The Crown Goes Overseas

After Tunney's retirement, Jack Sharkey, Young Stribling, Johnny Risko, and Germany's Max Schmeling were the leading contenders for Gene's vacated throne. An elimination was ordered by the National Boxing Association and the New York Commission.

Tex Rickard set about to get such a tourney under way. He went to Miami, Florida, with the intention of matching Sharkey and Stribling, but while there, Rickard died following an appendix operation. Jack Dempsey, who had been associated with the promoter in several ventures, accepted a call from the Madison Square Garden Corporation, and in association with that organization promoted the fight on February 27, 1929, with Sharkey gaming the decision.

In the meantime, Schmeling, who had knocked out Joe Monte in the Garden in eight rounds and followed that with a knockout of Risko in the same arena in nine rounds, was clamoring for a shot at the winner. This was temporarily denied him, and while waiting, he won a thrilling fifteen-rounds contest from Paulino Uzcudun, the Basque, while Sharkey put Tommy Loughran out in three rounds.

The heat was now on for a Schmeling-Sharkey fight, but the Garden officials decided to have the German, a young, well built, scientific boxer who possessed a powerful right, wait it out while the Boston gob and Phil Scott of England engaged in an international elimination at Miami Beach in which the Britisher was halted in the third round. The stage was now set for the final in the elimination series, Schmeling representing Europe and Sharkey, America; this despite a British howl that Scott had been fouled and that Sharkey should have been disqualified.

In the Miami bout, Sharkey, outboxed in the opening round, dropped Phil in the second with a punch and a push, and in the third, put the Englishman on the canvas with a left hook to the stomach. Phil cried foul.

Twice again he was floored by similar blows and when he refused to get to his feet, declaring all punches were below the belt, Referee Lou Magnolia halted proceedings, insisted on Scott deciding whether he wanted to continue or quit. Phil chose the former, but when he went down from another punch in the mid-section, he remained squirming on the canvas and Magnolia gave the decision to Sharkey.

On June 11, 1930, Sharkey and Schmeling clashed in the Yankee Stadium before a gathering of 79,222 fans. The gross gate of $749,935 was the first during the Golden Era that failed to reach the million dollar mark.

Sharkey's stock had been given a scant boost because of the besmirched victory he had achieved. The fans were in no mood to wax enthusiastic over the ex-gob's triumph over "Phainting Phil" and gave Schmeling more than a fighting chance to win the crown. And that's what he did.

Max was proclaimed world champion following a blow to the stomach that had left him reposing on the canvas, writhing in pain. It was a powerful drive which he and Joe Jacobs, his mentor, insisted was low .and in that they had the heavy support of Arthur Brisbane, editor of the Hearst publications, who demanded that Referee Jim Crowley disqualify Sharkey or Brisbane would have the Walker Law repealed.

Neither Harold Barnes, a judge, nor the referee had seen the low punch, but Charles F. Mathison, the other judge, agreed with Schmeling, and for the first time a challenger gained the world heavyweight title while resting on his haunches.

Prior to the incident, Schmeling had been outpointed. It was the first time under modern rules that a Teuton had won the crown. The New York Commission was hotly in favor of a return match, but Schmeling and his manager turned thumbs down.

As a result, New York vacated his throne until such time as Sharkey was given an opportunity to fight for the championship again. In the meantime, Young Stribling, who had a huge knockout record and had stopped Otto Van Porat in one round and Phil Scott in two in London, was accepted by Schmeling as a suitable opponent.

The German put his title on the line in the Cleveland Stadium on July 3, 1931, Herr Max winning by a knockout in the fifteenth round with only fifteen more seconds to go. Stribling had been outclassed and Referee George Blake halted the affair.

Only in the five opening rounds did Stribling look like he would carry off the honors. From then on it was all Schmeling's bout. He carried the battling to the challenger all the way and it was simply a romp after the sixth round.

Two years and nine days after their first engagement, Max and Sharkey clashed again, this time in the Garden's Long Island Bowl, and the title changed hands on what many thought was an unfair decision. Schmeling, as in the first bout, raised a cry, but to no avail. There was little over which to enthuse in that contest, most of the fighting being done after the affair.

Most of the effective work was accomplished by Schmeling, who carried the fight to Sharkey, maneuvered his opponent cleverly, and landed the best punches of the few that really meant something.

Max's next fight of importance was his best-other than his first contest with Joe Louis. The mill took place on September 26, 1932, with Mickey Walker, former welter and middleweight king, as his opponent. Mickey was knocked out in the eighth round of a thrilling affair, a hair-raiser, one of the best seen in New York in years. Sixty thousand persons saw the German vanquish his rival in Schmeling's greatest fight since coming to America.

The last round was one of three minutes of action. Floored in the opening frame, Mickey shaded Max in the second and at the end of the seventh was leading four rounds to three. Then eame the turn. Max battered Walker's body and face until Mickey was helpless.

A powerful right dropped him. He was bleeding from mouth, nose, and cuts over his face, and one eye was closed. Referee Denning stopped the bout.

The following June, in another thriller, Max Baer halted Schmeling in the tenth round in the Yankee Stadium and that was followed by a loss in twelve to Steve Hamas, former four-letter man at Penn State University.

Max then went home, drew with Paulino in Barcelona in twelve rounds, stopped Walter Neusel in eight, Steve Hamas in a return bout in nine, and Paulino again in twelve, and now came back to America for another campaign.

Joe Louis was now coming along as a threat to the heavyweights and Mike Jacobs ,vas priming him for a title shot. Believing that Max was ready to be taken into camp by Joe, he arranged to have them meet in the Yankee Stadium on June 19, 1936.

To the surprise of all, Schmeling gave his greatest performance in knocking out the Brown Bomber in the twelfth round, a triumph that put Max back into the championship picture as the outstanding challenger.

The left side of Louis' face was so swollen that it appeared he had a double cheek. He was staggered often and received severe punishment. His left eye was completely closed and his lips were bleeding.

Max scored his first knockdown in the fourth round and henceforth, a more determined Schmeling never faced an opponent. When the fight ended, Louis was resting in a praying position supported by the ropes.