Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Max Schmeling, who became a German myth as world champion and conqueror of Joe Louis. As an escape helper from Nazi Germany, he also became a lifesaver.
“The heart of a boxer knows only one love: the fight for victory alone. A boxer’s heart knows only one concern: to always be the first in the ring.”
Max Schmeling’s heart beat for 99 years before he passed away on February 2, 2005 – 20 years ago today. He was the only German world champion in all classes, the greatest idol of German boxing, perhaps of German sport in general.
His historic world championship triumph over Jack Sharkey and sensational victory over Joe Louis made him a legend in the 1930s, providing material for books, films, and plays. Schmeling himself also immortalized himself in popular culture with the song quoted above.
It was only many decades after the end of his career that it became known that he was more than just a great athlete: Schmeling’s greatest heroic act was saving two young lives in the midst of one of the darkest hours in German history.
Defeating Joe Louis made Max Schmeling a legend
Schmeling was born on September 28, 1905 in Klein-Luckow, in the Uckermarck region between Brandenburg and Mecklenburg. The family soon moved to Hamburg, where his father found work as a sailor. Young Max found an apprenticeship in Cologne and began boxing there at 18.
Just one year later, in 1924, he turned professional, became German champion in 1926, and European champion in 1927. Max Schmeling was only 1.85 m tall and weighed 85 kilos, almost a light heavyweight, a counter-punching boxer with lightning reactions and a devastating right.
In 1928, he retired from all titles and ventured across the pond. After two years, he had fought his way to a world championship opportunity. The title was vacant due to Gene Tunney’s retirement, and Schmeling faced Jack Sharkey in New York. In the fourth round, Sharkey was disqualified after a low blow, and Schmeling was proclaimed world champion on the floor. Two years later, Sharkey regained the title – but Schmeling’s most memorable victory was yet to come.
On June 19, 1936, he faced Joe Louis, the up-and-coming boxing phenomenon, in front of 40,000 spectators at New York’s Yankee Stadium – but Schmeling discovered a tactical weakness in Louis’ defense. In round four, Louis went down for the first time in his career, and in round twelve, he was counted out.
Schmeling helped Jewish youths to escape
Louis – who was to become a good friend of Schmeling – won the rematch handily. The friendship between the two and Schmeling’s help for Louis later became legendary.
That Schmeling’s good reputation remained intact in the post-war period was also due to the fact that he was relatively reserved in his acceptance of Hitler’s Germany.
Schmeling did not oppose the system, and later also accused himself of “naivety” in his dealings with the regime – but he still kept a certain distance: he did not join the Nazi Party, kept his Jewish manager Joe Jacobs, and even refused to honor Adolf Hitler. “I’m a boxer, not a politician,” was one of his most famous phrases.
As was later revealed, Schmeling even provided active assistance to victims of the Hitler regime: in 1938, during the November pogroms, he hid two Jewish youths – sons of a boutique owner who was a friend of his – in his hotel room and helped them to escape.
The rescued brothers Henri and Werner Lewin made the story public in 1989. However, it was only 12 years later that an article in Sports Illustrated brought the story to a wider audience.
“If they had found out what Max did, he would certainly have been shot,” speculated the eternally grateful Henri Lewin in a 2004 interview with Welt am Sonntag.
Ali and Tyson also paid tribute to Schmeling
As a successful businessman and highly honored promoter of German sports, Schmeling remained in the public eye even after the war and the end of his career in the ring.
It was only in 1987, after the death of his beloved wife Anny Ondra, that he largely retired – but numerous sports and society celebrities sought his company until the end. Among those who came to his funeral were Henry Maske, Wladimir Klitschko, Franz Beckenbauer and Uwe Seeler.
During Schmeling’s lifetime, the Lewin brothers, who had been saved by Schmeling and had gone on to become successful hoteliers in the United States, organized a large tribute in Schmeling’s honor in Las Vegas, where Muhammad Ali and the young Mike Tyson, among others, paid tribute to Schmeling.
“I had Nuremberg sausages, sauerkraut and Berlin-style rissoles specially flown in. Film clips of his fights were shown, with Max commentating on them himself,” Werner Lewin recalled.
He died in 2008, his brother eight years later after a long and fulfilled life.