; but Louis pushes
right in, bangs Schmeling in the chin
with a short right hander, and down goes
the German.
He is up at the count of three, looking
somewhat befuddled, and Louis attacks
at once, knocking him down for another
count of three with a right.
When the 32 year old German gets up
again his eyes are dulled, and his usually
sturdy legs are wobbling under him.Towel Flutters In Louis has gone to a neutral corner
but the instant Schmeling is afoot Joe
rushes in and biffs him on the
chin with another right hander and
Schmeling falls a third time.
Now comes a curious diversion.
Schmeling is trying to get up largely
through instinct, but it is obvious that he
is desperately hurt. George Bannon, the
counting timekeeper, has counted eight
when a white turkish towel comes flut-
tering into the ring, thrown from
Schmeling's corner by Max Machon, the
German's trainer and closest friend.
Joe Jacobs, Schmeling's American
manager, is not permitted to second
because he is under suspension by the
Boxing Commission.
Arthur Donovan, the referee, picks up
the towel and gives it a fling. In New
York State this sign of surrender from a
corner is not permitted. The towel falls
across the middle strand of a green
velvet covering on the ring rope and
sways there limply.
Now Donovan steps forward and
stops the fight, because Schmeling is
still fumbling helplessly on the floor
with no chance to get up and continue
without running risk of being badly
injured by more blows.
Machon and Schmeling's other
seconds swarm into the ring to assist
the dazed German to his corner. It is
some minutes before Max recovers.
Then he walks over and shakes hands
with Louis, and puts his arms around
the brown boy.
Schmeling even manages to muster a
smile as he leaves the ring after the
briefest bid on record for the world's
heavyweight title.Louis Walks Right In He never has a chance to fight. Louis
a good natured chap who is usually
deliberate in going about cutting down
an opponent, was angered before this
affair by Schmeling's statements reflect-
ing on Joe's ability and promised to knock
Schmeling out in two rounds, but said
he would walk right into the German to
do it.
That is the way he works tonight. He
bounds out of his corner much more
briskly than has been his practice in the
past, pauses a few seconds eyeing the
black-visage German, then walks in
firing a left hook at Schmeling's head.
He makes Schmeling retreat with the
first punch, and he keeps firing until
Max is against the ropes.
It is here that Schmeling's knees sag
under a volley of punches, and he is half-
hung over the ropes, which is counted
by Referee Donovan as a knockdown.
So, in all, Max is really down four times.
He comes off the ropes apparently
fresh, as he squares away, still in
that peculiar posture, he lets fly the one
punch that misses.
This punch is not very close, but it is
a typical Schmeling right-hand, the kind
of punch that the German's admirers
thought would again upset Louis.Crowd Sits Stunned After that Max has no chance to punch
back, so swiftly does Louis throw leather
at him.
If the receipts tonight are more than
£200,000, as promoter Mike Jacobs thinks
probable, then Louis makes more money in
a shorter time than any individual in
any line of business in a long time-
approximately £80,000.
The huge crowd- one of the largest
sporting assemblies of any kind in New
York in years, and including all manner
of political, social, theatrical and sport-
ing celebrities- is so stunned by the
sudden ending that it sits a full half-
minute in silence before breaking into a
tremendous roar of admiration for Louis.
The one-time Alabama field-hand
displays more elation over this victory
than any other in his spectacular fistic
history that began in 1934. His eyes are
sparkling, and he smiles broadly as he
shakes hands with his handlers and
poses for the cameramen. His corner is
in an uproar of jubilation.Schmeling Says "Fouled" Schmeling in his dressing-room after
the fight, says the damaging punch to
him was a right-handed smash over the
kidneys while he was against the ropes.
He says it had the effect of paralyzing
his limbs. It is the third time in
fourteen years of fighting that
Schmeling has been knocked out in
one round, and the seventh man Louis has
knocked out in a single round.
Schmeling claims the kidney punch is
a foul blow, which is a line on what his
alibi will be now that he has time to
think it over.
But under the rules of New York State
in boxing, even if a man is knocked down
and counted out from a low blow, it goes
as a knockout, and such a thing as the
kidney punch, that used to cause a lot of
controversy in ring circles, is not
recognized.
Louis takes a leaf from the book of
Henry Armstrong, the feather-weight
and welter-weight champion, tonight
and hits Schmeling wherever he can. It
is true he bangs the German right lustily
about the sides when Schmeling bends
over trying to shield his chin, but that
is only to bring the German's head up.
It is the smacks on the chin that finish
off Schmeling, and not the body punches,
kidney or otherwise. He has no chance
against the brown tornado that sweeps
down on him from the opening bell.
Schmeling is a pugilistic old man
from the first belt on the chops and
there is only one fate for an old man in
the ring when a youngster is on the
trail.
Louis tonight is a truly great fighter,
and Schmeling, who won the title roost-
ing on the floor on this very spot in 1930
crying foul, might as well admit it.
When he was battering Louis to
defeat two years ago, the brown boy
kept walking gamely out of his corner
to his fistic doom, and after the fight he
gave Schmeling plenty of credit. And
after he won the championship from
Braddock he said: "Ah'm not champion
until I beat Schmeling."
Max Schmeling, once world
champion, tried again- and failed.
Boycott Fails:
Schmeling Had
Good Reception
The anti-Nazi boycott failed completely.
The reception given to Schmeling
when he entered the ring was even better
than that given to Louis.
Max went across and shook hands with
Louis, and they returned to their corners
while Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney,
James J. Braddock, Tommy Farr, Max
Baer and others were introduced to the
spectators from the ring.
Farr got a mixed reception, and Baer
was heartily booed.
A mercifully cool breeze swept across the
Stadium in welcome contrast to the
stiflingly humid day. Many women were
in the ringside seats, including film stars,
actresses and wives of members of New
York's "four hundred." Many other
notable people included politicians, old
boxers, famous lawyers and millionaires.
AMERICA'S QUICKEST K.O.
Two minutes four seconds- the
quickest knock-out ever recorded
in a heavy-weight fight in America.
Previous shortest was that in which
Dempsey beat Firpo when the second
round had gone 57 seconds.
SCHMELING'S PROTEST
Schmeling is convinced that he was
fouled. Discussing the fight afterwards
he said:
"It was the very first punch that Louis
landed that beat me. It was a right swing
that caught me on the left kidney. It
absolutely paralyzed me. I could not feel
anything. I could not straighten up, or
even think. It was a foul blow, absolutely."
"It was the worst punch I have ever
received. I did not feel any of the punches
he landed afterwards. I just felt the
kidney punch. Still, I should like to try
again. I still think I could beat him."
Schmeling held his side all the time. He
was obviously very distressed when he tried
to walk. He kept telling the German
reporters that he had been paralyzed.
his left eye was half closed, but not bleed-
ing. he did not seem badly bruised.
LOUIS'S REPLY
"I did not think it was a foul," said Louis,
when told of Schmeling's remarks. "That
guy is always yelling 'foul.' what about
the time he hit me in the fifth round after
the bell in the last fight? Schucks, that
blow tonight was a body lick and not a
low one."
Louis said he had to throw only three
punches to get Schmeling. "I first shook
him up with a left that was right hard, but
the body punch came right after, and was
the one that started him down the hill.
Then the right to the jaw did the work.
Max hit me only one good punch. It was
a right when I was backing away. I got
what folks call revenge and how!" Louis
beamed all over his face.
"No Foul" Says Referee
When the referee was told of
Schmeling's claim that he was fouled,
he said:
"It was a fair punch. that's what I
was there for- to see that everything
was fair. Louis hit Schmeling with a
left hook, the first hard punch of the
fight, then he landed a terrific
right to the kidneys."
"I heard him groan. It paralyzed
Schmeling. His seconds must also have
seen it, and I guess that's why they
threw in the towel."
PROMOTER "UNCLE" MIKE JACOBS
expects the "gate" to return £200,000
Not Another Fight JACK BLACKBURN, Louis's trainer:
"Joe will not give Schmeling another
fight. We are through with him now."
MAY MEET BAER
IN SEPTEMBER
Louis is expected to appear before
the New York Commission to-
morrow to sign a contract to fight
Max Baer for the world champion-
ship in September.
Asked whether he thought he could
finish Baer as quickly, he replied:
"I'm not sure; Baer is pretty tough."
Louis has made no immediate
plans; he may take a pleasure trip to
Europe. Schmeling is returning to
Germany at once. He denies that he
will retire.- Reuter.
Policemen Hurt
In Harlem Riots
NEW YORK, Thursday.
More than twelve policemen have been
injured, one of them seriously, in the
rioting in Harlem which accompanied the
celebration of Louis's victory.
The air was filled with flying milk and
whiskey bottles as the negros held carnival.
Police Commissioner Valentine announced
"Everything is under control. It's their
night. Let 'em have fun. There is nothing
to fear as a result of that knockout."
Negros rushed from their flats shriek-
ing, banging kitchen utensils, blowing
horns- a contrast to the riots which fol-
lowed Louis's defeat by Schmeling in 1936.
Many negros jumped on top of cabs
shouting in chorus: "We showed him this
time."
Yorkville New York's German district,
was stunned by Schmeling's defeat.
Revealers expecting to celebrate a Schmel-
ing victory returned home in gloom.-
British United Press and Reuter.
Riots in Cleveland
CLEVELAND, Thursday.
Police used tear gas to quell a rioting
crowd in the negro section here after the
result of the fight was known. One man
was shot and probably fatally wounded.
Two policemen were stunned by flying
bricks. passengers in a tram were hurt by
stones, and at one bust intersection general
fighting broke out, with men using knifes
and clubs. The hospitals are rapidly filling
up with casualties.-Reuter.
JOE LOUIS SMASHES SCHMELING
SCHMELING KNOCKS NAILS...
THE NEGRO IN THE RING
PARADE OF THE CHAMPIONS
THE GREAT CONTEST 1860
Historic boxing newspapers and articles.
