Baer possessed the same fundamentals and family values as Braddock. It?s a shame that Ron Howard couldn?t acknowledge that?
Not long ago I wrote an article about how the sport I love was slowly being taken from the people who love it most?the working class. Working class fighters gave their people and the working class communities around the world hope and happiness. Hope?that they themselves could reach their own goals and aspirations. Happiness?during the tough times, that so many people encounter, a sporting win can raise a smile on a tired face especially in 1930s America where sporting heroes in baseball and boxing where the only hope for happiness during the Great Depression.
?Cinderella Man? was a phrase coined by the celebrated writer and author Damon Runyon. He uttered the phrase after witnessing James J. Braddock climb out of obscurity to become the heavyweight champion of the world, thereby giving hope and happiness to the American public during the Depression. The term ?Cinderella Man? was also used as the title for Ron Howard?s 2005 Academy Award nominated movie which tells the story of Braddock?s fall from grace and his rise from the ashes to claim victory over the movie?s villain that is Max Baer.
Ron Howard?s portrayal of Max Baer would have you believe that he was a brute who didn?t have a second thought for the men who died by his hands. He would have you believe that Baer was a womanizer and was never short of a showgirl or two on his arm whenever he made a public appearance. James J. Braddock?s story was already legendary so there was no need to assassinate someone?s character in order to make another?s shine through. A great example of this in the movie is when Baer played by Craig Bierko turns to Braddock?s wife played by Ren?e Zellweger during a pre-fight encounter and tells her, ?You?re far too pretty to be a widow? and offers to console her once he kills her husband in their heavyweight title bout.
In this article I will discuss the real Max Baer and not the fictional character in Ron Howard?s movie but the man who was a legend in his own right, the Max Baer that was a caring and kind man who had an illustrious career of his own who was also a loving father and husband.
Maximilian Adelbert Baer was born on June 11, 1909 in Omaha, Nebraska, to Jacob Baer, who was Jewish, and Dora Bales, who was of Ulster-Scots Protestant American ancestry. Both he and his brother, Buddy Baer, took up the sweet science of bruising with Max turning pro in 1929; however, just over a year later a tragic event would haunt him for the rest of his life.
It was August 25, 1930, during a Pacific Coast title fight with Frankie Campbell, when Max caught Frankie with a shot to the head. Between rounds, Frankie told his corner that he felt something snap in his neck. The Hibbing, Minnesota native went on to win another two rounds, but after the final bell, Frankie Campbell was admitted to hospital due to the injuries he sustained from the fight. Max later attended the hospital and upon visiting Frankie?s family he apologized to his wife, held her hand, and offered her and her children financial support should they need it. After the announcement of Frankie?s death, Max broke down, sobbing inconsolably and staying true to his word, he donated four of his fight purses to the family of Frankie Campbell.
Two years later, Max Baer met Ernie Schaaf in the squared circle for a second time, with Ernie winning the first encounter by a majority decision. He battered Ernie Schaaf from pillar to post and in the final round. Max was throwing right-left combinations to the body before going upstairs and connecting with looping right hooks to Schaaf?s jaw which caused the New Jersey fighter to fall flat on his face on the final ring of the bell. He had to be dragged backed to his corner with his team working to bring him back to his senses. According to Ron Howard?s version of events, Ernie died at the murderous hands of Max; however, the truth is that Ernie Schaff died some months later. He had been complaining of terrible headaches after the fight. Ernie Schaaf died in the ring after taking a jab from Italian fighter Primo Carnera. His autopsy report showed that Ernie had a swelling on the brain. He had also been recovering from a severe case of influenza and meningitis which contributed to his death.
?My father cried about what happened to Frankie Campbell,? Max Baer Jr. ?He had nightmares. In reality, my father was one of the kindest, gentlest men you would ever hope to meet. He treated boxing the way today?s professional wrestlers do wrestling: part sport, mostly showmanship. He never deliberately hurt anyone.?
In relation to the case of Frankie Campbell, Baer was charged with manslaughter but was later acquitted of all charges and served a one-year ban from boxing. He continued to fight once the year was up, but the deaths of Frankie Campbell and Ernie Schaaf remained with Max until his death.
In 1930s Germany the Nazi party was on the rise. Their leader, the murderous Adolf Hitler, had cast Germany under his spell with his romanticism of the perfect race and country. He hailed Deutschland and its natives as the race of races. Included in that was a German boxer by the name of Max Schmeling. In June 1933 with 60,000 fans willing him on to victory at the Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Max Baer faced Adolf Hitler?s favorite fighter in a match that he was tipped to lose. But against all odds, the Star of David short-wearing Max Baer sent Schmeling to the canvas in the 10th round, shouting at Schmeling, ?That was for Hitler.?
It wasn?t just a win. It was a symbol of toppling the regime that would become notorious for its persecution of Jews and other minorities in Europe and beyond. Max Baer cemented his legacy as a hero in the hearts and minds of the Jewish community. It should also be noted that after the war it was discovered that Schmeling had in fact saved many Jewish children?s lives whilst serving Germany.
Max Baer later beat Primo Carnera to win the world heavyweight championship by knocking down the Italian native 11 times before he went on to face the ?Cinderella Man? who beat Max by decision. After the fight Max admitted that he took Braddock far too lightly.
The boxing historians of our generation don?t need a movie to educate them in the fighters of yesteryear. As much as I enjoyed the ?Cinderella Man? movie it taught me that it was just that, a movie and not to be taken literally. What is literal is that Max Baer possessed the same fundamentals and family values as James J. Braddock. It?s a shame that Ron Howard couldn?t acknowledge that.
