If you think Adolf Hitler’s consciousness was only confined in his obsession to fortify his Nazi arsenal and command in the fight for supremacy pre-World War II and onward, then you must have missed the breakthrough of boxing from a Nazi’s mind.
In the book of sports record, “The Handy Sports Answer Book”, authored by Kevin Hillstrom, Laurie Hillstrom and Roger Matuz, Hitler was highlighted as an ultimate boxing fan and so as Franklin Roosevelt. Both American president and German fuhrer found a lot of interests when Joe Louis, known as “the Brown Bomber,” faced off against Max Schmeling of Germany in June 1938, according to the boxing book of records.
As noted, Nazi troops were preparing to roll Europe at that time, Hitler spoke to Schmeling motivating him to be victorious over Louis, to demonstrate the superiority of the Aryan race from which Hitler claimed himself as descendant and to which the idea of a superior “Aryan race” was commonly associated with Nazi racial theory and still probably the prevalent perception.
At a time of the White House meeting prior to the fight, Roosevelt squeezed Louis biceps, as reported, and told him: “We need muscles like you to beat Germany,” the boxing record reveals.
Nevertheless, the two fighters had met for the first time two years earlier.
As told, Louis was the heavy favorite in that match and undefeated in twenty-four fights and Schmeling had forty-eight wins, seven losses and four draws. But Schmeling scored a surprising knockout with a right cross in the twelfth round. Louis was down in the 4th and 12th rounds.Ring Magazine has it as the1936 Fight of the Year.
When they met for a second time when Schmeling was winning all of his fights since his knockout win over Louis, the Brown Bomber was the newly crowned heavyweight champ and desperately wanted to avenge his only professional loss.
