Just before the First World War, there was a group of four black American heavyweight, which were unique. I have already written about the best of them, Jack Johnson and the competition, which he had in Plymouth in 1908, just five months before he became the first heavyweight champion Black World. I also told a story Langford himself and his competitions in Great Britain. The other two, Sam McVey and Joe Jeannette, also toured extensively in Europe and both fought in Great Britain, and also fought with British opponents in Paris, where both men had for some time. These four heavyweight were much better than any of the leading white weights of the era and everyone conveniently defeated Tommy Burns and Jess Willard, the masters against whom Johnson won and lost the title. Only Johnson received the title shot and used it fully.

McVey, Jeannette and Langford were largely ignored by the main promoters of that day, especially by Tex Rickard, and to get decent handbags, they had to resort to fight. Langford himself, for example, called 14 competitions with McVey and 15 against Jeannette. McVEY and Jeannette met five times, including two classic meetings in Paris in 1909, when Joe knocked out his rival in the 49th round before they both attracted the 30-runder. I am almost sure that for the first time the rounds were each of the three minutes, but I am not sure if the arrangements regarding the return. Either way, these were exploits of incredible strength, because each competition was extremely complex.

Joe Jeannette came to boxing at a behind schedule age. Born in Modern Jersey, he was 25, when he first entered a professional ring and it was quite unusual for this period, and most boxers fought for money from early teenagers. Both Jack Johnson and Jack Dempsey, both hit the salary around 19. During the year Jeannette met, and they beat like Langford, as well as Johnson himself. In 1909 he was recognized as one of the best heavyweight in the world, and then he came to Europe for the first time. During his first route, from January to May 1909, he put on five British heavyweight in a total number of 12 rounds. Ben Taylor, Charlie Croxon and Jack Scales were defeated in Paris in competitions, which took place immediately before and after its classic 49-UND with McVey, and then, before returning to the States, he crossed the channel to take part in two competitions on the newly opened, and very brief breaks, hearing cross arena. This building, which still survived today, was located on Villiers Street, near the band and was full of night, when Jeannette boxed there, when he was exposed to two six runes against the soldiers of the Cook Royal Watchtower, the end guard and Harry Shearing from Walthamstov.

Jeannette entered the ring at 22:00 Edged and was supported by the great American medium weight, Willie Lewis, who won in the same place last night. Competitions were held a few months earlier Bn The uprising appeared, so I rely on the fact that sports life told me that Joe constantly beat Cook before the second of the soldier threw a towel during the second round, and that the shearing occurred before the performance before he was also pulled out by his corner in the fourth. The next day, Jeannette left Great Britain and sailed home. He returned in 1912 to fight both in Glasgow and Plymouth, beating Teenage Johnson and George Rodel, and in the last British competitions, in 1914, he detained Andrew Johnson in Liverpool, before he overtook Colin Bella in Premierland, Whitechapel. He died in 1958 at the age of 78, a relatively opulent man, unlike two Sams, Langford and McVey, both of which, unfortunately, died in poverty.

Michael Nunn (in RSF 11)
Davenport, IA (May 10, 1991)
I lost to Nunn because I lost the concentration of what I went there – to win [IBF 160lb] The title of World Champion – and tried to knock him out with one shot. [Trainer] Bill [Miller] He said: “We didn’t come here for this. Do what we did in a training camp. When I returned to my game plan, I started bringing him. After 10. I knew that he would disappear in one subsequent round.

Mike McCallum i (D PTS 12)
Atlantic City, NJ (December 13, 1991)
I won this fight. They just saved him for the next one with the draw. He knows who won. Mike was the best warrior I’ve ever fought. Before I fought him, I wasn’t as sweet as we fought. Everything he did made me think and work.

Iran Barkley (in RTD 9)
Las Vegas, NV (February 13, 1993)
Iran talked a lot, trying to intimidate me, but you can’t intimidate the intimidation or a bang. I am not a rascal in the sense of trying to abuse average people. I am a lifestyle and I love it. I sent him home, crying.

Tim Littles (in RSF 4)
Los Angeles, California (March 5, 1994)
I didn’t know it was blood [from a cut to the left eye]. I just thought I was sweating too much, and then I saw when I tried to wipe him. I always said that if I see red, it means you’re dead, so I took him. I am a shark and you know what a shark does when he sees blood. Littles was the number one claimant, he was also with Michigan, so I had to show him who was the best.

Evander Holyfield (in RSF 9)
Las Vegas, NV (October 4, 2003)
Holyfield was the best hefty weight of him, Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson. Mike was great, but you can’t become a great warrior if you give up and Mike gave up. Mike was a man when he was in shape and ready to leave, then the time came and you saw how his heart leaves him. When your heart leaves you, you’ll give up. Holyfield was very mentally and physically sturdy, but I broke him. Boxing was a great experience – I had a good time. As I said after the fight, “I told you that.”

Charles Williams (at KO 12)
Las Vegas, NV (July 29, 1994)
Williams was a tough guy. I had fun in this fight. My eye was rejected from him, rubbing my jheri juice on the face. Bill told me to stick to the game plan. I thought, “No, I’ll get it.” I saw a hole for this right hand and a bang! – It was his ass.

Vassily Jirov (in PTS 12)
Mashantucket, CT (April 26, 2003)
They called him a “tiger” and people thought he was going to evaporate me. Everyone was afraid of him, but I’m not afraid of anyone. I wouldn’t run away from anyone – I’ve never done it all my life. I wanted to go with him mano-a -mano. When I fight you, I don’t like you, even if you said something good about me. We don’t have it today. Everyone is frosty, everyone meets and goes to concerts together. I didn’t want it.

Samuel Peter (L PTS 12 – x2)
Los Angeles, California (September 2, 2006) and Hollywood, Florida (January 6, 2007)
I fought with many guys who looked sturdy, like Holyfield and Piotr, and then, when they call the bell, they can’t touch me. I said, “I’m going to throw this cluster ** ker!” I didn’t like him then and now. In the ring he was used to people running away from him – I went straight to him. The only time he hurt me, he was when he caught me to the back of the head and I was not going to inform him that I was wounded. I was peaceful and gathered, slipped and slid down and put it on him. I won these fights.

Blockbuster film from 2005 Cinderellawho described the life of the world heavyweight champion James J. Braddock, was grossly unfair to present Braddock’s rival Max Baer, ​​from whom he won the title. In the film, Baer is depicted as a cruel sadist who threatens to kill Braddock in the ring and sleep with his wife. This is nonsense. It never happened. Real Max Baer was nothing like this hideous distortion from Hollywood.

“Madcap Max”, as he was known, was one of the most popular and popular fighters from the interwar period. In addition to his powerful blow (51 of his 66 wins came inside), Baer was a content joker whose contagious smile and antics resembling a clown brightened the game of fighting among the darkness of the great crisis.

Max had a Jewish father, but he did not practice faith himself. However, he proudly wore the star of David on his struggle shorts and was a hero of the Jewish people around the world.

In 1937, two years after he lost the World Crown with Braddock, Max and his brother, a Baer heavyweight colleague, everyone had two fights in Great Britain. Buddy won his two, but Max lost to Tommy Farr in his British debut at Harringay Arena, April 15. However, he did this, with a clear win over Ben Foord in the same place on May 27, hitting south Africa to defeat in the nine. But more unforgettable than the fight itself was the party that Max and Buddha received when they visited a few days later.

On May 31, Morry Bloom, the owner of the well -known Delicatessen in Brick Lane, Whitechapel, canceled Max’s victory event over his store. When the news in which Baer participated, residents, many Jewish people turned out to be in thousands to welcome the former world champion. Max and Buddy were to come to Bloom at 19:00, but the crowds began to gather a few hours earlier, and when the arrival of Baers approached the road, it was almost impassable, and the police tried to part the crowd to make room for movement. Every car that entered Brick Lane was hailed as the screams: “Max is coming!” And surrounded by extremely doping people.

At 20:00 the Baers car drew a view. “Travel from the summit of Osborn Street to the Bloom store – only 200 yards – lasted almost a quarter of hours,” said East End the Weekly Sporting Review. “Scenes of excitement, which meant their low journey, were indescribable; the local population became hysterical in crazy effort to take a look at the former world champion and his brother, Buddha.”

After taking through the crowd, the brothers found the way to the dining room above the store, where an excellent spread was arranged. But this did not stop the crowds outside – in fact they became enlarged, and there were persistent shouts “We want Max!”

She never disappointed the audience, there was the title of the world in a window with her brother, waving and smiling at a cheering crowd. Through the microphone Max thanked East Enders for their great welcome, and Buddy sang several songs, and the external audience joined the chorus.

Sid Nathan, a well-known judge-then a 14-year-old autograph hunter-was part of a huge crowd and remembered that Max and Buddhs were considered “like royal”.

Twenty -two years later, when Max died of a heart attack at a Hollywood hotel at the age of 50, the world of boxing was devastated after losing one of his most nice characters. Max believed that the world would be a better place with more laughter and did it his personal mantra.

Asked on the deathbed by the hotel staff, if he needs a home doctor, he reports that he joked: “NO. Take me a doctor!”
Forget about the unfair performance of Hollywood from 2005. It was a real Max Baer.