By Tom Donelson

 

With the advent of the movie Cinderella Man, movie fans are getting a history lesson about the world of boxing that existed in the 1930s. Back then, major boxing events like Braddock-Baer were often held in baseball stadiums and attended by crowds that could number 100,000 onlookers. Many years ago, the heavyweight champion was one of the most recognized individuals in the world, everyone knew "the champ".  Today, boxing fans would have plenty of trouble figuring out who is the champion and would have even more trouble trying to pick them out in a lineup.

While nostalgia dominates the discussion of the movie, the movie shows something else, the state of Heavyweight boxing between the periods of the Tunney-Dempsey era to the Louis era. Many boxing pundits will tell you that today’s crop of heavyweights are the weakest ever. I am under the opinion that the decade between the end of the roaring 20’s to Louis era would have given today's heavyweight division a good fight based on the level of mediocrity.

James Braddock was a good fighter but not a great fighter.  By beginning his career as a light heavyweight, Braddock was essentially a converted light heavyweight moving up against a true heavyweight in Max Baer. In the early 30’s, no one really grabbed the heavyweight title by the throat. While it is the quite popular to attack today’s heavyweight division, the early 30’s could easily compete for the most mediocre time period in heavyweight history.

Max Schmeling, Max Baer, Jack Sharkey, Primo Carnera and Braddock all shared the title and while these were good fighters; there was not a great fighter among them.  Sharkey began his career defeating an old Harry Wills, thus ending the native of New Orleans' shot at a heavyweight championship.  He also upset George Godfrey and was ahead of Jack Dempsey in their battle before Dempsey ended matters with a left hook to the head after he landed a monster hook to the body.  In the Dempsey fight, Sharkey forgot the cardinal rule of boxing, protect yourself at all times. Sharkey was complaining about a low blow when Dempsey smacked his left hook to Sharkey's face.

Sharkey was an inconsistent fighter who would fight to a draw against middleweight Mickey Walker and lose his title to Primo Carnera when the Italian knocked the Boston fighter out in the sixth round.

Carnera was a giant, who would be comfortable in today’s heavyweight world but no one will say that this giant was one of the boxing greats.  In a fight near the end of his career against Albert DiMeglio, Carnera managed to give the referee a black eye with a wild punch aimed at his opponent. Carnera's fight with Max Baer would resemble vaudeville more than a boxing match as Baer's right hand continuously found its target. Carnera looked like a pinball machine as he went down time after another upon being nailed with a Baer right.

Max Schmeling's greatest fight was his first fight with Joe Louis, he upset Louis with a shocking 12 round stoppage. Before that, he gained his championship through a disqualification against Sharkey. Sharkey would gain his revenge with a split decision two years later. Schmeling would be involved in the biggest fight of the decade when Joe Louis would salvage him in the first round in their rematch in 1938, Louis avenged his only loss in the process.

Then there was Max Baer. Baer had dynamite in his right hand but loathed training. Before one fight, he was filmed hitting the speed bag while sitting down on a high chair. Baer may have been the most talented of the group but he never fulfilled the potential that seemed to be there. Early in his career, Frankie Campbell died after suffering a beating by Baer. Some fighters never truly recover from this and maybe Baer suffered from this as well. He did smack Schmeling and Carnera to apparently take control of the division, but then lost to James Braddock. The Braddock fight ranks as one of boxing's greatest upsets.

Braddock became the Cinderella man when he upset the heavily favored Baer but before the fight, there was nothing to suggest that Braddock could beat Baer. During that June night, Braddock boxed his way to victory. Baer's next fight would be against a young Joe Louis, who knocked Baer out in the fourth. As for Braddock, he knocked Louis down in the first round to get off to a good start, but beyond that point, Braddock took an awesome beating in the fight. Braddock showed heart against one of boxing's greatest but Joe Louis was the far superior fighter. The Louis era would begin upon Louis' beating of Braddock. 

The 1930’s was a decade that in many ways is as much of a lost decade for the heavyweight division as today's current heavyweight scene. Today’s era resembled the early 30’s in the respect that there were good fighters unable to dominate the division, but they at least were competitive with each other. When Lennox Lewis retired in 2003, an era ended and a new era is still being defined.

Braddock pulled off a great upset when he beat Baer, but the time period played a major role in his overall success. Braddock competed against merely good heavyweights or potentially great heavyweights who never worked on the gifts that God gave them. The Max Baer that Braddock beat was a good fighter who had the potential for greatness, but having potential is not the same as fulfilling it.  And in the 30’s, the sad reality of the heavyweight division is that there were many fighters who never seemed to realize their full potential.