Max Schmeling’s greatest fight

The heavyweight boxer knocks out Joe Louis in New York

Born in 1905 in Klein Luckow in the Uckermark, the boxer Max Schmeling turned professional at the age of 18. Winning the German and then the European light heavyweight title after just a few years, Schmeling sought to make it big in New York. In 1930, he became the first – and at the point of writing, the only – German world heavyweight boxing champion. His opponent Jack Sharkey was disqualified for landing a punch below the belt. Schmeling held his title for two years until he lost it in a rematch against Sharkey. After returning to Germany, Schmeling’s fights in Hamburg attracted record crowds. The Nazis soon capitalized on Schmeling’s popularity and used him as the public face of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin.

The Olympic year saw Max Schmeling’s most famous fight take place in New York against Joe Louis, aka the “Brown Bomber”. Neither fighter was the world champion, so the bout was only for pride. Although Joe Louis was widely considered to be unbeatable, Schmeling fought a tactically astute fight and felled the American in the 12th round. The Nazis believed that Schmeling’s surprise victory demonstrated the superiority of the Aryan race, and the boxer was met by a large crowd upon his return to Germany. Two years later, Schmeling was given another crack at the world title, this time against the “Brown Bomber”, but Louis had learned from his past mistakes and sent Schmeling to the canvas in the first round. The outbreak of the Second World War put an end to Max Schmeling’s career.